Janus Films is an American film distribution company. The distributor is credited with introducing numerous internationally-produced arthouse films, now considered masterpieces of world cinema, to American audiences, including the films of Michelangelo Antonioni, Sergei Eisenstein, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray, François Truffaut, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu, Robert Bresson, Andrei Tarkovsky, and many other well-regarded directors. Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal was the film responsible for the company's initial growth.

Janus has a close business relationship with The Criterion Collection regarding the release of its films on DVD and Blu-ray and is still an active theatrical distributor.

The company's name and logo, which depicts an Aes grave, reference Janus, the two-faced Roman god of transitions, passages, beginnings, and endings.

History Janus Films was founded in 1956 by Bryant Haliday and Cyrus Harvey, Jr., in the historic Brattle Theater, a Harvard Square landmark in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Prior to the conception of Janus, Haliday and Harvey began screening both foreign and American films at the Brattle Theater and proceeded to regularly fill the 300-seat venue. Having purchased the theater, Haliday, together with Harvey, converted the Brattle into a popular movie house for the showing of art films.

Perceiving potential success in the film business, Haliday and Harvey moved into the New York City market and began running the 55th Street Playhouse. Janus Films was subsequently launched in March 1956 and the Playhouse was used as the primary location for exhibiting Janus-distributed films. The two owners eventually sold Janus Films in 1965 following a decline in the American art film market, and in 1966 Haliday also sold the Brattle, while Harvey continued to manage the theater into the 1970s.

In 1977, Kino International (now Kino Lorber) acquired rights to the company's film collection, which became the foundation for Kino's international library of films.

Janus was later acquired by Saul J. Turell and William J. Becker. Janus Films, alongside The Criterion Collection, was sold to Steven Rales in May 2024 in a private acquisition.

Releases

On October 24, 2006, in celebration of 50 years of business, the Criterion Collection released 50 of the films that Janus distributed in a large boxset containing 50 DVDs and a 200-page essay on the history of art house films. The package was called Essential Art House: 50 Years of Janus Films. A.O. Scott chose the set as his DVD pick when he co-hosted At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper. As part of its 44th Festival in 2006, the New York Film Festival presented a series called 50 Years of Janus Films, a tribute to the company.

In 2009, Janus Films released Revanche, its first first-run theatrical release in 30 years. Since then, with their distribution partner, Sideshow, Janus Films had released more recent films such as Drive My Car and EO.

Then, in 2010, Janus acquired domestic theatrical and home video rights to the Charlie Chaplin library under license from the Chaplin estate and worldwide distribution agent MK2. The Criterion division handles the Chaplin library for re-issue on DVD and Blu-ray, in addition to theatrical release.

In 2024, Janus and Sideshow distributed the Latvian animated film, Flow, by director Gints Zilbalodis. Having no dialogue and only using animal noises and environmental sounds, the film follows a cat and other animals in a flooded, post-apocalyptic world. Flow has become the all-time highest-grossing release for Janus and earned multiple awards including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Janus also currently manages part of the Caidin Film Company library for Westchester Films, and the Faces Distribution/John Cassavetes library for Jumer Productions, both companies' successors-in-interest to Castle Hill Productions.

Sideshow releases Release date Title Notes December 3, 2021 Drive My Car Cannes Film Festival Award for Best ScreenplayAcademy Award for Best International FilmNominated—Palme d'OrNominated—Academy Award for Best PictureNominated—Academy Award for Best DirectorNominated—Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay October 21, 2022 All That Breathes 2022 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize in World Cinema DocumentaryL'Œil d'orNominated—Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film November 18, 2022 EO Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival)Nominated—Palme d'OrNominated—Academy Award for Best International Film December 23, 2022 No Bears Special Jury Prize (Venice Film Festival)Nominated—Golden Lion March 24, 2023 Tori and Lokita Nominated—Palme d'Or April 28, 2023 The Eight Mountains Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival)Nominated—Palme d'Or July 14, 2023 Afire Silver Bear Grand Jury PrizeNominated—Golden Bear October 11, 2023 Anselm Nominated—L'Œil d'or November 10, 2023 Orlando, My Political Biography Teddy Award for Best Documentary Film January 26, 2024 Tótem Nominated—Golden BearNominated—National Board of Review: Top Five International Films February 23, 2024 About Dry Grasses Cannes Film Festival Award for Best ActressNominated—Palme d'Or April 5, 2024 The Beast Nominated—Golden Lion May 3, 2024 Evil Does Not Exist Grand Jury Prize (Venice Film Festival)Best Film Award, 2023 BFI London Film FestivalNominated—Golden Lion June 28, 2024 Last Summer Nominated—Palme d'OrNominated—César Award for Best DirectorNominated—César Award for Best ActressNominated—César Award for Best Male RevelationNominated—César Award for Best Adaptation November 15, 2024 All We Imagine as Light Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)Nominated—Palme d'OrNominated—National Board of Review: Top Five International FilmsNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Non-English Language FilmNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best DirectorNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language December 6, 2024 Flow Academy Award for Best Animated FeatureGolden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature FilmNominated—Academy Award for Best International Feature Film January 3, 2025 Vermiglio Grand Jury Prize (Venice Film Festival)Gold Hugo, Chicago International Film FestivalDavid di Donatello for Best FilmNominated—Golden Lion March 21, 2025 Misericordia Louis Delluc PrizeNominated—Queer PalmNominated—César Award for Best Film April 18, 2025 The Shrouds Nominated—Palme d'Or May 9, 2025 Caught by the Tides Nominated—Palme d'Or July 18, 2025 Cloud

References

External links – official site Janus Films The Face of Art and Foreign Film at NPR