Kino International (Kino)

Kino International was founded in 1977 as a theatrical distribution company specializing in classics and foreign language art films. The company began operation with a license to handle theatrical distribution of the Janus Collection, a library containing over 100 important European and Asian art films of the 40s, 50s and 60s.



Building on this foundation, Kino acquired many classic feature films and packages for distribution to the then-vital repertory theatre circuit, which consisted of over two hundred active venues across the United States in the pre-cable, pre-video era. During its first ten years, Kino handled exclusive theatrical distribution for the Charlie Chaplin films (including Modern Times and City Lights), the David O. Selznick collection (including Spellbound, Rebecca and Notorious), the Alexander Korda Films library (including Things To Come and The Thief Of Bagdad), the Walter Wanger Collection (including Stagecoach and To Be Or Not To Be), as well as the successful reissues of widescreen epics El Cid and Giant.



While continuing to distribute classic films in their original 35mm format, Kino took a new turn in 1980 with the acquisition and release of Masahiro Shinoda’s beautiful Japanese chamber piece The Ballad Of Orin, followed soon after by the release of Shohie Imamura’s 1984 Palme d’Or winner The Ballad of Narayama. Since then, the company has focused on the distribution (in all media) of high-quality contemporary world cinema, American independents, and documentaries -- usually by up-and-coming directors. Additionally, we have had great success with several 35mm classic reissues -- most notably, 2002's high-grossing re-release of Metropolis.

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