Focus Features’ 30 Best Movies, From ‘Brokeback Mountain’ to ‘Eternal Sunshine’

variety.com:

Clayton Davis With audacious directors, courageous actors and unforgettable stories that have touched the lives of cinephiles on a global scale, Focus Features has been a fixture in the Hollywood firmament for two decades.Since its inception, 14 Focus films have been nominated for best picture: “The Pianist” (2002), “Lost in Translation” (2003), “Brokeback Mountain” (2005), “Atonement” (2007), “Milk” (2008), “A Serious Man” (2009), “The Kids Are All Right” (2010), “Dallas Buyers Club” (2013), “The Theory of Everything” (2014), “Darkest Hour” (2017), “Phantom Thread” (2017), “BlacKkKlansman” (2018), “Promising Young Woman” (2020) and “Belfast” (2021).Marking the 20th anniversary of its first theatrical release, Variety is ranking the 30 best Focus Features films so far.In the summer of 2002, the arthouse studio released its first feature, “Possession,” a romantic drama with Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart.

Directed by Neil LaBute and adapted from the novel by A.S. Byatt, this film had a soft opening, so if you were judging the likelihood of the studio’s future success based on the film’s performance at the box office, you might have assumed it might not go the distance.

But like all Hollywood Cinderella tales, a little magic and guidance can go a long way.It began with James Schamus and David Linde in 2002 as a specialty film division of Universal formed from USA Films, Universal Focus and Good Machine.

The NBCUniversal-owned company went on to create some of the most inspirational and provocative films of the last 20 years. Focus is currently led by Peter Kujawski, whose career has been incubated inside the walls of Focus Features.“There’s a spirit that’s been there since day one,” says Kujawski.