MK2 Films

Overview

MK2 Films is a Paris-based production, international sales, and exhibition company founded in 1974 by Marin Karmitz and now led by CEO Nathanael Karmitz. The company controls a catalog of over 1,000 titles spanning fiction, animation, and documentary, making it one of the most significant privately held arthouse film libraries in the world. MK2 operates across five divisions: international sales, production, cinema exhibition, VR/immersive content, and catalog restoration and licensing.

The company had 11 films in selection at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, including Andrey Zvyagintsev's Minotaur in Competition. Five MK2 titles were shortlisted at the 2026 Academy Awards. Recent Palme d'Or winners handled by MK2 include Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident and Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall. The company is also the international sales agent for Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value and Celine Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

For filmmakers working in arthouse or auteur cinema, MK2 is a sales agent and production partner with direct access to the Cannes, Berlin, and Venice pipeline, plus a built-in theatrical exhibition network in Paris and Spain.

History

Marin Karmitz, a Romanian-born filmmaker and producer, founded MK2 in 1974 in Paris. He started as a director before shifting to production and distribution, building MK2 into a vertically integrated company that controlled the full chain from production through theatrical exhibition. The first MK2 cinema opened at Bastille in 1974, the same year the company was founded.

MK2 produced and distributed key works of European cinema through the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, including Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy (Blue, White, Red, 1993-1994), Michael Haneke's Cache (2005), and numerous Cannes competition titles. The acquisition of the Charlie Chaplin film library added one of cinema's most commercially valuable catalogs to MK2's holdings. The Chaplin collection continues to generate revenue through global reissue programs: the centenary reissue of The Gold Rush launched at Cannes Classics and expanded to 2,000 screens across 76 territories.

Nathanael Karmitz now leads the company as CEO. Under his direction, MK2 has expanded its catalog strategy beyond traditional sales into direct curation and programming, positioning restored classics as global theatrical events rather than catalog inventory.

Operations

MK2 operates five distinct divisions:

• MK2 Films: International sales for new productions and catalog titles. Represents 15-25 new titles annually at markets including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and the AFM. Recent sales slate includes Robin Campillo's Enzo, Hafsia Herzi's La Petite Derniere, and Zaven Najjar's animated Allah Is Not Obliged.
• MK2 Productions: Develops and produces French and international features. Production partners include Les Films de Pierre, Les Films Pelléas, and Lucky Red.
• MK2 Cinemas: Operates 26 cinema sites in France and Spain with over 9.5 million admissions annually. The network includes 9 Paris locations (Bastille, Beaubourg, Gambetta, Bibliotheque, Nation, Odeon, Quai de Seine, Quai de Loire, Parnasse) plus sites in Andalusia under the Cinesur brand. The mk2 Bibliotheque location alone has 20 screens and 3,500 seats. MK2 holds approximately 19% market share in Paris arthouse cinema.
• MK2 Curiosity: VR and immersive content division, developing virtual reality experiences and interactive narrative projects.
• Catalog Management: Restoration, licensing, and global distribution of the MK2 library. Recent acquisitions include worldwide rights to the complete filmography of Celine Sciamma (Water Lilies, Tomboy, Girlhood, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Petite Maman), newly restored versions of Ang Lee's Pushing Hands, The Wedding Banquet, and Eat Drink Man Woman, and worldwide rights to Xavier Dolan's I Killed My Mother and Heartbeats. MK2 also partnered with Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation to represent 10 restored titles from the World Cinema Project, including Parajanov's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.

Recent Acquisitions and Strategy

In 2025-2026, MK2 has been executing a strategy to reposition auteur classics as global theatrical events. Key deals include:

• Celine Sciamma complete collection: Worldwide rights to all five features plus the short This Is How a Child Becomes a Poet. The newly re-edited 2026 version of Tomboy premiered at the Berlinale as a special event.
• Michael Haneke catalog: Added Funny Games (2007) to existing holdings of Code Unknown and The Piano Teacher.
• Ang Lee restored trilogy: 4K restorations of the "Father Knows Best" trilogy, acquired from the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute.
• Gregg Araki restoration: Director-approved 4K restoration of Mysterious Skin, premiered at Sundance Classics.
• Ari Folman restoration: New 4K restoration of Waltz with Bashir, set to premiere in 2026.
• Chaplin global reactivation: A curated program of Chaplin's most iconic films, positioned as ready-to-release theatrical packages for distributors worldwide.

MK2 is also preparing a 30th anniversary reissue of Kiarostami's Taste of Cherry for 2027.

What Filmmakers Should Know

MK2 acquires and produces auteur-driven films with strong festival potential. The company's international sales arm represents films at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and other major festivals. For filmmakers working in the arthouse space, MK2 offers a sales partner with deep credibility in the international festival circuit and direct theatrical exhibition capacity in Paris.

MK2 typically gets involved at one of three stages:

1. Production: MK2 co-produces French and international features, often with French and European partners. Projects are developed through MK2 Productions.
2. Acquisition at festivals: MK2's sales team acquires finished films at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Toronto for international representation.
3. Catalog acquisition: MK2 acquires rights to restored or legacy titles for global reissue, working with archives, rights holders, and restoration specialists.

The company's cinema chain provides a direct theatrical exhibition pathway in Paris, one of the most important arthouse cinema markets in the world. Films sold by MK2 Films can secure guaranteed Paris theatrical runs through MK2 Cinemas, which is unusual for an international sales agent.

For filmmakers with completed arthouse features seeking international sales representation, MK2 evaluates projects based on festival reception, director track record, and appeal to arthouse audiences across multiple territories. The company does not typically handle genre films, mainstream commercial cinema, or films without festival circuit potential.

MK2's catalog division also represents an opportunity for filmmakers or rights holders with restored or heritage titles. The company has demonstrated that curated reissue programs can generate meaningful theatrical revenue: the Chaplin Gold Rush centenary reissue reached 2,000 screens across 76 territories, and the theatrical re-release of Claude Lanzmann's Shoah was treated as a global cultural event.

House Style / Genre Focus

MK2 handles auteur-driven arthouse cinema with strong festival potential. The catalog spans fiction, animation, and documentary from directors including Celine Sciamma, Joachim Trier, Justine Triet, Jafar Panahi, Andrey Zvyagintsev, and Michael Haneke. MK2 also manages the Charlie Chaplin library and restored classics from Kiarostami, Ang Lee, and Ari Folman.

MK2 does not handle genre films, mainstream commercial cinema, or films without festival circuit potential. The company avoids projects that lack arthouse audience appeal across multiple territories.

How They Typically Find Talent / Take Submissions

MK2 gets involved at three stages: production, festival acquisition, and catalog acquisition. The company does not accept unsolicited submissions.

1. Production: MK2 co-produces French and international features through MK2 Productions, often with partners like Les Films de Pierre, Les Films Pelleas, and Lucky Red.
2. Festival acquisition: MK2's sales team acquires finished films at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Toronto for international representation.
3. Catalog acquisition: MK2 acquires rights to restored or heritage titles for global reissue, working with archives and restoration specialists.

Filmmakers with completed arthouse features seeking international sales representation should ensure their film premieres at a major festival. MK2 evaluates projects based on festival reception, director track record, and arthouse audience appeal.

Recent Output / Slate Year

2026 Cannes: 11 films in selection, including Andrey Zvyagintsev's Minotaur in Competition. Five MK2 titles shortlisted at the 2026 Academy Awards.

Recent Palme d'Or winners: Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident and Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall.

2025-2026 catalog deals: Celine Sciamma complete collection (worldwide rights), Michael Haneke catalog (Funny Games added), Ang Lee restored trilogy (4K), Gregg Araki restoration (Mysterious Skin), Ari Folman restoration (Waltz with Bashir), Chaplin global reactivation program.

Watch: Trailers & Behind the Scenes

See Also

For understanding how arthouse distribution works internationally, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue across international territories, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For calculating festival submission ROI, see the Festival ROI Calculator.