Institutional research

I looked into a variety of media institutions that distribute or produce films such as:
Summit entertainment

Summit Entertainment LLC (formerly Summit Entertainment LP) is a North American film studio and a subsidiary of Lions Gate Entertainment headquartered in Universal City, California with international offices in London. Summit was originally founded in 1991 by film producers Bernard Eichinger, Arnon Milchan, and Andrew G. Vajna, initially to handle film sales in foreign countries. Summit later expanded into producing and co-financing films in 1995, and started fully financing films by 1997.

Optimum Releasing

StudioCanal UK (formerly Optimum Releasing/Home Entertainment/Classics) is a film distributor company working in the UK and Ireland. The company releases many films, including foreign language films, anime releases such as Studio Ghibli's films and independent British, Irish and American films in the UK and sometimes Ireland.

Optimum was acquired by StudioCanal, a subsidiary of Vivendi SA, in 2006. Since StudioCanal bought Optimum, the French company distribute their large back catalogue of classic British films (many from the Cannon and EMI catalogues) through Optimum releasing under the strand 'Optimum Classic'.

When named Optimum, the company's image was that of a modern, independent new release and back catalogue distributor. Films were released under four strands: Optimum Releasing (Theatrical New Releases), Optimum Home Entertainment (DVD, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD New Releases), Optimum Classic (DVD Re-releases of back catalogue films) and Optimum World (New and Back Catalogue World Cinema). The latter three appear to be still being used, despite the company's name change.
They released over 200 films a year and were one of the most prominent distributors in the UK independent film and world cinema market since the closure of Tartan Films in 2008.

Thrillers they've distributed include:

• Orphan
• The loved ones

Film 4

Independent film distribution company which produces, distributes and exhibit their own products making their style of integration vertical. Film 4 are based in the U.K, but to distribute internationally they may need help from huge American conglomerates such as The Weinstein company.

This has occurred on more than one occasion with two prominent films being Kings Speech and The Iron Lady. They've also distributed thrillers e.g. 'The Crying game' which was nominated for 6 Academy awards winning ' Best original screenplay'. Other films include Slumdog Millionaire which was nominated for ten Academy awards, winning eight of them.




Summit officially launched in 1993 by Patrick Wachsberger, Bob Hayward and David Garrett under the name Summit Entertainment LP as a production, distribution, and sales organization. Among the company's early successes was American Pie, which Summit distributed outside of English-speaking territories.
In 2006, it became a fully independent film studio, Summit Entertainment, with the addition of Rob Friedman, a former executive at Paramount Pictures.

The new company added major development, production, acquisitions, marketing and distribution branches with a financing deal led by Merrill Lynch and other investors giving it access to over $1 billion in financing.  With that, Summit now releases their own films on DVD with the help of Universal Studios and Sony Pictures. Summit is also distributed theatrically and on DVD in Europe and in Canada by Entertainment One.

Thrillers they've distributed:

• Sorroity row
• RED (action thriller)
• The hurt locker

• Film 4
• Optimum releasing
• Summit entertainment