Creator / A24

A24 is an American entertainment company that finances, produces, and distributes independent films.

Since its founding in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges, A24 has become one of the most notable indie film distributors of The New '10s and New Twenties, with an emphasis on individual voices and creative freedom for filmmakers, producing films that run the gamut of genres. Despite the breadth of genres, topics, and types of stories produced by A24, the company's oeuvre has fairly consistent levels of both quality and tone, to the point where "A24" has almost become an adjective in some film communities for movies that are technically proficient yet deliberately non-mainstream.

2013's Spring Breakers was one of their first major successes (critically and financially), with later films like Ex Machina, The Lobster, and The VVitch getting similar notices. As of 2022, their biggest financial hit is Everything Everywhere All at Once.

A24 is also an increasing upstart on the award circuit. Room and Moonlight in particular received much attention in that regard; the former won Brie Larson an Academy Award for Best Actress in conjunction with additional nominations for Best Director (Lenny Abrahamson) and Best Picture, while the latter won trophies for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (for Mahershala Ali's performance), and Best Adapted Screenplay. They received two further Best Picture nominations afterwards with Lady Bird and Minari, and also produced the Amy Winehouse documentary Amy, which won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, and Ex Machina, which won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. 2023 ended up being a banner year for the company, as Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Whale earned raves and collected dozens of awards, including a clean sweep of every major category at the 95th Academy Awards^note Best Picture for Everything Everywhere All At Once, Best Director for the Daniels, Best Actor for Brendan Fraser, Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh, Best Supporting Actor for Ke Huy Quan, Best Supporting Actress for Jamie Lee Curtis.

It's also worth noting that several of the films they have distributed and/or produced are notorious for their sharp Critical Dissonance, with strong reception among critics and film communities against mixed reception among general audiences.

While films are their main focus, they're also television producers. USA Network's Playing House, NBC's The Carmichael Show ^note which NBC co-produces, HBO's Euphoria, and Hulu's Ramy are their most prominent works in the medium to date; Euphoria and Ramy have both won Emmys in acting categories.

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Selected filmography:

Film

• 20th Century Women (2016)
• Aftersun (2022) ^note US distribution only
• American Honey (2016)
• Amy (2015)
• Barely Lethal (2015)
• Beau Is Afraid (2023)
• The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) ^note Co-distribution with DirecTV Cinema, wide release in 2017
• The Bling Ring (2013)
• Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (2022)
• Climax (2019) ^note French movie; US distribution
• Cut Bank (2014)
• Dark Places (2015)
• The Death of Dick Long (2019)
• The Disaster Artist (2017) ^note US Distribution only, Worldwide release through Warner Bros.
• Eighth Grade (2018)
• Enemy (2014)
• Equals (2016)
• Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
• The Exception (2016) ^note US distribution
• Ex Machina (2015) ^note Worldwide Distribution through Universal
• False Positive (2021) ^note US distribution rights through Hulu
• The Farewell (2019)
• First Cow (2019)
• First Reformed (2018)
• The Florida Project (2017)
• Free Fire (2016) ^note UK film; US distribution
• Funny Pages (2022)
• A Ghost Story (2017)
• Good Time (2017)
• The Green Knight (2021)
• Green Room (2016) ^note Produced through Broad Green Pictures and was to initially be the distributor, but later sold to A24 after financial difficulties regarding Broad Green
• Hereditary (2018)
• High Life (2019) ^note English-language French movie; US distribution
• The Hole in the Ground (2019) ^note Irish movie; US distribution
• Hot Summer Nights (2017)
• How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2018)
• The Humans (2021) ^note joint release with Showtime in the US
• In Fabric (2019) ^note UK movie; US distribution
• Into the Forest (2015) ^note Canadian film; US distribution
• It Comes at Night (2017)
• The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) ^note Co-distribution with Curzon Artificial Eye
• The Kill Team (2019)
• Lady Bird (2017) ^note Worldwide distribution through Focus Features
• Laggies (2014)
• Lamb (2021)
• The Last Black Man In San Francisco (2019)
• Lean on Pete (2018)
• Life After Beth (2014)
• The Lighthouse (2019)
• The Lobster (2016)
• Locke (2014)
• Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)
• Men (2022)
• mid90s (2018)
• Midsommar (2019)
• Minari (2020) ^note limited release in December, wide release in February 2021
• Moonlight (2016)
• The Monster (2016)
• A Most Violent Year (2014)
• Native Son (2019)
• Obvious Child (2014)
• On the Rocks (2020) ^note US distribution rights through Apple TV+
• Past Lives (2023)
• π (1998) ^note Purchased the distribution rights from its director Darren Aronofsky and will re-release it with 8K restoration in IMAX theaters for its 25th anniversary.
• Red Rocket (2021)
• Re;member (2015) ^note Canadian-German film; US distribution
• Room (2015)
• The Rover (2014)
• Saint Maud (2019) ^note joint release with Epix in the US
• The Sea of Trees (2015)
• Skin (2018)
• The Sky Is Everywhere (2022) ^note US distribution rights through Apple TV+
• Slow West (2015) ^note UK-NZ film; US distribution
• Son of a Gun (2014)
• The Souvenir (2019) ^note UK film; US distribution
  • The Souvenir Part II (2021) ^note UK film; US distribution
• The Spectacular Now (2013)
• Spring Breakers (2013)
• Stop Making Sense (1984) ^note Distribution rights for the 2023 theatrical rerun
• Swiss Army Man (2016)
• Talk To Me (2023)
• The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) ^note US distribution rights through Apple TV+
• Tusk (2014)
• Uncut Gems (2019) ^note US only, worldwide release through Netflix in 2020
• Under the Silver Lake (2018) ^note Was meant to be released in 2018, but was constantly delayed following its Cannes premiere, eventually getting released in 2019 straight to VOD while the rest of the world got it in theaters.
• Under the Skin (2014)
• Val (2021)
• Waves (2019)
• The Whale (2022)
• White Noise (2022) ^note Produced by A24, distributed by Netflix
• The VVitch (2016)
• Woodshock (2017)
• X (2022)
  • Pearl (2022)
  • MaXXXine (TBA)
• Zola (2021)

Television

• Beef (2023)
• The Carmichael Show (2015 – 2017) ^note co-production with NBC
• Comrade Detective (2017)
• Crystal Lake (TBA)
• Euphoria (2019 – present)
• Hazbin Hotel (2023) ^note  Co-production with Bento Box Entertainment, Princess Pictures, and SpindleHorse Toons. Pilot aired on YouTube in 2019, picked up for television series in 2020, and set to release first full season in Summer 2023.
• John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (2019)
• Moonbase 8 (2020)
• Playing House (2014 – 2017)
• Random Acts of Flyness (2018 – present)
• Ramy (2019 – present)
• The Sympathizer (2024)
• Ziwe (2021 – present)

A24 movies have examples of these tropes:

• Auteur License: As mentioned above, the studio is famous for letting filmmakers produce whatever kind of film they want no matter how unknown the cast, surreal the plot, or polarizing the ending may be.
• Bittersweet/Downer Ending: Most of A24's movies are pretty serious, with some significantly bleaker than others. The more realistic movies such as Lady Bird and Moonlight end on a satisfying but somber note while pretty much all the horror movies end on incredibly bleak notes (save for Green Room, which barely passes as bittersweet thanks to two of the protagonists surviving and defeating the killers).
• Darkhorse Casting: Because it releases indie movies, many of their films have only about two or three big-name actors/actresses working alongside casts of newbies and overlooked performers. Fortunately, many of those overlooked performers can hit it big once the movie comes out, and some who have been out of the limelight for some time can even experience a Career Resurrection. This paid off exceptionally well during the 2023 Academy Awards, where Everything Everywhere All at Once stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis all walked away with acting trophies^note as of that ceremony, it is now tied with A Streetcar Named Desire and Network for the most acting wins for a single film, with Brendan Fraser additionally winning Best Actor for The Whale.
• Fan Disservice: It would be easier to list their movies that don't have an instance of this, with their horror movies being particularly infamous for this.
• Genre Roulette: While A24 is remembered by casual moviegoers mainly for their horror movies (i.e., The VVitch, Hereditary, Midsommar), their films explore a diverse array of genres, including but not limited to Coming of Age teen dramas (Lady Bird, Eighth Grade, mid90s), crime thrillers (Spring Breakers, Good Time, Uncut Gems), science fiction (Under the Skin, Ex Machina, Everything Everywhere All at Once) and even surreal, ambiguous stories no one can really quite pin down (Swiss Army Man, The Lobster, Under the Silver Lake). With the inclusion of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, it's safe to say they've basically done every genre (family-friendly included) at least once.
• Period Piece: They definitely provide a good number of these, ranging from colonial America to the early 2000s to the post-apocalypse.
• Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: Considering the diverse array of genres, the movies can range from warm and optimistic to painfully hopeless to areas in between.
• Violence Is Disturbing: Because most of their movies are grounded in reality, any acts of bodily harm or gore can range from slightly wince-including to absolutely nauseating. Their horror movies are especially infamous for this.

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