First Independent Films was a British

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 ...

and

home video Home video is recorded media sold or Video rental shop, rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD and Blu-ray. ...

company that replaced

Vestron Video Vestron Video was the main subsidiary of Vestron, Inc., a home video company based in Stamford, Connecticut, that was active from 1981 to 1993, and is considered to have been a pioneer in the home video market. The name is now used for a collecto ...

International's UK operations.

History

formed their international division Vestron Video International in 1981, including a UK subsidiary. In May 1990, HTV, the ITV franchise holder for Wales and the West of England, acquired Vestron UK and renamed the company to First Independent Films. Although a small film company, the company distributed a wide selection of genres. The company's main third-party partner was Turner Entertainment Co., with First Independent distributing products from

Castle Rock Entertainment Castle Rock Entertainment is an American independent film and television production company founded in 1987 by Martin Shafer, director Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, Glenn Padnick (September 8, 1947 – February 27, 2025) and Alan Horn. Histo ...

, Turner Pictures Worldwide Distribution,

Hanna-Barbera Cartoons Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

and select

New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...

releases (alternating with their main UK partner

Entertainment Film Distributors Entertainment Film Distributors Limited is a British distributor of independent films in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was founded by Michael L. Green and is currently run by his son Nigel Green. The company has released many BAFTA and Osca ...

). First Independent also distributed local and independent films. The company began to meet its demise after Turner Entertainment Co. was sold to

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 ...

in 1996 and

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

took over distribution of Turner's properties from them, aside from New Line Cinema releases which reverted fully to Entertainment Film Distributors. The commercial failure of '' G.I. Jane'' in the UK led to United News & Media, by this point the parent company of HTV, to exit out of the theatrical market and put the company up for sale in February 1998. Columbia TriStar Home Video's UK operations purchased First Independent's assets and remaining library shortly afterwards and folded the theatrical and home video divisions under their banner. Sony continued to use First Independent as a secondary brand for its archived titles on VHS and DVD, although no new products were released under the name. The First Independent Films company itself remained as a "dormant company" and was relocated to

The London Studios The London Studios (also known as The South Bank Studios, The London Television Centre, ITV Tower, Kent House and LWT Tower) in Lambeth, Central London was a television studio complex owned by ITV plc and originally built for London Weekend Te ...

, the headquarters of

ITV plc ITV plc is a British media company that holds 13 of the 15 regional television licences that make up the ITV (TV network), ITV network (Channel 3), the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom. ITV plc ...

until being folded on 20 December 2016.

Film releases

Films distributed theatrically by First Independent Films include: 1991: * ''

Catchfire ''Catchfire'' is a 1990 American romantic action thriller film directed by Dennis Hopper and starring Hopper, Jodie Foster, Dean Stockwell, Vincent Price, John Turturro, and Fred Ward, with cameo appearances by several notable actors, in ...

'' * ''

Eminent Domain Eminent domain, also known as land acquisition, compulsory purchase, resumption, resumption/compulsory acquisition, or expropriation, is the compulsory acquisition of private property for public use. It does not include the power to take and t ...

'' * ''

Fear Fear is an unpleasant emotion that arises in response to perception, perceived dangers or threats. Fear causes physiological and psychological changes. It may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the ...

'' * '' Misery'' * '' Over Her Dead Body'' * ''

Sibling Rivalry Sibling rivalry is a type of competition or animosity among siblings, whether blood-related or not. In childhood, siblings generally spend more time together than they do with parents. Sibling bonds are influenced by factors such as parental ...

'' * ''

Prayer of the Rollerboys ''Prayer of the Rollerboys'' is a 1990 independent science fiction film directed by Rick King and starring Corey Haim and Patricia Arquette. Plot summary Griffin, an accomplished inline skater, works as a delivery boy in near-future dystopia ...

'' * ''

Dolly Dearest ''Dolly Dearest'' is a 1991 American supernatural horror film starring Denise Crosby, Rip Torn, Sam Bottoms, Chris Demetral, Candace Hutson and Lupe Ontiveros. The film was initially supposed to be direct-to-video, but it did get a limited t ...

'' * ''

Let Him Have It ''Let Him Have It'' is a 1991 British drama film directed by Peter Medak and starring Christopher Eccleston, Paul Reynolds, Tom Courtenay and Tom Bell. The film is based on the true story of Derek Bentley, who was convicted of the murder of a ...

'' * ''

City Slickers ''City Slickers'' is a 1991 American Western comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby and Jack Palance, with supporting roles by Patricia Wettig, Helen Slater and Noble Willingham, and ...

'' * ''

Homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

'' * ''

Iron Maze ''Iron Maze'' is a 1991 Japanese and American film directed by Hiroaki Yoshida and executive produced by Oliver Stone, starring Jeff Fahey, Bridget Fonda, Hiroaki Murakami, and J.T. Walsh. Based on Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's story '' In a Grove' ...

'' 1992: * '' Year of the Gun'' * ''

Late for Dinner Late or LATE may refer to: Everyday usage * Tardy, or late, not being on time * Late (or the late) may refer to a person who is dead Music * ''Late'' (The 77s album), 2000 * Late (Alvin Batiste album), 1993 * Late!, a pseudonym used by Dave Groh ...

'' * ''

Naked Lunch ''Naked Lunch'' (first published as ''The Naked Lunch'') is a 1959 novel by American author William S. Burroughs. The novel does not follow a clear linear plot, but is instead structured as a series of non-chronological "routines". Many of thes ...

'' * ''

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

'' * ''

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead ''Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead'' is a 1991 American coming-of-age dark comedy film directed by Stephen Herek, written by Neil Landau and Tara Ison, and starring Christina Applegate, Joanna Cassidy, Keith Coogan, John Getz, and Josh Ch ...

'' * ''

The Lawnmower Man "The Lawnmower Man" is a short story by American writer Stephen King, first published in the May 1975 issue of ''Cavalier'' and later included in King's 1978 collection ''Night Shift''. Plot summary Harold Parkette is in need of a new lawn mow ...

'' * ''

House Party 2 ''House Party 2'' is a 1991 American comedy film and the second installment of the House_Party_(franchise)#Films, ''House Party'' film series. Kid 'n Play, Full Force, Tisha Campbell, and Martin Lawrence reprise their roles from the first film ...

'' 1993: * ''

Deep Cover Deep Cover may refer to: * ''Deep Cover'' (1992 film), a 1992 American crime film starring Laurence Fishburne. * ''Deep Cover'' (2025 film), a British action comedy film about improv actors going undercover for the police * ''Deep Cover'' (soundt ...

'' * ''

Night and the City ''Night and the City'' is a 1950 British film noir directed by Jules Dassin and starring Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney and Googie Withers. It is based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Kersh. Shot on location in London and at Shepp ...

'' * ''

Folks! ''Folks!'' is a 1992 American comedy-drama film directed by Ted Kotcheff, written by Robert Klane and starring Tom Selleck as a selfish yuppie who takes in his parents after their house burns down. It was panned by critics, earning Selleck a Raz ...

'' * ''

Honeymoon in Vegas ''Honeymoon in Vegas'' is a 1992 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Andrew Bergman and starring James Caan, Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker. Plot Private eye Jack Singer swore to his mother on her deathbed that h ...

'' * '' Mr. Saturday Night'' * ''

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

'' * '' Bad Behaviour'' * '' Frauds'' * '' Tom and Jerry: The Movie'' * ''

Menace II Society ''Menace II Society'' (pronounced ''Menace to Society'') is a 1993 American teen crime drama film directed by the Hughes Brothers in their directorial debut. Set in the Watts and Crenshaw neighborhoods of Los Angeles, the film follows the l ...

'' * '' Warlock: The Armageddon'' * ''

Raining Stones ''Raining Stones'' is a 1993 film directed by Ken Loach and starring Bruce Jones, Julie Brown, Ricky Tomlinson, Tom Hickey and Gemma Phoenix. It tells the story of a man who cannot afford to buy his daughter a First Communion dress, and mak ...

'' * ''

Naked Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and not ...

'' * '' Sins of Desire'' 1994: * '' Bhaji on the Beach'' * '' A Dangerous Woman'' * ''

Sleep with Me ''Sleep with Me'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Rory Kelly and starring Meg Tilly, Eric Stoltz and Craig Sheffer, who play good friends that become involved in a love triangle, a relationship complicated by the marriage of T ...

'' * ''

Above the Rim ''Above the Rim'' is a 1994 American sports drama film co-written and directed by Jeff Pollack in his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Barry Michael Cooper, adapted from a story by Benny Medina. The film stars Duane Martin, ...

'' 1995: * ''

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinisation of names, Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French Astrology, astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed Oracle, seer, who is best known for his book ''Les Prophéti ...

'' * ''

Dumb and Dumber ''Dumb and Dumber'' is a 1994 American buddy comedy film directed by Peter Farrelly, who cowrote the screenplay with Bobby Farrelly and Bennett Yellin. It is the first installment in the ''Dumb and Dumber'' franchise. Starring Jim Carrey and ...

'' * ''

Bulletproof Heart ''Bulletproof Heart'' is the ninth studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released on October 31, 1989 by Capitol Records. The album, co-produced by Chris Stanley, would be Jones' last studio album for 19 years, until the rel ...

'' * ''

Mortal Kombat ''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of fighting game, fighting video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The original ''Mortal Kombat (1992 video game), Mortal Kombat'' arcade game spawned Lis ...

'' * '' The Basketball Diaries'' 1996: * '' Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace'' * ''

White Squall A white squall is a sudden and violent windstorm at sea which is not accompanied by the black clouds generally characteristic of a squall. It manifests as a sudden increase in wind velocity in tropical and sub-tropical waters, and may be a micro ...

'' * '' Now and Then'' * ''

Rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...

'' * '' Original Gangstas'' * ''

Boston Kickout ''Boston Kickout'' is a 1995 British drama feature film written and directed by Paul Hills. It won the Euskal Media Prize at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, Best Actor ( John Simm) at the Cinema Jove International Film Festival i ...

'' * '' Crimetime'' * ''

The Last of the High Kings ''The Last of the High Kings'', also released under the title ''Summer Fling'' in some countries, is a 1996 coming-of-age comedy-drama Irish film set in 1970s Howth, Dublin, following teenaged friends becoming immersed in the emerging punk scene, ...

'' 1997: * ''

Normal Life ''Normal Life'' is a 1996 American Crime film, crime drama film based on the real lives of husband-and-wife bank robbers, Jeffrey and Jill Erickson. The film stars Ashley Judd and Luke Perry and was directed by John McNaughton. The original scr ...

'' * '' Eddie'' * '' Killer: A Journal of Murder'' * '' Trigger Happy'' * ''

Night Falls on Manhattan ''Night Falls on Manhattan'' is a 1996 American crime drama film written and directed by Sidney Lumet. Based on the novel ''Tainted Evidence'' by Robert Daley, the plot centers on a newly elected district attorney played by Andy García, who i ...

'' * '' House of America'' * '' G.I. Jane'' * ''

Keep the Aspidistra Flying ''Keep the Aspidistra Flying'', first published in 1936, is a socially critical novel by George Orwell set in 1930s London. The main theme is Gordon Comstock's romantic ambition to defy worship of the money-god and status, and the dismal lif ...

'' * ''

The Myth of Fingerprints ''The Myth of Fingerprints'' is a 1997 American drama film written and directed by Bart Freundlich. It stars Blythe Danner, Roy Scheider, Noah Wyle, and Julianne Moore. The story follows the gathering of a dysfunctional family during Thanksgivi ...

'' * '' This World, Then the Fireworks'' 1998 * '' Traveller'' * '' Wishmaster'' * ''

Savior Savior or saviour may refer to: *A person who helps people achieve salvation, or saves them from something Religion * Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule for seven, nine or nineteen years * Maitreya * Messiah, a saviour or li ...

'' 1999: * ''

Orgazmo ''Orgazmo'' is a 1997 American superhero sex comedy film written, directed and edited by Trey Parker and produced by Matt Stone, Jason McHugh, and Fran Rubel Kuzui. It stars Parker, Stone, Dian Bachar, Robyn Lynne, and Michael Dean Jacobs ...

'' * ''

Just the Ticket ''Just the Ticket'' is a 1998 American drama film directed by Richard Wenk. It stars Andy García and Andie MacDowell. Garcia was also the producer. The film was originally titled ''A Piece of Cake''. Plot Gary Starke (Garcia), desperate t ...

'' * '' A Walk on the Moon''

References

Film distributors of the United Kingdom Home video distributors Video production companies Mass media companies established in 1991 Mass media companies disestablished in 1999 Film organisations in the United Kingdom 1991 establishments in the United Kingdom Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group Sony Pictures Entertainment Former Sony subsidiaries {{UK-film-company-stub