LOS ANGELES: US cable network HBO has launched a new division under its HBO Films label. The company which has produced critically acclaimed content such as Six Feet Under, Conspiracy is looking to leverage its reputation and expand into the world of independent film distribution.
A Reuters report states that the new division, HBO Films Domestic Theatrical Releasing, will be headed by Dennis O'Connor. HBO Films is also joing forces with sister company New Line Cinema and its Fine Line specialty film label to distribute films theatrically. The companies are all owned by AOL Time Warner
The first film that will be distributed is American Splendour. The movie blends non-fiction and fiction filmmaking in a story about comic book writer Harvey Pekar. Earlier this year, the film won the Grand Jury Prize for the best drama at the Sundance Film Festival. It will hit US cinemas next month.
HBO believes that its clout it has managed to generate will help give a boost to offbeat films that otherwise get lost in the shuffle. The deal with New Line/Fine Line gives HBO an immediate foot in the door in art-house theaters around the world, states the report.