A24 is an American

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...

company that specializes in

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

production, as well as film distribution, based in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It was founded as A24 Films by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges in 2012. The company changed its name to A24 in 2016, and entered co-distribution deals with

Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...

, DirecTV Cinema and

Showtime Networks Showtime Networks Inc. is an American entertainment company that oversees the company's pay television, premium cable television television channel, channels, including its flagship service Showtime (TV network), Showtime. It is a subsidiary of me ...

, and formerly

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...

. Its first film, '' A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III'', was released on February 8, 2013. That same year, the company gained recognition with their North American release of '' Spring Breakers'', which premiered at the 69th Venice International Film Festival in 2012. The company later became widely known for distributing and producing critically acclaimed and award-winning films, such as ''

The Spectacular Now ''The Spectacular Now'' is a 2013 American coming-of-age Romance film, romantic Drama (film and television), drama film directed by James Ponsoldt, from a screenplay written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, based on the 2008 novel of th ...

'' (2013), '' Ex Machina'' (2014), '' Room'' (2015), ''

Moonlight Moonlight consists of mostly sunlight (with little earthlight) reflected from the parts of the Moon's surface where the Sun's light strikes. Illumination The intensity of moonlight varies greatly depending on the lunar phase, but even the ful ...

'' (2016), '' Lady Bird'' (2017), ''

Eighth Grade Eighth grade (or grade eight in some regions) is the eighth post-kindergarten year of formal education in the US. The eighth grade is the ninth school year, the second, third, fourth, or final year of middle school, or the second and/or final ye ...

'' (2018), ''

Uncut Gems ''Uncut Gems'' is a 2019 American crime thriller film directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bronstein. The film stars Adam Sandler, LaKeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel and Eric Bogosi ...

'' (2019), '' Minari'' (2020), '' C'mon C'mon'' (2021), and ''

Everything Everywhere All at Once ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' is a 2022 American absurdist comedy-drama film written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as "Daniels"), who produced it with Anthony and Joe Russo. The plot centers on a ...

'' (2022). As of 2023, ''Lady Bird'' and ''Eighth Grade'' are A24's highest-rated films on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, with a 99% approval rating for each, and ''Moonlight'' being one of the highest-scoring films on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, with a 99 out of 100, based on 53 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Additionally, A24 has worked with several high-profile filmmakers, most of which the films released by the company pivoted their film careers, such as Lenny Abrahamson, Darren Aronofsky, Ari Aster, Sean Baker, Noah Baumbach,

Bo Burnham Robert Pickering "Bo" Burnham (born 1990) is an American comedian, musician, songwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His comedy work often combines musical, sketch, and stand-up elements with filmmaking. Following his success as one of the earliest ...

, Sofia Coppola, the Daniels, Claire Denis,

Robert Eggers Robert Houston Eggers (born July 7, 1983) is an American filmmaker, director, and production designer. He is best known for writing and directing the historical horror films ''The Witch (2015 film), The Witch'' (2015) and ''The Lighthouse (2019 f ...

, Alex Garland, Greta Gerwig, Rose Glass,

Joanna Hogg Joanna Hogg (born 20 March 1960) is a British film director and screenwriter. She made her directorial and screenwriting feature film debut in 2007 with ''Unrelated'' followed by ''Archipelago'' (2010) and ''Exhibition'' (2013). Two of her film ...

Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film ''Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Indep ...

Yorgos Lanthimos Georgios "Yorgos" Lanthimos ( el, Γιώργος Λάνθιμος, Giórgos Lánthimos, ; born 23 September 1973) is a Greek film director, film producer, screenwriter, photographer, theatre director and former professional basketball player. Sin ...

, Sam Levinson, David Lowery,

Kelly Reichardt Kelly Reichardt (; born March 3, 1964) is an American film director and screenwriter. She is known for her minimalist films closely associated with slow cinema, many of which deal with working-class characters in small, rural communities. Reich ...

, the Safdie brothers, Lulu Wang, and Ti West. A24 earned its first

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category ...

accolade for ''Moonlight'' in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

and its second with ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' in

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

; the latter became the studio's highest-grossing film as well as the most-awarded film of all time when considering multiple major film award ceremonies combined. As of 2023, A24 has received a total of 49

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominations, winning 16 overall, and with numerous awards won by ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'', combined with one for another A24 film ('' The Whale''), A24 became the first studio to win for all six major categories of the Academy Awards in a single year. The company also established its own

division, producing notable works, such as '' At Home with Amy Sedaris'' (2017–2020), ''

Beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...

'' (2023), '' The Carmichael Show'' (2015–2017), ''

Euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...

'' (2019–present), '' I'm Sorry'' (2017–2019), ''

Irma Vep ''Irma Vep'' is a 1996 French comedy-drama film written and directed by Olivier Assayas. Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung plays a fictionalised version of herself, as disasters result when an unstable French film director (played by Jean-Pierre ...

'' (2022), '' Ramy'' (2019–present), and ''

Ziwe ''Ziwe'' is an American satirical late-night talk show hosted and executive produced by comedian Ziwe Fumudoh based in New York City. The show premiered on May 9, 2021, on Showtime. In June 2021, Showtime renewed the series for a second season. ...

'' (2021–2022).

History

2012–2013: Founding and early years

A24 was founded on August 20, 2012, by film veterans Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges. Katz formerly led the

film finance Film finance is an aspect of film production that occurs during the development stage prior to pre-production, and is concerned with determining the potential value of a proposed film. In the United States, the value is typically based on a fo ...

group at

Guggenheim Partners Guggenheim Partners is a global investment and advisory financial services firm that engages in investment banking, asset management, capital markets services, and insurance services. Organization The firm is headquartered in New York City ...

, Fenkel was the president, co-founder and partner at

Oscilloscope An oscilloscope (informally a scope) is a type of electronic test instrument that graphically displays varying electrical voltages as a two-dimensional plot of one or more signals as a function of time. The main purposes are to display repetiti ...

, and Hodges served as Head of Production and Development at Big Beach. The name "A24" was inspired by the Italian A24 motorway Katz was driving on when he decided to found the company; coincidentally, the motorway is also renowned in Italian film history as the setting of many small Abruzzan towns and rural landscapes employed in the films of neorealist and surrealist masters. Guggenheim Partners provided the seed money for A24. The company was started to share "movies from a distinctive point of view". In October 2012, Nicolette Aizenberg joined as head of publicity from 42West where she was senior publicity executive. The company began its distribution of films in 2013. The company's first theatrical release was

Roman Coppola Roman François Coppola (born April 22, 1965) is an American director, screenwriter, producer and the son of Francis Ford Coppola and Eleanor Coppola. For the 2012 film ''Moonrise Kingdom'', he and co-writer Wes Anderson were nominated for the A ...

's '' A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III'', which had a limited theatrical release. Other 2013 theatrical releases included: Sally Potter's '' Ginger & Rosa'',

Harmony Korine Harmony Korine (born January 4, 1973, some sources report September 1, 1974)
" Retrieved on 2009-10-26. is an Ame ...

's '' Spring Breakers'', Sofia Coppola's '' The Bling Ring'', and James Ponsoldt's ''

''. In September 2013, A24 entered a $40 million deal with DirecTV Cinema, where DirecTV Cinema would offer day-and-date releases 30 days prior to a theatrical release by A24; '' Enemy'' was the first film to be distributed under the deal. In the same year, A24 entered a deal with

; A24-distributed films would be available on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

after becoming available on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...

and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

2014–2017: Television and later productions

In May 2015, A24 announced that it would start a

division and began producing the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

series '' Playing House'', as well as working to develop a television series that would later become '' Comrade Detective'', produced by

Channing Tatum Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor. Tatum made his film debut in the drama ''Coach Carter'' (2005), and had his breakthrough role in the 2006 dance film ''Step Up (film), Step Up''. He gained wider attention for ...

. The company also announced that they would also finance and develop pilots. In January 2016, Sasha Lloyd joined the company to handle all film, television distribution, and business development in the international marketplace. The company, with cooperation from

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank w ...

, J.P. Morgan & Co. and SunTrust Banks, also raised its line of credit from $50 million to $125 million a month later to build upon its operations. In April 2016, the company acquired all foreign rights to ''

Swiss Army Man ''Swiss Army Man'' is a 2016 American absurdist black comedy film written and directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan (in their respective feature directorial debuts). The film stars Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, and Mary Elizabeth Winste ...

'', distributing the film in all territories, and partnering with distributors who previously acquired rights to the film, a first for the company. In June 2016, the company, along with Oscilloscope and distributor Honora, joined BitTorrent Now to distribute the work of their portfolio across the ad-supported service. In January 2017, the company acquired the United States and Chinese distribution rights for their first foreign language film, ''

Menashe Manasses or Manasseh (;churchofjesuschris ...

'', directed by

Joshua Z Weinstein Joshua Z Weinstein is an American independent filmmaker based in New York City. He directed the A24 film ''Menashe'' (2017), and the feature documentaries '' Drivers Wanted'' (2012) and ''Flying on One Engine'' (2008). His director of photograph ...

2018–present: Management changes and partnerships

On February 20, 2018, A24 launched a

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

titled "The A24 Podcast". Episodes are based around a discussion between two members of the film industry. Notable guests on the show have included

, Sofia Coppola,

Paul Schrader Paul Joseph Schrader (; born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first received widespread recognition through his screenplay for Martin Scorsese's ''Taxi Driver'' (1976). He later continued his collabo ...

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

, and Alia Shawkat. Despite lacking any pre-defined structure, episodes generally contain discussions around recent works of the two guests, allowing for branching discussions to other areas. As of February 27, 2023, thirty-three episodes have been released. On March 26, 2018, co-founder John Hodges announced that he was exiting the company. On November 15, 2018, A24 and

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

announced that they had entered into a multi-year partnership where A24 will produce a slate of original films for Apple. This was not a first-look deal, meaning that A24 can continue to produce and acquire films to release outside of the deal, and that it would not affect previous deals that A24 had signed with other companies. It is unknown if the slate of films will have a theatrical release or be exclusive to Apple's

streaming service. On November 13, 2019, A24 entered into a premium cable

television broadcast A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid-1 ...

deal with

, which covered all film releases through November 1, 2022. The deal excluded films that are already part of the Apple partnership. In July 2021, A24 reportedly explored a possible buyout for between $2.5 billion to $3 billion. At the 95th Academy Awards, A24 became the first independent studio to sweep Best Picture,

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

, and all four acting categories in a single year. In 2023, the company bought distribution rights to two older films released before the company's inception, starting with Darren Aronofsky's '' Pi'' (1998) and

Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker. Beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film ''Caged Heat'', before ...

's '' Stop Making Sense'' (1984), both of which are remastered versions.

Reception

Filmmaker David Lowery (director of A24's ''

A Ghost Story ''A Ghost Story'' is a 2017 American supernatural drama film written and directed by David Lowery and starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, with Will Oldham, Liz Cardenas Franke, Sonia Acevedo, and Rob Zabrecky in supporting roles; Kesha appear ...

'' and '' The Green Knight'') praised A24, saying: "The great thing about A24 is that they're always up for a challenge. They remain undaunted; they'll take the most difficult, unsaleable aspect of your movie and turn it into its greatest asset." Fellow filmmaker James Ponsoldt (director of A24's ''

The End of the Tour ''The End of the Tour'' is a 2015 American drama film about writer David Foster Wallace. The film stars Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg, was written by Donald Margulies, and was directed by James Ponsoldt. Based on David Lipsky's best-selling ...

'' and ''

'') also applauded the company, stating: "A24 is remarkable at championing specific cinematic voices because they genuinely adore their films — and that enthusiasm is reflected in the creativity and laser-like precision of their marketing and releases."

Highest-grossing films

'' (2022) is A24's highest-grossing film and the first film of the company to cross the $100 million mark.

Accolades

As of the 95th Academy Awards, A24 has received a total of 49

nominations, winning 16 overall. * In

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, A24 won Best Actress ( Brie Larson for '' Room''),

Best Documentary Feature Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation, ...

(''

Amy Amy is a female given name, sometimes short for Amanda, Amelia, Amélie, or Amita. In French, the name is spelled ''"Aimée"''. People A–E * Amy Acker (born 1976), American actress * Amy Vera Ackman, also known as Mother Giovanni (1886– ...

''), and Best Visual Effects ('' Ex Machina''). * In

, ''

'' won the

(the first such accolade for the studio),

Best Adapted Screenplay This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

(

and

Tarell Alvin McCraney Tarell Alvin McCraney (born October 17, 1980) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. He is the chair of playwriting at the Yale School of Drama and a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Ensemble. He co-wrote the 2016 film ''Moonlight ( ...

), and Best Supporting Actor (

Mahershala Ali Mahershala Ali (; born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, February 16, 1974) is an American actor. He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. ''Time'' magazine named him one of th ...

). * In

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, A24 won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (

Yuh-jung Youn Youn Yuh-jung (, ; born June 19, 1947) is a South Korean actress, whose career in film and television spans over five decades. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a British Academy Film Award, an Independent Spir ...

for '' Minari''); Youn became the first Korean actress to win an Oscar for acting. * In

, A24 became the most nominated single studio of that year's ceremony with 18 total nominations between six of their films; ''

'' (11 nominations; the most nominated film that year, including Best Picture), '' The Whale'' (3 nominations), and ''

Aftersun ''Aftersun'' is a 2022 drama film written and directed by Charlotte Wells, starring Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio and Celia Rowlson-Hall. It was released in the United States on 21 October 2022 by A24 and in the United Kingdom on 18 November 2022 ...

'', ''

Causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...

'', ''

Close Close may refer to: Music * ''Close'' (Kim Wilde album), 1988 * ''Close'' (Marvin Sapp album), 2017 * ''Close'' (Sean Bonniwell album), 1969 * "Close" (Sub Focus song), 2014 * "Close" (Nick Jonas song), 2016 * "Close" (Rae Sremmurd song), 201 ...

'' and '' Marcel the Shell with Shoes On'' (each with 1 nomination). A24 would ultimately become the most awarded studio that year with nine awards in total, as well as sweeping seven of the major awards (including all four acting categories); ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' won seven—Best Picture,

( Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Best Actress ( Michelle Yeoh), Best Supporting Actor (

Ke Huy Quan Ke Huy Quan (born August 20, 1971), also known as Jonathan Ke Quan (), is a Vietnam-born American actor and stunt choreographer. Quan played Short Round in ''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' (1984) and Data in ''The Goonies'' (1985)''.' ...

), Best Supporting Actress ( Jamie Lee Curtis), Best Original Screenplay (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), and Best Film Editing ( Paul Rogers)—while ''The Whale'' won two—

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...

( Brendan Fraser) and Best Makeup and Hairstyling ( Adrien Morot,

Judy Chin Judy Chin is an Academy Award-winning American Make-up artist, makeup artist, having won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for ''The Whale (2022 film), The Whale'' in 2023 (sharing the award with Adrien Morot and Annemarie Bradley). ...

, and Annemarie Bradley). In addition, A24 has been nominated and won numerous

British Academy Film Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

, Critics' Choice Awards,

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with Poly(methyl m ...

, and

Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

Filmography

A24 produces and distributes about 18 to 20 films annually.

References

Informational notes Citations

External links

* {{Authority control Companies based in Manhattan American independent film studios 2012 establishments in New York City American companies established in 2012 Film distributors of the United States Entertainment companies established in 2012 Entertainment companies based in New York City Film production companies of the United States