Sundance Group Makes Foray into Exhibition Business

According to the Los Angeles Business Journal, The Sundance Group, parent company of the Sundance Film Festival and the Sundance Channel, has announced their intentions of creating a chain of specialty cinemas.

The circuit, which has been in the works for numerous years, will be headed by Paul Richardson and Bert Manzari, the pair who started Landmark back in the '70s. Programming looks like it will be similar to the Landmark/Laemmle paradigm:

The theaters will show in independent, documentary, and foreign language film, as well as quality studio films and original programming, which will include shorts, filmmaker interviews and forums.

This move will greatly enhance the Sundance Group's vertical marketing abilities, and will help to secure valuable publicity for their home entertainment releases. It now looks like 2929 Entertainment isn't the only integrated company in town...


[Via the Los Angeles Business Journal]