Independent Distributor Room 8 Launches In U.S. With Slate Of Movies From Venice, Busan & Toronto

EXCLUSIVE : Good news for arthouse filmmakers and companies overseas with the launch of a new U.S. distributor for international movies: Room 8 Films.

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Set up by Rachelle Shukman, formerly of Ramo Law PC and sales firm Fortitude International, and fashion merchandising graduate Annie White, the LA-based outfit says it has private investment from Silicon Valley.

First up on the slate are three movies that debuted at the Venice, Toronto and Busan Film Festivals last year. Down the line the company will also pick up American indie films.

Swedish debut Paradise Is Burning , acquired from Italian firm Intra Movies, is a coming of age drama about the complexities of society and family in the Swedish suburbia. Filmmaker Mika Gustafson won best director in Venice’s Horizons strand and Best First Feature at the BFI Film Festival. A theatrical release is planned for fall of this year and above is a first domestic trailer.

Korean drama A Normal Family , which debuted at Toronto before playing at Miami, Palm Springs and Stockholm, sees a renowned attorney grappling with a moral dilemma as he defends a killer. Based on the novel The Dinner by Herman Koch, the film was acquired from FInecut and heralds from director Hur Jin-ho and producer Hive Media. A theatrical release is being lined up for early 2025.

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Japanese film After The Fever , acquired from Drive My Car outfit Bitters End, is an intense romance-drama that premiered at Busan. Akira Yamamoto directs. A theatrical release is being lined up for fall 2024.

The company is aiming to expand into international sales in 2025 and subsequently into producing and financing by 2027. The founders, who will attend major festivals and markets, are currently in talks with potential sales execs to join the team.

Shukman and White are both in their late 20s. The former said they founded Room 8 Films after feeling that film distribution in the U.S. needed a shakeup. “We’re here to bring films back into the theaters. With our curated lineup, we will devote ourselves to each film to make sure it gets the marketing it deserves.”

They expanded: “We believe each title will bring in new audiences to theaters and expand interest for international and independent cinema in the United States. We aim to take a more youthful approach to film distribution and marketing, challenging conventional methods to find a fresh rhythm that resonates with both filmmakers and consumers.”

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