Sharmill Films

Overview

Sharmill Films is a Melbourne-based independent film distribution company founded in 1967 by Natalie Miller AO. It is Australia's longest-running arthouse distributor and the first distribution company in Australia to be started and run by a woman. Miller, who served as publicity director of the Melbourne Film Festival for 17 years, launched Sharmill after purchasing the Australian distribution rights to Luis Bunuel's The Exterminating Angel and exhibiting it at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne. That first acquisition established the curatorial identity Sharmill has maintained for nearly 60 years: auteur-driven, festival-quality cinema from around the world.

The company is currently led by Katharine Thornton as CEO, with Natalie Miller remaining active as Executive Director. Sharmill operates from Melbourne and distributes theatrically across Australia and New Zealand. In addition to feature films, Sharmill has built a substantial event cinema business, distributing over 500 event-cinema broadcasts from institutions including London's National Theatre (NT Live), the Metropolitan Opera (Met Opera Live in HD), and various World Art Events programs.

Miller also co-founded Cinema Nova in Carlton, Melbourne in 1992 with business partner Barry Peak. Cinema Nova began with two screens and has since expanded to 16 screens, making it one of Australia's largest arthouse cinema venues. This exhibition connection gives Sharmill direct access to the arthouse cinema audience and exhibition infrastructure in Melbourne, Australia's most active arthouse market.

Distribution Model

Sharmill distributes theatrically across Australia through partnerships with arthouse cinema chains including Palace Films, independent arthouse venues, and state cinematheques. The company handles its own Australian theatrical marketing and publicity for each release, building campaigns that target specialist film press and broader cultural media. Sharmill typically acquires Australian and New Zealand rights (theatrical, digital, and home entertainment) as a bundled territory deal.

The company's release strategy follows a platform model: films open in Melbourne and Sydney arthouse venues first, then expand to Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and regional cinemas based on audience response. For event cinema broadcasts (NT Live, Met Opera), releases are typically scheduled as one-night or limited-run screenings across a wider network of venues, including multiplex locations that program event cinema content.

Home entertainment and digital releases follow the theatrical window through Sharmill's home video operations and partnerships with Australian digital platforms including Stan, Foxtel, and Apple TV. Australia's regulated theatrical window requires a specific minimum gap between theatrical release and digital/home entertainment release, which shapes Sharmill's release planning for each title.

Recent Acquisitions and Releases

Sharmill's 2024 through 2026 slate demonstrates the company's curatorial focus on festival-premiered auteur cinema and high-profile event cinema content:

• The Entertainment System Is Down (acquired February 2025) - Ruben Ostlund's upcoming satirical film starring Kirsten Dunst, Daniel Bruhl, and Keanu Reeves. Ostlund is a two-time Palme d'Or winner. Sharmill acquired Australian and New Zealand rights. The film is set on a long-haul flight between England and Australia where the entertainment system fails.
• Two Prosecutors (acquired June 2025) - Sergei Loznitsa's Cannes Competition title, acquired by Sharmill at Cannes. The deal was brokered by Natalie Miller and CEO Katharine Thornton. The film premiered at Sydney Film Festival before a national theatrical release later in 2025.
• The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024) - Mohammad Rasoulof's film, distributed theatrically in Australia and New Zealand.
• Silenced (September 2026) - documentary about international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson and the weaponisation of defamation laws against survivors.
• The Dinner Game (Le Diner De Cons) (2026) - re-release of the French comedy classic.

Sharmill's event cinema slate for 2025 and 2026 includes multiple NT Live productions: Inter Alia with Rosamund Pike (September 2025), A Streetcar Named Desire (June 2025), All My Sons, The Audience (Encore), The Playboy of the Western World, and Les Liaisons Dangereuses. The company also distributes Florence and the Uffizi Gallery as a World Art Events screening (October 2025).

Festival Relationships and Acquisition Strategy

Sharmill acquires films primarily at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Toronto. The company's Melbourne base gives it natural access to films premiering at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), one of the largest film festivals in the Southern Hemisphere. MIFF is one of the primary acquisition moments for Australian rights to international arthouse films, and Sharmill's consistent festival presence allows direct negotiation with sales agents and filmmakers.

Natalie Miller's 17-year tenure as Melbourne Film Festival publicity director established the relationships and curatorial sensibility that still inform Sharmill's acquisition strategy. The company targets European prestige cinema, documentary, formally adventurous international film, and director-driven projects with festival credentials. Sharmill does not typically acquire broad commercial or genre content, distinguishing it from larger Australian distributors like Madman Entertainment and Roadshow.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For international filmmakers seeking Australian theatrical distribution, Sharmill is one of the primary arthouse distribution contacts alongside Madman Entertainment (broader commercial focus), Palace Films (own cinema chain), and Umbrella Entertainment (cult and classic content). Films targeting the Australian arthouse cinema audience - European prestige, documentary, and formally adventurous international cinema - are the most natural Sharmill acquisition targets.

Sharmill's deals typically cover Australia and New Zealand as a bundled territory. The company does not operate an open submission portal; acquisitions happen through sales agents at major film markets and festivals. Filmmakers with films premiering at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, or MIFF should ensure their sales agent is aware of Sharmill as a potential ANZ buyer.

Australian pre-sales to Sharmill are a recognised mechanism for international co-productions seeking to include Australian financing or distribution contributions. Australia's co-production treaty relationships with the UK, Canada, Germany, France, and other countries create financing pathways for international productions with Australian involvement. A Sharmill pre-sale can contribute to a film's financing structure by guaranteeing an MG (minimum guarantee) against Australian and New Zealand theatrical revenue.

For short filmmakers, Sharmill does not typically acquire short content. The company's focus is feature films and event cinema programming.

See Also

For how Australian theatrical distribution fits into an international territory strategy, see Distribution Deals Explained. For other Australian specialist distributors, see the Palace Films and Madman Entertainment entries in this directory. To model the revenue from Australian territorial distribution as part of a global release plan, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator.