About Kino Lorber Media Group

With a library of over 4,000 titles, Kino Lorber is best known as a leader in independent art house distribution in North America, releasing 30 films per year theatrically and garnering 15 Academy Award® nominations since the year 2000. Formed over 16 years ago with the acquisition of then 30 year old Kino International by Richard Lorber and partners the Company has now expanded to become the Kino Lorber Media Group. Its new divisions include the leading international TV series subscription streamer MHz Choice and the Kino Film Collection, now the fastest growing subscription service for film lovers showcasing over 600 titles including new releases direct from theaters plus curated, award winning international, indie, and documentary films and newly restored classics from the Kino Lorber library. Additionally, the company brings hundreds of titles annually to the home entertainment and educational markets through digital and physical media releases. The Kino Lorber Media Group, now encompassing Kino Lorber, Kino Film Collection and MHz Choice, acquires and presents more international content than any other independent media company in the U.S.

Our Story

Founded as Kino International in 1977 and led for decades by industry pioneer Donald Krim, the company rose to prominence importing and releasing international films including titles from the Janus Films library otherwise neglected in the United States, while also establishing itself as a home for American classics and silent cinema. Among the iconic auteurs whose films were introduced to audiences by the company are Wong Kar-wai, Michaelangelo Antonioni, Roberto Rosselini, Djibril Diop Mambéty, Michael Haneke, Férid Boughedir, Aki Kaurismaki, Bertrand Tavernier, Andrei Tarkovsky, Shohei Imamura, Julie Dash, Morris Engel, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, F.W. Murnau, Fritz Lang, and the Lumiere Brothers.
 
In 2009, Lorber HT Digital acquired and merged with Kino International to form Kino Lorber, with Richard Lorber as President & CEO. Under his leadership, the company expanded into physical media in 2014 with the launch of its label Kino Lorber Studio Classics. In September 2019, the company launched its first streaming service with the video-on-demand platform Kino Now, and in October 2021 launched its second, the ad-supported streaming service Kino Cult. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company launched Kino Marquee, a first-to-market virtual cinema platform designed to help shuttered art house theaters generate revenue. Kino Lorber was honored with a Special Award from the New York Film Critics Circle for this effort. 
 
In recent years, Kino Lorber expanded and streamlined its direct digital platforms through its 2022 acquisition of MHz Choice (and subsequent merger with Topic streaming service in 2024), creating the leading North American streaming service solely dedicated to international series; and the 2023 launch of Kino Film Collection a subscription service for film lovers showcasing new releases direct from theaters plus curated international, indie, and documentary films and newly restored classics from the Kino Lorber library.
 
Today, Kino Lorber releases 30 titles theatrically each year under its Kino Lorber, Zeitgeist Films, Milestone Films and Kino Lorber Repertory banners, garnering 15 Academy Award® nominations since the year 2000.  Its acclaimed roster of contemporary filmmakers includes Jean-Luc Godard, Yorgos Lanthimos, Jia Zhangke, Chloe Zhao, Jafar Panahi, Bruno Dumont, Eliza Hittman, Bi Gan, Abel Ferrara, Paul Schrader, Hong Sang-soo, Guy Maddin, Ana Lily Amirpour, Kaouther Ben Hania, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Louis Garrel, Pietro Marcello, and Taika Waititi.
 
Kino Lorber also releases more than 350 titles annually to the home entertainment market, led by its powerhouse Kino Lorber Studio Classics label, adding to its growing library of over 4,000 titles. In addition the company is a leading player in the educational and non-theatrical distribution spaces, selling directly to schools and institutions and through robust partnerships with Kanopy and Hoopla. Kino Lorber recently launched an international sales arm to represent its films in territories outside of North America.
 
With an expanding family of distributed labels, Kino Lorber handles releases in ancillary media for Zeitgeist Films, Milestone Films, Alive Mind Cinema, Cohen Media Group, Greenwich Entertainment, Artsploitation, Palisades Tartan, Raro Video, Menemsha Films, and more. In addition to its own Kino Film Collection streaming platform, a limited selection of Kino Lorber's titles can be found on more than 40 streaming services and media outlets, including the Criterion Channel, Metrograph at Home, MUBI, Netflix, Hulu, TCM, PBS American Masters, Amazon Prime, Showtime, Paramount +, Starz, Tubi, Google Play, YouTube, Apple TV and Fandango.

Our premiere distribution label brings new international, documentary, and independent films to the theatrical and home video market.

Experience a world beyond the ordinary with this curated selection of international TV series and films available to stream.

A boundary-pushing streaming service for crime, thrillers, mysteries, noir and documentaries from around the world.

Our most popular home video label focuses on Hollywood classics, all from best available sources and many on 4K UHD or Blu-ray for the very first time.

Bringing the award-winning and extensive catalog of Kino Lorber films to your school, museum, organization, film festival, or community event.

Selling international rights to titles from across our library, with a focus on new restorations of cinema classics and American independents.

Stream acclaimed arthouse films straight from theaters including award-winning indie and international features, restored classics, and documentaries. New releases weekly.

Our partner distributor has been bringing the best in documentary, international, and independent cinema to American screens since 1988.

Restoring and distributing films from outside the established canon, especially those by and about African Americans, Native Americans, LGBTQ+ people, and women.

Our classics label releases new restorations of timeless masterpieces, from silents to French New Wave to American underground cinema.

Specializing in films celebrating enlightened consciousness and secular spirituality that provide audiences with a transformative experience.

We handle ancillary releases for partner labels including Cohen Media Group, Artsploitation, Palisades Tartan, Menemsha Films, Raro Video, and Greenwich Entertainment.