In the 2010s, one studio was pumping out some of the best films of the time. Kathryn Bigelow, Spike Jonze, David O. Russell, Barry Jenkins and Paul Thomas Anderson all worked with Annapurna, an indie films company founded by Megan Ellison. Together they made films like The Master (2012), Her (2013), American Hustle (2013), Foxcatcher (2014), Phantom Thread (2017) and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018). Now, after the company stepped into film distribution back in 2017, Ellison has decided to revive Annapurna and start making indie hit films again.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, former Annapurna executives Chelsea Barnard and Matthew Budman have returned and will run the film division as co-heads. More hires are expected soon.
If you followed indie cinema during the mid-2010s, you know that Annapurna became the place directors went when studios stopped gambling on mid-budget projects. The studio made some classic films and attracted serious filmmakers with decent budgets. But since it stepped into distrubution there’s been a huge hole in independent films.
Mark Boal, the writer behind The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, summed it up bluntly in 2024. “There’s a lot of phenomenal, important movies that Annapurna made in the $20 to $50 million range. Over the past 10 years, that space has gotten pretty barren.”
Now the studio is quietly producing again. Nimona, Nightbitch, The Testament of Ann Lee and the upcoming I Love Boosters all carry the Annapurna name. At Sundance earlier this year, The Invite sparked interest and sold to A24. Not bad for a company many assumed had disappeared forever.
Annapurna was built on a simple idea: give strong directors room to make the film they want. That approach helped define an era of indie filmmaking. And considering that Hollywood is currently running after the next blockbuster and Netflix flick, the studio’s return is a welcome one.
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