Wild Bunch AG is a German film distribution company, originally created in 1979 as Senator Film Verleih GmbH, which later became Senator Entertainment AG. The name Wild Bunch comes from the French company Wild Bunch S.A., created in 2002, which became a subsidiary of Senator Entertainment in February 2015. Senator Entertainment AG renamed itself Wild Bunch AG in July 2015. Wild Bunch has distributed and sold films such as Land of the Dead (2005), Southland Tales (2006), Cassandra's Dream (2007), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), Che (2008), Whatever Works (2009), The King's Speech (2010), The Artist (2011), Titane and Where Is Anne Frank (2021).
Wild Bunch was also formerly an international sales holding company, but they soon divested the division as an independent company in July 2019 as Wild Bunch International, which rebranded as Goodfellas in March 2023 following the expiration of the company's three-year pact to use the Wild Bunch name.[1]
History
Originally a division of StudioCanal,[2] Wild Bunch S.A. was established as an independent company in 2002 by former employees of StudioCanal.
Ronald Meyer (CEO)
Sophie Jordan (co-CEO)
Brahim Chioua (COO)
divisions
Wild Bunch Distribution (France)
Wild Side (France)
Filmo TV (France)
Wild Side TV (France)
BiM Distribuzione (Italy)
Wild Bunch Germany
Central Film Verleih (Germany)
Vértigo Films (Spain)
Wild Bunch Austria
Wild Bunch TV
IMR International (USA)
In 2011, Wild Bunch took a majority stake (by means of an equity purchase made through a cash injection) of the Spanish indie distributor Vértigo Films.[4]
In July 2014, the German film distributor Senator Entertainment and Wild Bunch announced their intention to join forces to launch an independent film distribution and production group.[5] In February 2015, Senator Entertainment and Wild Bunch completed their merger.[6] Senator Entertainment AG subsequently renamed themselves to Wild Bunch AG and will use Senator as a brand.[7]
In May 2015, Wild Bunch formed a Los Angeles–based company, Insiders, to handle international sales of independent films led by Vincent Maraval.[8] In February 2016, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that a stake in that outfit had been sold to Bliss Media, a Chinese film production and distribution company.[9] In May 2016, Insiders and MadRiver Pictures joined forces to form an international sales joint venture, IMR international.[10]
On 24 July 2018, Wild Bunch received approval from the Tribunal de commerce to move ahead with their restructuring plans.[11] At the beginning of July 2019, the company reorganized all of their international sales activities into a new division, Wild Bunch International.[12] At the beginning of June 2021, they formed the genre-oriented label Wild West with fellow French studio Capricci,[13] and two weeks later, announced a 50/50 animation-oriented sales partnership with French animation distributor Gebeka Films at the 62nd Annecy International Animation Film Festival.[14]
Activities
Wild Bunch is a film sales company and also a pan-European film distributor. Their former international sales division - Wild Bunch International, now named Goodfellas, pre-sells films from third-party companies.
France
In France, Wild Bunch is a theatrical distributor[15] and also a video distributor through its subsidiary Wild Side.[16]
Wild Bunch also positioned itself on the digital distribution market through its VoD/SVoD subsidiary Filmo TV.
Worldwide
Apart from its international sales activities, Wild Bunch is also a direct distributor in Italy, Germany, Austria and Spain.[17][18][19]
Studio Ghibli
Wild Bunch International functions as Studio Ghibli's international sales rights holder outside Japan and North America,[20] and since September 2020, had taken over work from Disney to become Ghibli's theatrical, home media and television distributor in France.[21]
In December 2022, StudioCanal UK, the distributor of the films in the United Kingdom and Ireland, filed a lawsuit against Wild Bunch International over their streaming deal with Netflix, citifying that the deal breached an agreement over standalone streaming rights where Wild Bunch claimed that "non-internet" streaming platforms "don't exist".WBI counter-sued StudioCanal UK, where they citified that their distribution deal was recouping distribution expenses against all forms of distribution, and not theatrical as they claimed.[22]
Studio Ghibli
Wild Bunch International functions as Studio Ghibli's international sales rights holder outside Japan and North America,[20] and since September 2020, had taken over work from Disney to become Ghibli's theatrical, home media and television distributor in France.[21]
In December 2022, StudioCanal UK, the distributor of the films in the United Kingdom and Ireland, filed a lawsuit against Wild Bunch International over their streaming deal with Netflix, citifying that the deal breached an agreement over standalone streaming rights where Wild Bunch claimed that "non-internet" streaming platforms "don't exist".WBI counter-sued StudioCanal UK, where they citified that their distribution deal was recouping distribution expenses against all forms of distribution, and not theatrical as they claimed.[22]
Catalogue
Wild Bunch manages more than 1700 titles.
Major awards received by films distributed or sold by Wild Bunch
Academy Awards
The Artist by Michel Hazanavicius in 2012: Best Picture (Thomas Langmann), Best Director (Michel Hazanavicius), Best Actor (Jean Dujardin), Best Original Score (Ludovic Bource), and Best Costume Design (Mark Bridges)
The King's Speech by Tom Hooper in 2011: Best Picture (Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, and Gareth Unwin), Best Director (Tom Hooper), Best Actor (Colin Firth), and Best Original Screenplay (David Seidler)
Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro in 2007: Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography
March of the Penguins by Luc Jacquet in 2006: Best Documentary
Shoplifters by Hirokazu Kore-eda in 2018: Palme d'Or
I, Daniel Blake by Ken Loach in 2016: Palme d'Or
Goodbye to Language by Jean-Luc Godard in 2014: Prix du Jury
Blue Is the Warmest Colour by Abdellatif Kechiche in 2013: Palme d'Or
The Angels' Share by Ken Loach in 2012: Prix du Jury
Beyond the Hills by Cristian Mungiu in 2012: Best Screenplay and Best Actress for Cristina Flutur et Cosmina Stratan
The Kid with a Bike by Dardenne brothers in 2011: Grand Prix
The Artist by Michel Hazanavicius in 2011: Best Actor for Jean Dujardin
Polisse by Maïwenn in 2011: Prix du Jury
Of Gods and Men by Xavier Beauvois in 2010: Grand Prix du Jury
Venice Film Festival
Jackie by Pablo Larraín in 2016: Best Screenplay
Mr. Nobody by Jaco Van Dormael in 2009: Golden Osella
The Wrestler by Darren Aronofsky in 2008: Golden Lion
Mary by Abel Ferrara in 2005: Special Jury Prize
The Magdalene Sisters by Peter Mullan in 2002: Golden Lion
Academy Awards
The Artist by Michel Hazanavicius in 2012: Best Picture (Thomas Langmann), Best Director (Michel Hazanavicius), Best Actor (Jean Dujardin), Best Original Score (Ludovic Bource), and Best Costume Design (Mark Bridges)
The King's Speech by Tom Hooper in 2011: Best Picture (Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, and Gareth Unwin), Best Director (Tom Hooper), Best Actor (Colin Firth), and Best Original Screenplay (David Seidler)
Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro in 2007: Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography
March of the Penguins by Luc Jacquet in 2006: Best Documentary
