David Linde, Focus Features
David Linde, Focus Features
SepT 16, 2003
IFP Gotham Award recipient David Linde is co-head, with James Schamus, of Vivendi Universal's specialty film arm Focus Features. Focus has rolled out such films as the Oscar-winning 2002 drama "The Pianist" from director Roman Polanski, Neil LaBute's May release "The Shape of Things" and Francois Ozon's English-language debut "Swimming Pool," a July release. The company also has on its slate upcoming films by Sofia Coppola, Michel Gondry, Christine Jeffs and Mira Nair. Before taking his current post, Linde -- who began his career with Miramax and Paramount -- was co-president of Good Machine and president of Good Machine International, which handled international distribution of such films as 2000's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" from Ang Lee and 2001's "Y Tu Mama Tambien" from Alfonso Cuaron, "The Man Who Wasn't There" from Joel and Ethan Coen and "In the Bedroom" from Todd Field. Linde spoke recently with The Hollywood Reporter's Ian Mohr about the Gotham honor, Focus and filmmaking in New York.
The Hollywood Reporter: How important is it to Focus and the personality of the company to be based in New York?
David Linde: I've worked my entire professional life in New York. But I really do think that the strength of Focus is in its people and in their perspective of seeing things. Part of the freshness of the company is that we have people whose perspective is from New York, Los Angeles and all around the world; that has a real effect on how we operate. There are lots of companies in Los Angeles. We see one way of being more competitive as having a strong presence in New York -- we see that as a competitive advantage. But at the same time, we make a lot of movies that are based out of Los Angeles.
THR: What about the types of filmmakers you look for? Is there a personality developing around the Focus director?
Linde: I think we're looking for filmmakers who have strong perspectives on what they are trying to accomplish themselves. Those filmmakers are all over the world -- they are in Mexico; they are in China; they are everywhere.
THR: You and James Schamus have continued to be based in New York even after Universal acquired Good Machine. Was there ever a possibility of moving the company to Los Angeles?
Linde: Not really. I didn't grow up in New York, but I think of myself as a New Yorker. There's something about living in New York that has had a lot to do with the way I have led my professional life. I can remember when I first moved here, there was (1983's) "Stranger Than Paradise," (1984's) "Blood Simple" and the first (Pedro) Almodovar film I saw. I can remember seeing those movies when I first moved here and then seeing Jim Jarmusch in a bar on the Lower East Side. I was thinking, Wow, this is exciting. This is something that I want to be part of. So I got into this business because of the types of filmmakers that are associated with the IFP and the Gotham Awards.
THR: It must be an interesting experience to look back on those days. Now, you're receiving a Gotham Award.
Linde: I can actually remember sitting at the Gotham Awards and thinking, I'd like to be part of this. What was going on in New York when I moved here was unbelievable. I was saying, "God, there is something about these films that really connects to me." And it was the combination of growing up in Oregon, going to college in Pennsylvania and then wandering around the streets of New York and going to the Bleecker Street Theater. It was people like (Sony Pictures Classics') Michael Barker and Tom Bernard and (United Artists') Bingham Ray and (Miramax's) Harvey and Bob (Weinstein) -- these were all people who were in business when I moved to New York. They were distributing the movies that I wanted to see and got really excited about; I wanted to be a part of that. The leap that I took was by being in New York and being a New Yorker -- that's where American independent cinema really got going.
THR: How do you see the business now?
Linde: Of course, there's a certain maturity to the business. But at the same time, there are the Todd Solondzs and the Sofia Coppolas. This company is very much about the kind of filmmaking that was going on when I moved to the city in 1983. We are very much about the people who continue that spirit of filmmaking.
The Hollywood Reporter: How important is it to Focus and the personality of the company to be based in New York?
David Linde: I've worked my entire professional life in New York. But I really do think that the strength of Focus is in its people and in their perspective of seeing things. Part of the freshness of the company is that we have people whose perspective is from New York, Los Angeles and all around the world; that has a real effect on how we operate. There are lots of companies in Los Angeles. We see one way of being more competitive as having a strong presence in New York -- we see that as a competitive advantage. But at the same time, we make a lot of movies that are based out of Los Angeles.
THR: What about the types of filmmakers you look for? Is there a personality developing around the Focus director?
Linde: I think we're looking for filmmakers who have strong perspectives on what they are trying to accomplish themselves. Those filmmakers are all over the world -- they are in Mexico; they are in China; they are everywhere.
THR: You and James Schamus have continued to be based in New York even after Universal acquired Good Machine. Was there ever a possibility of moving the company to Los Angeles?
Linde: Not really. I didn't grow up in New York, but I think of myself as a New Yorker. There's something about living in New York that has had a lot to do with the way I have led my professional life. I can remember when I first moved here, there was (1983's) "Stranger Than Paradise," (1984's) "Blood Simple" and the first (Pedro) Almodovar film I saw. I can remember seeing those movies when I first moved here and then seeing Jim Jarmusch in a bar on the Lower East Side. I was thinking, Wow, this is exciting. This is something that I want to be part of. So I got into this business because of the types of filmmakers that are associated with the IFP and the Gotham Awards.
THR: It must be an interesting experience to look back on those days. Now, you're receiving a Gotham Award.
Linde: I can actually remember sitting at the Gotham Awards and thinking, I'd like to be part of this. What was going on in New York when I moved here was unbelievable. I was saying, "God, there is something about these films that really connects to me." And it was the combination of growing up in Oregon, going to college in Pennsylvania and then wandering around the streets of New York and going to the Bleecker Street Theater. It was people like (Sony Pictures Classics') Michael Barker and Tom Bernard and (United Artists') Bingham Ray and (Miramax's) Harvey and Bob (Weinstein) -- these were all people who were in business when I moved to New York. They were distributing the movies that I wanted to see and got really excited about; I wanted to be a part of that. The leap that I took was by being in New York and being a New Yorker -- that's where American independent cinema really got going.
THR: How do you see the business now?
Linde: Of course, there's a certain maturity to the business. But at the same time, there are the Todd Solondzs and the Sofia Coppolas. This company is very much about the kind of filmmaking that was going on when I moved to the city in 1983. We are very much about the people who continue that spirit of filmmaking.
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