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Apparition was a
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
-based independent
film distributor A film distributor is a person responsible for the marketing of a film. The distribution company may be the same as, or different from, the production company. Distribution deals are an important part of financing a film. The distributor may set ...
founded by industry veteran
Bob Berney Bob Berney (born 1953) is an American independent film executive based in Los Angeles. Currently, he is the CEO of Picturehouse, an independent motion picture marketing and distribution company that acquires, markets and distributes films from th ...
(who served as its CEO) and film producer
Bill Pohlad Bill Pohlad is an American film producer and director. He is the son of Mary Eloise (O'Rourke) and billionaire financier Carl Pohlad, who owned the Minnesota Twins baseball franchise from 1984 until his death in 2009. He has two brothers: Jim ...
(who also founded earlier on,
River Road Entertainment River Road Entertainment is an American independent film production company founded in 1987 by Bill Pohlad, who is also the company's president. It is based in Los Angeles and Minneapolis. Films produced by River Road include ''12 Years A Slave' ...
). Launched in August 2009, the company specialised in selections from the
arthouse An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...
and
independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...
circuits. After releasing six feature films and one short, Apparition suspended its operations in May 2010 when Berney announced his resignation. It closed in late September 2010 after laying off its staff and selling the rights to its last remaining title, ''
The Tree of Life ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...
'', to
Fox Searchlight Pictures Searchlight Pictures, Inc., formerly known as Fox Searchlight Pictures, is an American arthouse film production and distribution company, which since 2019 is owned by Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Disney Entertainment segment of the ...
.


History


Founding

Based in New York City, Apparition was launched by
Bob Berney Bob Berney (born 1953) is an American independent film executive based in Los Angeles. Currently, he is the CEO of Picturehouse, an independent motion picture marketing and distribution company that acquires, markets and distributes films from th ...
and
Bill Pohlad Bill Pohlad is an American film producer and director. He is the son of Mary Eloise (O'Rourke) and billionaire financier Carl Pohlad, who owned the Minnesota Twins baseball franchise from 1984 until his death in 2009. He has two brothers: Jim ...
on August 6, 2009. Berney was previously employed at
Newmarket Films Newmarket Films, LLC was an American Privately held company, privately owned independent film production and distribution company and a former film distribution subsidiary of Newmarket Capital Group. The company produced such films as ''The Mexic ...
,
IFC Films Independent Film Company (formerly IFC Films) is an American film production and distribution company based in New York City, New York. It is an offshoot of IFC (U.S. TV channel), IFC, owned by AMC Networks. It mainly distributes independent fil ...
, and
Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warne ...
's Picturehouse; Pohlad, who produced films through his
River Road Entertainment River Road Entertainment is an American independent film production company founded in 1987 by Bill Pohlad, who is also the company's president. It is based in Los Angeles and Minneapolis. Films produced by River Road include ''12 Years A Slave' ...
, also served as the new company's investor and put up an estimated $30 million to run the venture. He also suggested the brand name, according to Berney; " ince the word means 'vision',we felt the name suggested something exciting on the horizon. A new vision." Four years before Apparition's launch, both teamed up for the production of ''
A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' was a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...
'', filmed in Pohlad's home area of Minneapolis-St. Paul and released by Picturehouse. Pohlad initiated Apparition out of spite for what he saw as
Paramount Vantage Paramount Vantage, Inc. (formerly known as Paramount Classics, Inc.) was a film production label of Paramount Pictures (which, in turn, has Paramount Global as its parent company), charged with producing, purchasing, distributing and marketing ...
's lackluster distribution of an earlier River Road production, '' Into the Wild'' (2007), which faced competition from several other films on parent studio
Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...
's slate. As Berney told ''
Film Journal International ''Film Journal International'' was a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Prometheus Global Media. It was a sister publication of '' Adweek'', '' Billboard'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'', and other periodical ...
'' in December 2009:


Operational tenure

Bob Berney was the
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of Apparition during its existence; several past partners of his were also employed there, with his wife Jeanne "on the marketing team in New York". The company purchased, distributed and marketed a mix of
arthouse An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...
and independently produced films, leading Berney to remark in 2009: "We're in every kind of film business but focusing on diverse, underserved audiences." According to the ''
Minneapolis Star-Tribune Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 census, it is the state's most populous city. Located in the state's center near the eastern border, it ...
'' Colin Covert in 2010, "the company aims to reflect the refined taste and integrity that characterize Pohlad's film productions... tsstaff of 26 in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago orks oncrafting the ads, selecting the theaters and weighing factors as diverse as opening-week weather, the TV sports schedule and the target audience's bedtime." Since Pohlad was a native of
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, Apparition vowed to make its films available to the Minneapolis-St. Paul market on their opening weekends. U.S. home-media releases and TV distribution of its output went through
Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
, while Canadian rights were handled by
Alliance Films Alliance Films (formerly Alliance Entertainment, Alliance Communications, Alliance Atlantis Releasing Ltd, Motion Picture Distribution LP; and also known as Alliance Vivafilm in Quebec; or simply Alliance) was a Canadian motion picture distributi ...
. Prior to Apparition's founding, Berney and Pohlad picked up British period drama '' Bright Star'' during the
2009 Cannes Film Festival The 62nd Cannes Film Festival took place from 13 May to 24 May 2009. French actress Isabelle Huppert served as jury president for the main competition. Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the dram ...
. During its inaugural month in operation, the company obtained the U.S. rights to
Jean-Marc Vallée Jean-Marc Vallée (March 9, 1963December 25, 2021) was a Canadian filmmaker, film editor, and screenwriter. After studying film at the Université de Montréal, Vallée went on to make a number of critically acclaimed short films, including '' ...
's ''
The Young Victoria ''The Young Victoria'' is a 2009 British period drama, period drama film directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and written by Julian Fellowes, based on the early life and reign of Queen Victoria, and her marriage to Albert, Prince Consort, Prince Albert ...
''. In September 2009, it screened ''Bright Star'' at the
Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...
(TIFF), and announced co-distribution of its next two titles—''
Black Dynamite ''Black Dynamite'' is a 2009 American blaxploitation action comedy film starring Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, and Salli Richardson. The film was directed by Scott Sanders and co-written by White, Sanders, and Byron Minns, who also co-s ...
'' and '' The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day''—with
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) is a specialty film division of Sony Pictures Entertainment. The company specializes in acquiring and producing films for a wide variety of distribution platforms. History The group became a stand-al ...
(SPWA). A later project, ''
The Runaways The Runaways were an American rock band who recorded and performed from 1975 to 1979. Formed in 1975 in Los Angeles, the band released four studio albums and one live album during its run. Among their best-known songs are " Cherry Bomb", " Holl ...
'', was distributed on behalf of River Road Entertainment, while 2008 Australian import '' The Square'' was picked up in January 2010 thanks to Berney's interest in director
Nash Edgerton Nash Edgerton (born 19 January 1973) is an Australian film director, stuntman and actor, and a principal member of the movie-making collective Blue-Tongue Films. Early life Edgerton was born in Blacktown, New South Wales and grew up in Dural ...
's companion short film ''
Spider Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and ran ...
''. At the time of its operation, Apparition planned to release five films during 2010, and 7–8 in 2011.


Departure of Bob Berney and closure

On May 11, 2010, before leaving the U.S. for
Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
, Berney announced his resignation from Apparition via an e-mail to Pohlad, who was surprised at his partner's decision. A string of underperforming titles, and "disputes over the distribution" of ''The Runaways'', were cited as factors. Although the company suspended its operations as a result of Berney's departure, Pohlad vowed to remain committed to Apparition's upkeep while a successor was being sought. "Though Berney said little about why he left," wrote ''
The Wrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news organization that covers the business of entertainment and media. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles. The site features original reporting, analysis, and editor ...
'' Sharon Waxman, "it seems clear that he felt his hands were tied by the pursestring decisions of his boss Pohlad." Attempts to relocate to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
that July, with a reduced staff, did not come to fruition, and the entire team was eventually laid off. On September 26, 2010, Apparition went out of business when Pohlad sold off the distribution rights to
Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick (; born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. Malick began his career as part of the New Hollywood generation of filmmakers and received awards at the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, and ...
's ''
The Tree of Life ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...
'' to
Fox Searchlight Pictures Searchlight Pictures, Inc., formerly known as Fox Searchlight Pictures, is an American arthouse film production and distribution company, which since 2019 is owned by Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Disney Entertainment segment of the ...
. ''Tree'' was part of the company's launch slate and initially intended for late 2009, but eventually found release in 2011 after several years of prolonged post-production. Apparition's three remaining titles were later transferred to other distributors. River Road's political bio-drama ''
Fair Game Fair Game may refer to: Film * ''Fair Game'' (1928 film), a German silent drama film * ''Fair Game'' (1986 film), an Australian action film * ''Fair Game'' (1988 film), an Italian thriller-horror film * ''Fair Game'', a 1994 television film sta ...
'' (once considered under the Apparition banner) moved to
Summit Entertainment Summit Entertainment, LLC (formerly the Summit Group, Summit Export Group, Summit Entertainment Group Inc., Summit Entertainment Limited, Summit Films Limited, and Summit Entertainment N.V.) is an American film production label of Lionsgate Film ...
, while
Samuel Goldwyn Films Samuel Goldwyn Films, LLC is an American film company that licenses, releases and distributes art-house, independent and foreign films. It was founded by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., the son of the Hollywood business magnate/mogul, Samuel Goldwyn. Th ...
took over as SPWA's distribution partner for
Jake Scott Jacob E. Scott III (July 20, 1945 – November 19, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a safety and punt returner from 1970 to 1978 for the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). H ...
's ''
Welcome to the Rileys ''Welcome to the Rileys'' is a 2010 independent drama film directed by Jake Scott, written by Ken Hixon, and starring Kristen Stewart, James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo. The film debuted at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Plot Ever since the de ...
''. Berney also wanted to pick up the
Alex Gibney Philip Alexander Gibney (; born October 23, 1953) is an American documentary film director and producer. In 2010, ''Esquire'' magazine said Gibney "is becoming the most important documentarian of our time." Gibney's works as director include ''T ...
documentary '' Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer'' during its
Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...
appearance; after Pohlad "balked at
he idea He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter call ...
, Apparition's release was eventually called off. By August 2010, ''Client 9'' was acquired by
Magnolia Pictures Magnolia Pictures LLC is an American independent film distributor and production company, and is a subsidiary of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Entertainment. Magnolia was formed in 2001 by Bill Banowsky and Eamonn Bowles, and specializes in ...
en route to its TIFF run. Three years after he left Apparition, Berney would re-establish Picturehouse as an independently owned outlet after several years of dormancy. Interviewed by ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' in March 2013, he explained the circumstances behind his final days at the former company:


Filmography


References


External links

*{{official website, https://web.archive.org/web/20100404034139/http://apparition.com:80/ (archived) Mass media companies established in 2009 Mass media companies disestablished in 2010 Film distributors of the United States Mass media companies based in New York City