Modern Films

Overview

Modern Films is a London-based independent film distribution company founded in 2017 by Eve Gabereau. Gabereau previously co-founded and ran Soda Pictures for 15 years, representing over 350 films including Toni Erdmann, Paterson, and works by Joachim Trier and Kelly Reichardt. Modern Films operates as a production, distribution, and digital exhibition company. It works with rising and established international talent to bring arthouse and socially engaged films to UK and Ireland audiences. The company is headquartered at 1-13 Charlotte Street, London W1T 1RH.

Modern Films represents a library of over 100 films. Notable titles include the Academy Award and BAFTA winner Drive My Car (Ryusuke Hamaguchi). The company also distributed two further Hamaguchi features: Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Berlinale Silver Bear) and Evil Does Not Exist (Venice Silver Lion). Additional titles include Agnieszka Holland's Venice Special Jury Prize winner Green Border, Babak Jalali's Sundance selection Fremont (featuring Jeremy Allen White), and Alice Rohrwacher's Cannes winner Happy as Lazzaro. The catalog also includes the Camera d'Or winner Murina (executive produced by Martin Scorsese).

The company's first major projects were the distribution of Julian Rosefeldt's Manifesto (starring Cate Blanchett in 13 roles) and executive production on the BAFTA-winning I Am Not a Witch (Rungano Nyoni). I Am Not a Witch was the UK's entry for the 91st Academy Awards.

Distribution Model

Modern Films operates three distinct distribution channels that can be combined per title:

Theatrical releases place films in arthouse cinemas across the UK and Ireland. For Drive My Car, the company opened on 27 sites, reaching a widest point of 50 screens. The film played at over 100 sites total across the UK and Ireland over 15 weeks. The company handles its own publicity and marketing.

Event Cinema is a sub-brand (Modern Event Cinema) that creates one-off screening events with Q&As, panels, and discussions. Event partners include the Royal Opera House, The Barbican, Tate Modern, and Serpentine Galleries. Additional partners include Penguin Books, Frieze Art Fair, the British Museum, the British Library, and The Guardian. The model extends distribution to venues without permanent cinema programming: arts centres, museums, galleries, universities, and community organisations.

Virtual Cinema operates as a partnered online screening model. Modern Films shares virtual box office ticket sales between distribution and exhibition, working similarly to physical theatrical partnerships. For Drive My Car, the company ran a 31-day theatrical window before opening concurrent virtual cinema channels. These spanned 17 Modern Films cinema partners, 8 third-party platforms (including Curzon Home Cinema and BFI Player), and 5 cultural partners. This created 30 additional ways to watch the film.

Example Titles They've Released

Drive My Car (2022, Academy Award winner Best International Feature, BAFTA winner Best Film Not in the English Language), I Am Not a Witch (2018, BAFTA winner, UK Oscar entry), Happy as Lazzaro (2018, Cannes winner), Diamantino (2018), The Perfect Candidate (2019), Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (2022), Green Border (2023, Venice Special Jury Prize), Fremont (2023, Sundance), Murina (2022, Camera d'Or), The Return (2025), Memoir of a Snail (2025), When the Light Breaks (2025), Girls Will Be Girls (2024), Leonora In The Morning Light (2026, Modern Projects).

Deal Structure Reputation

Modern Films does not publicly disclose standard MG (minimum guarantee) ranges or P&A (Prints and Advertising) commitments. Based on the company's market position and the budget tiers of its catalog, MGs typically fall in the mid five-figure range for UK-Ireland all-rights deals. The company acquires through sales agents at major festivals.

The distribution model is hybrid rather than purely MG-driven. For standard releases, Modern Films handles P&A costs itself. The Modern Projects division uses a collaborative funding model instead. Third-party sales, marketing, and PR agencies partner with producers to collectively raise P&A through private funding, cultural funds, or sponsorship. This reduces the company's direct financial exposure while expanding its release capacity.

The company acquired UK and Ireland all-rights deals for titles including Memoir of a Snail (2025 theatrical release), When the Light Breaks (2025 theatrical release), and Girls Will Be Girls (2024). No specific deal figures have been reported in Deadline or Variety. The company received a Global Screen Fund Grant for Business Development and Transformational Strategies in 2024, supporting its international scope.

Typical Acquisition Profile

Modern Films acquires finished films at Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Toronto, Venice, and Glasgow Film Festival. The company targets arthouse and socially engaged cinema with theatrical quality and community resonance. Its library skews toward films dealing with environmental, social justice, healthcare, educational, or cultural subjects.

The acquisition profile favors films that connect with defined community audiences. Documentaries with social impact angles fit the catalog, as do international arthouse features with festival credentials. Budget tiers typically range from $1 million to $10 million. The company also acquires animated features with arthouse appeal, as demonstrated by Memoir of a Snail.

Modern Films does not maintain an open submissions policy. Filmmakers should approach through a sales agent or at festivals where the company acquires. Gabereau's dual role at Vue Lumiere means she acquires more mainstream arthouse titles through that separate channel. Modern Films itself remains focused on its core arthouse and social impact identity. Satoko Sekiguchi coordinates development, production, and distribution of international projects.

Recent Slate / Acquisition Activity

In 2026, Modern Films launched Modern Projects, a collaborative distribution division created by Eve Gabereau. Gabereau remains owner and chair of Modern Films while also serving as director of distribution at Vue Lumiere, the theatrical releasing arm of exhibitor Vue Cinemas. Modern Projects acquires niche, event-driven titles. It brings together third-party sales, marketing, and PR agencies with producers to collectively raise P&A costs.

Partners include marketing agency Mustard Studio, publicity agency Margaret Communications, and consultants across theatrical delivery, promotions, outreach, and digital platforms. The first Modern Projects release was Leonora In The Morning Light, a biopic of British surrealist artist Leonora Carrington starring Olivia Vinall. The film was acquired from Indie Sales and opened in UK and Ireland cinemas in May 2026 after its UK premiere at Glasgow Film Festival.

This model differs from standard Modern Films releases, where the company handles P&A costs itself. Modern Projects was previously trialled on Uberto Pasolini's The Return (2025), where the company collaborated directly with Pasolini, who also produced and part-financed the film.

Through Vue Lumiere, Gabereau is acquiring more mainstream arthouse titles. These include the Marianne Faithfull documentary Broken English and Ferzan Ozpetek's Italian box-office hit Diamanti, which opened in over 25 UK and Ireland cinemas.

Watch: Trailers and Interviews

What Filmmakers Should Know

Modern Films is a realistic acquisition target for documentary and arthouse filmmakers whose work combines theatrical quality with community or social resonance. The company's library skews toward films dealing with environmental, social justice, healthcare, educational, or cultural subjects. These subjects connect with defined community audiences. The event screening infrastructure means distribution through Modern Films can deliver national reach even for films that would not achieve wide arthouse cinema bookings.

For filmmakers evaluating UK distributors, Modern Films occupies a specific niche. It is more socially engaged and event-oriented than Dogwoof, which focuses on documentary theatrical. It is more curatorial than Together Films, which focuses on impact distribution. It is more flexible than Axiom Films, which focuses on pure arthouse theatrical.

Filmmakers should note that Gabereau's dual role at Vue Lumiere means more mainstream arthouse titles flow through that separate channel. Modern Films itself remains focused on its core arthouse and social impact identity. The company does not publicly disclose standard MG ranges or P&A commitments. Approach through a sales agent or at festivals where the company acquires: Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Toronto, Venice, and Glasgow Film Festival.

See Also

For UK documentary distribution with more theatrical focus, see Dogwoof in this directory. For impact distribution with similar community engagement focus, see Together Films in this directory. For how UK theatrical distribution deals are structured, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue from a UK theatrical release with event screening extensions, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For how distribution fees and P&A recoupment affect filmmaker receipts, see What Does a Distributor Keep?. For comparable UK arthouse distributors, see Curzon and MUBI in this directory.