HanWay Films is a British independent film production and distribution company specializing in theatrical feature films as well as distributing them on home entertainment systems.
HanWay is an international sales, distribution and marketing company specialising in films from worldwide talent. HanWay arranges financing, sales and distribution for all films from Recorded Picture Company, along with projects from third party producers.
History On 30 November 1998, Jeremy Thomas founded production and foreign sales company HanWay Films with his colleagues Peter Watson (deputy chairman) and Stephan Mallmann, and continues to chair the board. Two new members joined the board in 2011, Thorsten Schumacher, previously head of sales, was appointed managing director, and former head of business affairs Jan Spielhoff took up the reins as chief operating officer.
HanWay also represents an extensive film catalogue of over 500 features including films from Thomas's Recorded Picture Company, and the British Film Institute. These include productions by Woody Allen, Takeshi Kitano, Bernardo Bertolucci, Wim Wenders, Terry Gilliam, David Cronenberg, Peter Greenaway, Jean-Luc Godard, David Mamet, Miloš Forman, Stephen Frears, Phillip Noyce and Nagisa Ōshima.
In August 2022, it was announced that American film production company Cohen Media Group had acquired HanWay Films from its founder Jeremy Thomas with HanWay Films continued to be branded as an independent label within Cohen Media Group. In January 2025, HanWay became the main representative of the Cohen Film Collection.
Productions HanWay's productions include Thomas' production of David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method starring Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender and Vincent Cassel, in the true-life story of the young Dr. Jung, his mentor Freud and the beautiful patient that came between them; Lone Scherfig’s coming-of-age drama An Education, which won Carey Mulligan a BAFTA award for Best Actress; James Gunn’s pop-culture actioner Super starring Rainn Wilson, Elliot Page and Liv Tyler, from producer Ted Hope; Nigel Cole’s Made in Dagenham starring Golden Globe nominee Sally Hawkins from producer Stephen Woolley, and Andrea Arnold’s adaptation of the romantic classic Wuthering Heights.
Other films handled include Nowhere Boy, a film by artist Sam Taylor-Wood based on John Lennon’s teenage years starring Aaron Johnson; Gurinder Chadha’s culinary black comedy It's a Wonderful Afterlife which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Harry Brown starring Academy Award winner Michael Caine; Scott Hicks’ Australian-set drama The Boys Are Back starring Clive Owen; Irish comedy Perrier's Bounty, starring Cillian Murphy and Academy Award winner Jim Broadbent; and Danis Tanović’s Triage, with Colin Farrell in the lead. Theatrical documentary releases include Julien Temple’s Oil City Confidential, and Mugabe and the White African.
Other releases include Jon Amiel's Creation starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly (produced by Thomas), which opened the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, Sunshine Cleaning starring Amy Adams and Emily Blunt; Gerald McMorrow’s Franklyn starring Eva Green, Ryan Phillippe and Sam Riley (produced by Thomas), Christopher Smith’s period thriller Black Death starring Sean Bean, and Michael Winterbottom’s Genova starring Colin Firth.
The company also handled Takashi Miike’s samurai epic Thirteen Assassins, and Jerzy Skolimowski's political thriller Essential Killing, both executive-produced by Thomas. Both films premiered at the 67th Venice International Film Festival, and Essential Killing went on to win the Special Jury Prize, Best Actor for Vincent Gallo (the Volpi Cup), and the Cinemavenniere Award for Best Film in Competition (voted by a youth jury). Upcoming productions include films by David Cronenberg, Terry Gilliam and Phillip Noyce.
The company has previously handled such titles as Woody Allen’s Match Point, starring Scarlett Johansson, Julian Jarrold’s Becoming Jane starring Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy, and Sarah Polley’s multi-Academy Award nominated Away from Her starring Julie Christie.
In its capacity as international sales agent, HanWay works closely with Ecosse Films.
HanWay Films represents collections from the British Film Institute, Merchant Ivory, Peter Weir, Wim Wenders, Phillip Noyce, Jean Doumanian, Alex Cox, Paul Cox, New Zealand Film Commission, Manoel de Oliveira and Recorded Picture Company, comprising some 500 feature films, documentaries and animations. This collection includes films from noted world cinema figures, including Woody Allen, Bernardo Bertolucci, David Cronenberg, Clint Eastwood, Miloš Forman, Stephen Frears, Terry Gilliam, Alfred Hitchcock, James Ivory, Takeshi Kitano, Bob Rafelson, Terence Davies, David Mamet, Martin Scorsese, and Ridley Scott.
With Carol, Brooklyn and Anomalisa, managing director Thorsten Schumacher announced 2015 as "the most successful year for [HanWay Films] to date."
Team Executive Board Jeremy Thomas - Chairman Peter Watson - Vice Chairman Marie-Gabrielle Stewart - Managing Director
Marketing and Publicity Tom Grievson - Head of Marketing and Distribution Tejinder Jouhal - Director of Marketing and Distribution Joseph Hewitt - Marketing Manager
Sales Nicole Mackey - Head of Sales Mark Lane - Director of Sales Marta Ravani - Director of Sales, HanWay The Collections
Acquisitions Matthew Baker - Director of Acquisitions
Business Affairs & Finance Justin Kelly - Head of Business & Legal Affairs Beverley Cullen - Contracts Manager Elizabeth Kormanova - Director of Business Affairs Ivan Kelava - Senior Business Affairs Manager Rachel Barbut - Financial Controller Siu Lee - Assistant Accountant Gareth Melia - Assistant Accountant
Films 1999 Just Looking Story of a Bad Boy Women Talking Dirty Sunburn The Cup Buena Vista Social Club
2000 Help! I'm a Fish Brother Innocence
2001 Lotte Reiniger The Mystic Masseur The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky Triumph of Love Love the Hard Way The Last Minute
2002 Junimond Half the Rent Serving Sara Revengers Tragedy Lost in La Mancha Rabbit-Proof Fence
2003 House of Sand and Fog The Boys from County Clare Festival Express Travellers and Magicians The Dreamers Danny Deckchair The Soul of a Man Young Adam To Kill a King Fools All the Real Girls
2004 Night of Truth It's All Gone Pete Tong Human Touch Land of Plenty Promised Land Egoshooter Creep The Football Factory Derek Jarman: Life as Art Boo, Zino & the Snurks
2005 Dreaming Lhasa Brothers of the Head Tideland Magic Mirror Don't Come Knocking Match Point The Devil and Daniel Johnston
2006 Goya's Ghosts Anger Me Away from Her Belle Toujours Impy's Island Scoop Severance Fast Food Nation Samoan Wedding A Woman in Winter Kidulthood Glastonbury
2007 Battle for Haditha Never Apologize Mister Lonely Control Moving Midway Becoming Jane Kaluapapa Heavan Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten
2008 A Bunch of Amateurs Franklyn Salvation Genova Is Anybody There? Brideshead Revisited Palermo Shooting Of Time and the City Impy's Island Sunshine Cleaning Two Fists, One Heart
2009 Nowhere Boy Oil City Confidential Beyond the Pole The Boys Are Back Harry Brown Triage Perrier's Bounty Creation Mugabe and the White African Empire of Silver An Education
2010 Robinson in Ruins Made in Dagenham Super 13 Assassins Essential Killing Chico and Rita Black Death Thunder Soul It's a Wonderful Afterlife
2011 Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir You're Next Wuthering Heights Shame A Dangerous Method Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai The Decoy Bride TT3D: Closer to the Edge Pina Life in a Day Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
2012 Great Expectations Quartet Seven Psychopaths Kon-Tiki Woody Allen: A Documentary Me and You Anton Corbijn
2013 Vara: A Blessing Finding Vivian Maier Dom Hemingway The Unknown Known Tracks Only Lovers Left Alive Seduced and Abandoned All Is Bright Houston Dirty Wars
2014 20,000 Days on Earth God Help the Girl The Guest The Riot Club
2015 Anomalisa Brooklyn Carol Every Thing Will Be Fine High-Rise Tale of Tales
2016 The Limehouse Golem Their Finest
2017 How to Talk to Girls at Parties Mary Shelley A Prayer Before Dawn
2018 Colette The Hummingbird Project Monsters and Men
2019 The Burnt Orange Heresy Impy's Island The Kindness of Strangers Pavarotti Roads The Song of Names The Wolf Hour
2020 Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowen The Dissident Laila in Haifa Made in Italy Wild Mountain Thyme The Roads Not Taken
2021 The Card Counter Falling Land Minamata Music Seance Ted K
2022 Blueback EO Master Gardener
2023 Anselm The Royal Hotel Shayda Sweet Sue What Happens Later
2024 La cocina The Dead Don't Hurt Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia The Return Timestalker
2025 Tornado Hot Milk
Upcoming Alone Together Billion Dollar Spy The Creep DreamQuil Extra Geography McCarthy The One The Species You Really Got Me
References
External links Official site HanWay Films at BFI