Please note: This event took place in
Set up fifty years ago by legendary film industry figures Andi and Pam Engel, then joined by Robert Beeson, Artificial Eye was at the forefront of shaping arthouse sensibilities in the UK. Their catalogue read like a who's who of art cinema including names from Bergman and Godard to Tarkovsky and Bresson. With a sharp eye and impeccable taste for acquisitions by promising new filmmakers and their own influential London cinemas including the Camden Plaza, Lumière Chelsea and Renoir, Artificial Eye made cinema history.
In 2006, it was acquired by Curzon to combine film distribution with a streaming service, and a cinema chain. Today Curzon continues to keep the spirit of Artificial Eye alive, with three films appearing in this year's Cannes Competition: Ryusuke Hamaguchi All of a Sudden, Pedro Almodovar’s Bitter Christmas and Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beloved. Bringing new audiences to the plethora of classic films in the catalogue has also become a key focus for the company, with recent retrospectives and special edition boxsets produced for Wim Wenders, Agnes Varda, Michael Haneke and Lars Von Trier.
This talk will explore the influence that the distributor had on UK film culture and the continuing legacy and impact of Artificial Eye and Curzon Film, as well as an opportunity to hear more about current plans from the team.
In a throwback to Cinema Rediscovered’s first edition, we team up with Curzon Film to present screenings of newly restored versions of two Andrei Tarkovsky films: Nostalgia (1983) and The Sacrifice (1986).
