THR David Linde - H 2015
Hussein KatzAmerican executive David Linde will be the next recipient of the prestigious Premio Raimondo Rezzonico, or Best Independent Producer Award, at the upcoming Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, which is set to run Aug. 3-13. He will receive the award during a ceremony at the fest’s Piazza Grande, Europe’s largest outdoor cinema.
The award honors independent movie producers who have made a significant contribution to the world of film.
Linde’s nearly three-decade-long career spans production, acquisition and distribution, making him a leading player on the American indie scene. Dating back to his first major position at Miramax, he oversaw the acquisition of films including Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Anthony Minghella’s multiple Oscar-winner The English Patient.
Linde went on to become a partner at production company Good Machine, which Universal acquired to become Focus Features. He ran Focus with co-president James Schamus, producing films including Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Todd Solondz‘s Happiness and Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation. During Linde’s tenure at Focus, the company received 53 Oscar nominations and 11 Academy Awards.
Linde has since worked as chairman of Universal Pictures, and is currently CEO of Participant Media. The company’s slate includes Pablo Larrain’s Neruda, Derek Cianfrance’s The Light Between Oceans and Alex Gibney’s Zero Days.
“David Linde’s eclectic career and take on film is a perfect fit for the spirit of exploration that drives the Locarno Festival,” said Locarno’s artistic director Carlo Chatrian. “In all his ventures, whether working with the majors or independent production companies, Linde has established himself as having a keen eye for the most original voices in cinema, and as producer or buyer has supported them in straddling linguistic and cultural borders.”
