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 (if not the most) notable indie film distributors of The New '10s and The New '20s, 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 (Mahershala Ali), 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 rave reviews and collected dozens of awards, including a clean sweep of every major category at the 95th Academy Awards^note Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay 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, Hulu's Ramy, and Prime Video’s Hazbin Hotel 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

• Stop Making Sense (1984) ^note Distribution rights for the 2023 theatrical rerun
• π (1998) ^note Purchased the distribution rights from its director Darren Aronofsky and re-released it with 8K restoration in IMAX theaters for its 25th anniversary.
• Spring Breakers (2013)
• The Bling Ring (2013)
• The Spectacular Now (2013)
• Enemy (2014)
• Under the Skin (2014)
• Locke (2014)
• Obvious Child (2014)
• The Rover (2014)
• Life After Beth (2014)
• Tusk (2014)
• Laggies (2014)
• A Most Violent Year (2014)
• Son of a Gun (2014)
• Cut Bank (2014)
• Ex Machina (2015) ^note Worldwide distribution through Universal.
• Slow West (2015) ^note UK-NZ film; US distribution
• Barely Lethal (2015, with RKO Pictures)
• Amy (2015)
• Dark Places (2015)
• Room (2015)
• The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) ^note Co-distribution with DirecTV Cinema, wide release in 2017
• Into the Forest (2015) ^note Canadian film; US distribution
• The VVitch (2016)
• Re;member (2016) ^note Canadian-German film; US distribution
• 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
• The Lobster (2016)
• Swiss Army Man (2016)
• Equals (2016)
• The Sea of Trees (2016)
• American Honey (2016)
• Moonlight (2016)
• The Monster (2016)
• 20th Century Women (2016)
• Free Fire (2017) ^note UK film; US distribution
• The Exception (2017) ^note US distribution
• It Comes at Night (2017)
• A Ghost Story (2017)
• Good Time (2017)
• Woodshock (2017)
• The Florida Project (2017)
• The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) ^note Co-distribution with Curzon Artificial Eye.
• Lady Bird (2017) ^note Worldwide distribution through Focus Features.
• The Disaster Artist (2017, with New Line Cinema) ^note US distribution only, worldwide release through Warner Bros..
• Lean on Pete (2018)
• First Reformed (2018)
• How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2018)
• Hereditary (2018)
• Eighth Grade (2018)
• Hot Summer Nights (2018)
• mid90s (2018)
• The Hole in the Ground (2019) ^note Irish movie; US distribution.
• Climax (2019) ^note French movie; US distribution.
• High Life (2019) ^note English-language French movie; US distribution.
• Native Son (2019)
• Under the Silver Lake (2019) ^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.
• The Souvenir (2019) ^note UK film; US distribution.
  • The Souvenir Part II (2021) ^note UK film; US distribution.
• The Last Black Man In San Francisco (2019)
• Midsommar (2019)
• The Farewell (2019)
• Skin (2019)
• The Death of Dick Long (2019)
• The Lighthouse (2019)
• The Kill Team (2019)
• Waves (2019)
• In Fabric (2019) ^note UK movie; US distribution.
• Uncut Gems (2019) ^note US only, worldwide release through Netflix in 2020.
• First Cow (2020)
• On the Rocks (2020) ^note US distribution rights through Apple TV+.
• Saint Maud (2021) ^note Joint release with Epix in the US.
• Minari (2021) ^note Limited release in December 2020, wide release in February 2021.
• False Positive (2021) ^note US distribution rights through Hulu.
• Zola (2021)
• Val (2021)
• The Green Knight (2021)
• Lamb (2021)
• The Humans (2021) ^note Joint release with Showtime in the US.
• Red Rocket (2021)
• The Tragedy of Macbeth (2022) ^note US distribution rights through Apple TV+
• The Sky Is Everywhere (2022) ^note US distribution rights through Apple TV+.
• X (2022)
  • Pearl (2022)
  • MaXXXine (2024)
• Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
• Men (2022)
• Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)
• Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
• Funny Pages (2022)
• Aftersun (2022) ^note US distribution only
• Causeway (2022)
• White Noise (2022) ^note Produced by A24, distributed by Netflix
• The Whale (2022)
• Beau Is Afraid (2023)
• Past Lives (2023)
• Talk to Me (2023)
• Priscilla (2023)
• Dicks: The Musical (2023)
• Dream Scenario (2023)
• The Zone of Interest (2023)
• The Iron Claw (2023)
• Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
• Civil War (2024)
• I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

Television

• Playing House (2014–2017)
• The Carmichael Show (2015–2017) ^note Co-production with NBC
• Comrade Detective (2017)
• At Home With Amy Sedaris (2017–2020) ^note Co-production with Buck Tooth Productions ; took over as producer for Season 2 onward after PFFR did Season 1.
• Random Acts of Flyness (2018–present)
• Euphoria (2019–present)
• John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (2019)
• Ramy (2019–present)
• Moonbase 8 (2020)
• Ziwe (2021–present)
• Mo (2022-present)
• Beef (2023)
• The Idol (2023)
• Hazbin Hotel (2024–present) ^note Co-production with Bento Box Entertainment, Princess Pictures and SpindleHorse Toons. Pilot produced independently by SpindleHorse and aired on YouTube in 2019, picked up for television series in 2020, and eventually premiered in 2024 on Prime Video.
• The Sympathizer (2024)
• Crystal Lake (TBA)

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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: If there's nudity in their films, it's more likely this than anything titillating, with their horror movies being particularly infamous for this.
• Genre Roulette: While A24 is known 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), musicals (Dicks: The Musical, Hazbin Hotel) 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 now covering family-friendly fare, it's safe to say they've basically done every genre 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.
• Signature Style: Some trademarks of the studio's films:
  • Deconstructed approach to genre films and franchises away from Hollywood norms.
  • Slow pacing.
  • Lush cinematography.
  • Minimalism and originality.
  • Redeeming celebrity actors and actresses who have fallen out of Hollywood's A-list, including BrendanFraser.
• 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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