Ira Deutchman

Ira Deutchman
Born	(1953-03-24) March 24, 1953 Cherry Point, North Carolina
Occupation	Independent Producer, Distributor, Marketer & Exhibitor
Years active	1975-present

Ira Deutchman is best known as a producer,distributor and marketer of independent films,^[1][2][3][4] but in 2000, he moved into film exhibition as Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Emerging Pictures^[5]—a New York-based digital exhibition company. He is also Chair of the Film Program at Columbia University School of the Arts,^[6][7] where he has been a Professor of Professional Practice in the Graduate Film Division for more than 25 years. Ira Deutchman is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was one of the original creative advisors to the Sundance Institute^[8] and formerly served on the Board of Advisors for the Sundance Film Festival. He has also served as a Board member and former Board chair for the Independent Feature Project,^[9] the Board of Advisors for the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, the Williamstown Film Festival, IFP/West, and the Collective for Living Cinema, and was a member of the Board for Kartemquin Films.^[10]

Digital Media and Independent Films

As Co-founder of Emerging Pictures,^[11][12] Deutchman was an early promoter of digital film exhibition. In 2010, he launched "Movie Tweeviews," ^[13] a curated, crowd-sourced 140-word film-review Twitter site that includes critics (e.g. Caryn James,Thelma Adams, Joe Leydon), curators, distributors, fans and filmmakers. Deutchman is a frequent speaker on the subject of digital film exhibition and marketing at U.S. and international conferences, including those hosted by Power to the Pixel,^[14] the Producers Guild of America,^[15] and the Motion Picture Association.^[16] He is also a regular speaker and moderator each year at U.S. and international film festivals, including SXSW, the Guadalajara Film Festival,^[17] Traverse City Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, IFP Market, San Francisco International Film Festival,and the São Paulo International Film Festival.^[18]

Presentations, Books, Articles

Interviews, Keynote Speeches

• , Keynote at the Filmmaker Bootcamp, Toronto Int'l Film Festival, 2013
• , Keynote from the 2013 Art House Convergence
• Ira Deutchman: POV on Digital Cinema, Technology Today, 2008
• Power to the Pixel: opening speech at the PTP Digital Distribution Forum for Independents, 2008
• "Theatrical is Broken": Power to the Pixel conference keynote at Power to the Pixel conference, 2007
• 2007 Interview: Ira Deutchman on Honeydripper and Indie Film Marketing ^[19]

Articles/chapters by Ira Deutchman: In addition to his blog and active Twitter life, Deutchman has written articles for numerous professional publications and books on the subject of independent film and marketing, including

• 2011: Indiewire: How to recreate the repertory cinema for the digital age^[20]
• 1992: The Movie Business Book, Chapter VIII: "Independent Distribution and Marketing]"^[21]
• 1996: Moving Pictures, "So What's So Great About New York?"
• 1988: Variety, "In This Period of Product Glut, Indies Have Ace Up Their Sleeve"
• 1988: Daily Variety, "What it all Boils Down to is Showbiz"
• 1988: The Business of Film, "The Next 20 years: Ira Deutchman - USA Marketing/Distribution"
• 1986: The Film Journal, "State of the Art House"

Early career

While still in college at Northwestern University, Deutchman organized and marketed the Midwest premiere of John Cassavetes’ “A Woman Under the Influence.” Shortly after graduation in 1975, Deutchman began his professional career, working under Don Rugoff^[22][23] at Cinema 5 Ltd., where he began in non-theatrical sales, moving into advertising before being named Director of Acquisitions. While there, he worked on such seminal films as "Scenes from a Marriage", "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", "Swept Away", "Harlan County USA; and "Pumping Iron."

Deutchman was one of the original founding team of United Artists Classics,^[24][25] where he worked as Director of Advertising and Publicity for such classic films as "Lili Marleen" (Rainer Werner Fassbinder), "Diva" (Jean-Jacques Beineix), "The Last Metro" (François Truffaut), "Lola" (Rainer Werner Fassbinder), and "Cutter's Way" (Ivan Passer), as well as the re-release of "New York, New York" (Martin Scorsese) and "The Last Waltz" (Martin Scorsese). From United Artists Classics he moved on to become one of the founding partners for a number of distribution companies that helped define the independent film business, including Cinecom;^[26] Fine Line Features;^[27] and Redeemable Features.^[28]

At Cinecom (1982–1988),^[29] where Deutchman was co-founder and president, Deutchman released films including "A Room With a View,"^[30] "Swimming to Cambodia," "El Norte," "The Brother from Another Planet" and "Stop Making Sense." For a short time after Cinecom, Deutchman went off on his own as a producers' rep and marketing consultant, working on such groundbreaking films as "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" (winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival), "Metropolitan" and "To Sleep with Anger."

While working as a consultant on Whit Stillman's "Metropolitan" for New Line Cinema, Deutchman was recruited to create a new specialized division of the company, which became Fine Line Features. Fine Line had an extraordinary five-year run from 1990-1995 under founder and president Ira Deutchman,^[31][32] distributing such critically acclaimed films as "Hoop Dreams,"^[33]" The Player,"^[34] "Short Cuts," "Night on Earth," ^[35] "My Own Private Idaho" "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle."^[36]

Deutchman left Fine Line in 1995, to co-found independent film production company, Redeemable Features,^[37] with partners Peter Newman and Greg Johnson. Films included Tony Vitale's "Kiss Me, Guido," Sarah Kernochan's "All I Wanna Do," Adam Davidson's "Way Past Cool" and Tanya Wexler's "Ball in the House." Deutchman continues to produce films while focusing his business acumen on digital exhibition through his New York-based company, Emerging Pictures, and teaching producing students in the graduate program at Columbia University's School of the Arts, where he is also chair of the Film Program.

Filmography as producer

Director's name in brackets after film title.

• 1997: Kiss Me, Guido^[38] (Tony Vitale)
• 1998: “54”^[39] (Mark Christopher)
• 1999: “All I Wanna Do" aka "The Hairy Bird" ^[40] (Sarah Kernochan)
• 2000: “Way Past Cool”^[41] (Adam Davidson)
• 2002: “Interstate 60”^[42] (Bob Gale)
• 2002: “Relative Evil” aka "Ball in the House"^[43] (Tanya Wexler)
• 2006: “Beauty Remains”^[44] (Ann Hu)
• 2007 “Speed of Life”^[45] (Ed Radtke)

Filmography as Executive Producer

Director's name in brackets after film title.

• 1987: “Swimming to Cambodia” (Jonathan Demme)
• 1988: “Miles from Home” (Gary Sinise)
• 1989: “Scenes from a Class Struggle in Beverly Hills” (Paul Bartel)
• 1991: “Straight out of Brooklyn” (Matty Rich)
• 1992 “Waterland” (Stephen Gyllenhaal)
• 1993 “The Ballad of Little Jo” (Maggie Greenwald)
• 1994 “Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle” (Alan Rudolph)
• 1998 “Lulu On the Bridge” (Paul Auster)
• 2001 “Center of the World” (Wayne Wang)
• 2001 “Twelve” ( Daniel Noah)
• 1998: “Killing Time” (Anthony Jaswinski)
• 2003 “The Lucky Ones” (Loren-Paul Caplin)
• 2005 “Red Doors” (Georgia Lee)
• 2008 “Brothel” (Amy Wadell)

Other Producer Credits: Associate Producer of John Sayles’ Matewan (1987) and Honeydripper (2007); Consulting Producer on the CBS sitcom Some of My Best Friends (2001).

Marketing & Distribution

Included in the long list of films marketed and distributed by Deutchman:

• 1976: "Harlan County USA" (Barbara Kopple)
• 1977: "Pumping Iron" (George Butler)
• 1980: "The Last Metro" (François Truffaut)
• 1981: "Lili Marleen" (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
• 1982: "Diva" (Jean-Jacques Beineix)
• 1982: "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" (Robert Altman)
• 1984: "The Brother From Another Planet" (John Sayles)
• 1984: "Stop Making Sense" (Jonathan Demme)
• 1985: “A Room With a View” (James Ivory)
• 1989: “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” (Steven Soderbergh)
• 1990: "Metropolitan" (Whit Stillman)
• 1991: "My Own Private Idaho" (Gus Van Sant)
• 1992: “The Player” (Robert Altman)
• 1993: “Short Cuts” (Robert Altman)
• 1994: "Hoop Dreams" (Steve James)
• 2006: "This Old Cub" (Jeff Santo)
• 2007: "Honeydripper" (John Sayles)

Academic career

Deutchman began teaching at Columbia University in 1987 as an Adunct Professor in the film program of the School of the Arts. His first course in Marketing and Distribution of Feature Films has been taught continuously since, and is now called The Business of Motion Pictures. He became a full-time Associate Professor in 2000, and was promoted to full Professor in 2009. He was named Chair of the Film Program in July 2011.^[46]

Personal Life and Education

Deutchman was born in Cherry Point, NC, on a marine base, where he lived for a brief time before his family moved for another short stint in the Bronx. But he claims Chicago as his home town, the place where he discovered his passion for film and the Chicago Cubs. He spent his formative years on the south side, graduating from the Bradwell School. Then, in his early teen years, his family moved briefly to Highland Park, a northern suburb of Chicago, before heading east once again to New Jersey, where he graduated from Paramus High School. But the Cubs beckoned, and Ira made a quick return to the Chicago area, where he graduated as a film major from Northwestern University. Deutchman is married and has two children. His son, Jeff Deutchman, is also in the film business; in 2013, after seven years at IFC Films, he moved in July 2013 to Paramount Pictures as Director of Acquisitions (Home Entertainment Division); he is also the director/editor/producer of the documentary film "11-4-08",^[47] about Obama's presidential election. Ira's daughter, Emily Deutchman, is an artist based in New York City,^[48] and his wife is communications director at a New York City independent school.

References

External links

• Ira Deutchman at the Internet Movie Database
• Official site
• Columbia University School of the Arts--Film Dept.
• Emerging Pictures
• Movie Tweeviews