This document summarizes information about several film distribution companies that specialize in social realist films. It provides details on the types of films each company distributes, their target audiences, and conventions of social realist films. Example films from each distributor are described in terms of their genre, themes, plots, characters, production styles, and representations explored.

2. SOCIAL REALISM DISTRIBUTORS/FILMS
Artificial Eye:
• Last Resort
(2000)
• Fish Tank
(2009)
Icon:
• Sweet Sixteen
(2002)
• Precious (2009)
Verve Pictures:
• The Arbour
(2010)
• Bullet Boy
(2004)
Vertigo:
• London to
Brighton (2006)
• Shotgun Stories
(2007)

3. ARTIFICIAL EYE
“Curzon Artificial Eye has been releasing critically acclaimed films to discerning UK
audiences by some of the world's greatest directors, including Michael Haneke, Lars von
Trier, Abbas Kiarostami and Andrei Tarkovsky.”
Values of Artificial Eye are evident to be that of providing audiences with impressive, unique
works from successful directors. The shows the company interest to be that of displaying a
style of film that is not typically seen, for example social realism.
Exhibition of films from Artificial Eye typically comes from a subsidiary of the company
Curzon. They have their own cinema branch that displays the works Artificial Eye
distributes.
This would tell us that their targeted audience would be those of knowledge and
understanding of independent films as the films are not shown in mainstream venues
such as Odeon. Their demographic may lean towards an older age as many films that
are distributes from Article Eye typically address issues that only young adults and
older may understand.

4. Fish Tank:
 Genre/Style of film: Social realist
 Themes/Issues: Poverty, Alcohol,
Broken home
 Story: Young girl falls in love with her
mother’s boyfriend while trying to
become a dancer.
 Characters: Protagonist, Mother,
Younger sister and Boyfriend
 Production Style: Low budget, use of
real locations, majority of the cast are
unexperienced actors.
 Representations: Age, Sexuality,
Gender, Class and Status

5. Last Resort
 Genre/Style: Social Realism
 Themes/Issues: Immigration
 Story: A young Russian woman and her son
arrive in London, expecting to meet her
boyfriend. When he does not arrive they
claim asylum and head to a small seaside
town.
 Characters: Mother, Son, Lover
 Production Style: use of real locations, use
of untrained actors, low budgeted
 Representations: Rationality, Class and
Status

6. The exhibition of both films was fairly successful regarding that this particular genre is for
a niche audience. Curzon Artificial Eye exhibited both films in a chain of cinemas owned by
Curzon Cinemas.
Both films followed many similar conventions. They mainly focused on a relationship
between two people; a mother and son and a young girl and her mother’s lover. Alongside
this, both films explore themes of class and status and how this aspect is affecting them;
with Fish Tank we see how their working class background dictates their reputation and
with Last Resort we see how their nationality dictates their class and status in the UK.
Factors such as location and mise-en-scene present us with this representation as both
films use real locations and enclosed spaces in order to show us of the class and status
through the connotations that these working class areas are facing economical issues.
In my intro, there is a strong theme of economical issues and poverty, meaning that my
main area of representation is class and status. I have chosen locations similar to those
shown in both films as it demonstrates the harsh reality of the working class.

7. Vertigo
“The company’s mission is to create and distribute commercially driven independent
cinema and since inception it has produced 28 films and distributed a further 35.2
The values of Vertigo is clearly to provide audiences with dedicated and high quality
productions. They have claimed to be ‘championing talent’, suggesting that they are driven
to present the very best of commercially influenced independent films.
The exhibition of films from Vertigo slightly followed mainstream conventions as some of
their works were quite commercial meaning that they were distributed to more well known
cinema chains.
This tells us that they are targeting a wider audience as their work is widely available and
has a variety of genres. Although this, they are still distributing independent films,
suggesting that they are also accommodating many audience tastes.

8. London to Brighton
 Genre/style of film: Social realist, Drama
 Themes/issues: Crime, Alcohol, Drugs
 Story: Two girls are hunted down by a pimp
who has a taste for younger girls.
 Characters: Protagonist, Young girl, Man and
associates
 Production Style: Low-budget, Real
locations, untrained actors
 Representations: Age, Sexuality, Gender

9. Shotgun Stories
 Genre/style of film: Social realist, Drama
 Themes/issues: Crime, Death, Broken families
 Story: Feud between two sets of half-brothers
following the death of their father
 Characters: Protagonist, two brothers
 Production style: Low-budget, Real locations,
unknown actors
 Representations: Gender, Regionality

10. Both films were again exhibited successfully however as Vertigo has a variety of
commercially independent films there is an argument that both films may have not
done as well as others. Although this, those with an interest in independent films
would be attracted.
The two films had some similar conventions at how there was a strong sense of
disequilibrium, a conventional technique for social realist texts. There is constant
conflict in both films, also following the convention that the working class are typically
loud and argumentative.
This is shown by locations and the use of untrained/unexperienced actors at the time
of casting. In both films some actors were listed as having little work, if any, before
the films. This means that their portrayal of the working class would have been
honest, creating verisimilitude.
In my intro I follow some of these conventions. I use untrained actors in order to bring
a true representation to the characters however I do not have much conflict.

11. Verve Pictures
“At Verve Pictures, we specialise in the release of independent film in cinemas and on DVD, offering
audiences the chance to enjoy original and thought provoking cinema from the UK and around the
world.”
“We are passionate about film and discovering new talent, and are committed to releasing films that
have become increasingly lost in today’s multiplex culture.”
“Our subsidiary Drakes Avenue distributes acquired titles, specialising in documentaries about icons
such as Philip Glass, Lindsay Anderson, Robert Altman, Glenn Gould, Patti Smith, Harvey Milk and Billy
Paul, and has alliances with organisations such as New Wave Films, ICA Films, Bungalow Town
Productions and Green Lions to release cutting edge World Cinema programming in cinemas and on
DVD.”
Through the following statements take by their website, I can conclude that Verve Pictures
are very determined to present a niche audience with high quality work. Their work and
connections with New Wave Films suggests that they are targeting a niche audience as
typically mainstream companies distribute connections that are more well known.

12. The Arbour
 Genre/style of film: Social realist, Biography,
Documentary
 Themes/issues: Poverty, Domestic Abuse,
Drugs + Alcohol, Broken families
 Story: Portrayal of the late Bradford
playwright Andrea Dunbar
 Characters: Main family, Neighbours, Past
boyfriends of Andrea Dunbar
 Production style: Uses real locations,
unexperienced actors, low-budget
 Representations: Gender, Sexuality,
Ethnicity, Class and Status

13. Bullet Boy:
 Genre/style of film: Drama, Social Realist
 Themes/issues: Crime, Violence
 Story: Fresh out of jail, Ricky and his younger brother
struggle to survive when a street clash escalates to a
neighbourhood war
 Characters: Protagonist, younger brother, mother,
friends
 Production style: Use of real locations, actors with
minor experience
 Representations: Ethnicity, Regionality, Class and Status

14. The two films exhibited successfully as it targeted a particular audience who are
interested in high quality independent films. As both films successfully meet this
criteria, they would have been received well.
Again, both films have followed the convention of a constant disequilibrium. We see
that the majority of the characters in both films are subject to violence. Location
plays a role in this as we see real locations being used, highlighting how the
violence is part of the areas culture. Mise-en-scene strengthens this by including
hooded characters, conventionally this translate as those characters represent
trouble and chaos, fitting with the violence theme.
I do not have excessive amounts of conflict in my intro but I have used real locations
and aspects such as costume to translate the current situation my characters may
be facing and how it represents the social group they are involved with.

15. Icon
“Icon Film Distribution is a leading UK independent film distributor collaborating with
local and international filmmakers on the very best of independent film.”
“Formed in 1999, Icon Film Distribution is one of the UK’s leading independent film
distributors generating in excess of £150m at the box office with a library of over 200
titles ranging from mainstream hits such as Paranormal Activity, 30 Days of Night,
Transporter 3 and What Woman Want to specialist break-out titles such as Tom Ford’s A
Single Man, La Vie En Rose, Man On Wire, and multiple BAFTA and Oscar nominee
Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive.”
From the following statements, we can tell the targeted audience for Icon is very wide.
This may have been impacted by how their reputation has gradually become more and
more successful and with this, the exhibition process would be vast, reaching to many
audiences.

16. Sweet Sixteen
 Genre/style of film: Social Realist, Crime, Drama
 Themes/issues: Crime, dysfunctional families
 Story: Determined to have a normal family life
once his mother gets out of prison, a teen from
a rough area sets out to raise money for a
home.
 Characters: Protagonist, friends, mother
 Production style: Real locations, unknown
actors, low-budget
 Representation: Regionality, Age

17. Precious:
 Genre/style of film: Drama
 Themes/issues: Crime, Abuse, Low Economical areas
 Story: An overweight, illiterate teen who is pregnant
with her second child enrols in a class that hopes to
send her in a new direction
 Characters: Protagonist, Mother, Teacher, Classmates
 Production style: Real locations, low-budget
 Representations: Age, Ethnicity, Regionality,
Sexuality, Disability

18. The consumption of both films were very different. Precious was received very well and
was nominated for many high accolades. From the nominations, more people heard
about the film, increasing the awareness of it. However, Sweet Sixteen was received well
to those with a passion in independent film, but did not reach the wider audience like
Precious did.
In both films, they conventionally followed the same theme of having a dysfunctional
family. This issues then impacted the protagonists live and created a wider issue. With
this, it follows the social realist convention of having a constant disequilibrium. The theme
of low economical area was presented by the use of real locations.
The use of mise-en-scene aided the representation of the themes of poverty and the key
areas such as age by the use of costume. Both films had sufficient clothing for the main
characters that translated as though they were form a working class background.
Alongside this, it represented their age as they were wearing age appropriate clothing.
In my intro I use mise-en-scene to transcribe the issues I am representing as it is key that
the characters are truthfully portrayed to suit the themes and issues.

19. CONCLUSION
From the research I have found I think that Artificial Eye
would be more likely to distribute my film as many of
their works include the themes I have explored. With
this, I would be targeting the same audience, those who
are socially aware of the issues in our generation and
those who are interest in independent films.