Brief
Carlotta Films and Artcraft Pictures strike French distribution deal for classic Hollywood titles
The partnership will bring restored silent and early‑sound Hollywood classics to French cinemas and home media, debuting with “It” on Oct. 17 in Lyon.
By Felo News Desk · Published
CARLOTTA FILMS, a French classic‑film distributor, and ARTCRAFT PICTURES, a U.S. restoration company, announced a distribution agreement covering a slate of silent‑era and early‑sound Hollywood titles in France, Variety reported on Oct. 17.
The deal was unveiled at Lyon’s Lumière Film Festival, where a newly restored print of Clarence G. Badger’s 1927 romantic comedy It—the breakout vehicle for silent‑film star Clara Bow—screened on Oct. 17 at the city’s Auditorium, accompanied on organ by Italian musician Gabriele Agrimonti.
Other films included in the catalogue are Herbert Brenon’s Beau Geste (1926) starring Ronald Colman, Cecil B. DeMille’s The Affairs of Anatol (1921) with Gloria Swanson, William C. deMille’s Miss Lulu Bett, and Lionel Barrymore’s early‑sound picture His Glorious Night (1929) starring John Gilbert.
Artcraft Pictures was founded by James Mockoski, a longtime archivist who previously worked with Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope, and Robert A. Harris, known for restorations of Lawrence of Arabia, My Fair Lady and Vertigo. Mockoski said, “Artcraft Pictures is thrilled to join Carlotta Films. We share a passion for keeping cinema’s roots alive so new fans can enjoy them,” as quoted by Variety.
Carlotta, which has distributed classic cinema in France for nearly three decades, will release the titles theatrically and on Blu‑ray, though specific release dates have not yet been set. The partnership also builds on Artcraft’s recent collaboration with the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, which began in 2025, and follows a restored Beau Geste presentation at the Telluride Film Festival earlier this year.
Key facts
- Carlotta Films and Artcraft Pictures signed a French distribution agreement for classic Hollywood titles. (variety.com)
- The partnership debuted with a restored screening of Clara Bow’s 1927 film “It” at Lyon’s Lumière Festival on Oct. 17. (variety.com)
- The catalogue includes silent and early‑sound films such as “Beau Geste,” “The Affairs of Anatol,” “Miss Lulu Bett,” and “His Glorious Night.” (variety.com)
- Artcraft Pictures was founded by James Mockoski and Robert A. Harris, noted restoration specialists. (variety.com)
- Carlotta plans theatrical and Blu‑ray releases in France, with dates pending. (variety.com)
Sources
- [1] variety.com — originally reported as “Taylor Swift Heroine Clara Bow’s Breakout Movie ‘It’ Leads Carlotta Films, Artcraft Pictures French Distribution Deal of Hollywood Classics”
