| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded |
|
| Founders | Bob Berney |
| Defunct | 2008; 17 years ago (2008) (original company) |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Key people | Bob Berney (CEO) Jeanne R. Berney (COO) |
| Parent | Time Warner (2005–2008) |
| Website | picturehouse |
Picturehouse is an American independent entertainment company owned by CEOBob Berney and COO Jeanne R. Berney. Based inLos Angeles, the company specializes in film marketing anddistribution, both in the U.S. and internationally. Its releases have includedLa Vie en Rose (2007), which earned anAcademy Award for Best Actress forMarion Cotillard,Metallica Through the Never (2013), andAdam Wingard'sSundance Film Festival selectionThe Guest (2014), anIndependent Spirit Award nominee starringDan Stevens.
Formed byBob Berney in 2005, Picturehouse was a joint venture created byTime Warner subsidiaries,New Line Cinema andHBO Films to acquire, produce and distribute independent films.[1] Berney, who guided the acquisition, marketing and distribution ofMy Big Fat Greek Wedding andThe Passion of the Christ, among other notable releases, ran the company from its inception.[2]
Over the next two years, Picturehouse released features such asRobert Altman'sA Prairie Home Companion, starringMeryl Streep andLily Tomlin;Guillermo del Toro'sPan's Labyrinth, which was acquired at script stage and went on to earn sixAcademy Award nominations and wins in three categories;La Vie en Rose, which garneredMarion Cotillard anAcademy Award for Best Actress;[3] andSergei Bodrov'sGenghis Khan biopicMongol, a nominee forBest Foreign Language Film.[4]
In 2008, Time Warner's consolidation resulted inWarner Bros. exiting the independent business to concentrate on big-budget "tentpole" releases. This prompted the closure of marketing and distribution operations at both New Line Cinema and Picturehouse, costing 70 employees their jobs.[5]
In 2013, Berney and his wife Jeanne acquired the Picturehouse logo and trademark from Warner Bros. and relaunched the label as an independent theatrical distribution company.[6] Initial releases includedAdriana Trigiani'sBig Stone Gap, starringAshley Judd, and Christian Keller'sGloria, withSofía Espinosa.
In August 2020, the company releasedFatima, directed byMarco Pontecorvo and starringJoaquim de Almeida,Goran Visnjic,Harvey Keitel andSônia Braga. The film tells the story of a 10-year-oldshepherd,Lúcia dos Santos, and her two young cousins,Francisco and Jacinta Marto, who report having seenapparitions of theBlessed Virgin Mary inFátima, Portugal, circa 1917. Their revelations inspire believers but anger officials of both theCatholic Church and the secular government, who try to force them to recant their story. As word of their prophecy spreads, tens of thousands of religiouspilgrims flock to the site to witness what became known as theMiracle of the Sun.[7]
In September 2021, Picturehouse announced that it would releaseBecoming Cousteau, a documentary that uses previously unseen archival footage to chronicle the life and career of the adventurous oceanographer and filmmakerJacques-Yves Cousteau, who coinvented scuba diving and foretold the impact of pollution onclimate change. Directed byLiz Garbus, the film was released on October 22, 2021.[8][9]
Original seal, distributed byNew Line Home Entertainment andHBO Video (nowWarner Bros. Home Entertainment)
| Release date | Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| July 22, 2005 | Last Days | [10] |
| September 16, 2005 | The Thing About My Folks | |
| October 19, 2005 | Ushpizin | |
| January 27, 2006 | A Cock and Bull Story | |
| April 14, 2006 | The Notorious Bettie Page | |
| June 9, 2006 | A Prairie Home Companion | |
| November 9, 2006 | Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock? | |
| November 10, 2006 | Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus | |
| December 29, 2006 | Pan's Labyrinth | |
| March 9, 2007 | Starter for 10 | |
| June 1, 2007 | Gracie | |
| June 8, 2007 | La Vie en Rose | [11][12] |
| August 3, 2007 | El Cantante | [10] |
| August 10, 2007 | Rocket Science | |
| August 17, 2007 | The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters | [13] |
| September 14, 2007 | Silk | [10] |
| January 11, 2008 | The Orphanage | [14] |
| February 8, 2008 | Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights – Hollywood to the Heartland | [10] |
| February 29, 2008 (DVD) | The Fox and the Child | |
| March 28, 2008 | Run Fatboy Run | |
| June 6, 2008 | Mongol | |
| July 2, 2008 | Kit Kittredge: An American Girl | |
| September 12, 2008 | The Women | [15] |
| January 20, 2009 (DVD) | Amusement | [10] |
Revived seal, distributed byUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment
| Release date | Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| October 4, 2013 | Metallica: Through the Never | [16] |
| September 17, 2014 | The Guest | [10] |
| July 17, 2015 | Gloria | |
| October 9, 2015 | Big Stone Gap |
| Release date | Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| August 28, 2020 | Fatima | [17] |
| October 22, 2021 | Becoming Cousteau | [18] |
| August 19, 2022 | The Territory | [19] |
| November 11, 2022 | Retrograde | [20] |
| April 14, 2023 | Wild Life | [21] |
| October 13, 2023 | The Mission | [22] |
| November 3, 2023 | At The Gates | [23] |
| March 22, 2024 | Carol Doda Topless at the Condor | [24] |
| June 10, 2024 | Frank Miller: American Genius | [25] |
| October 4, 2024 | Leap of Faith | [26] |
| November 22, 2024 | Porcelain War | [27] |
| October 10, 2025 | Re-Election | [28] |
| November 28, 2025 | The Tale of Silyan | [29] |
| December 12, 2025 | The King of Color | [30] |