GKIDS

GKIDS (Guerrilla Kids International Distribution Syndicate) is an American film distributor based in New York with a focus on "sophisticated, indie" animation. GKIDS uses a "bespoke" distribution method to release critically acclaimed, hand-drawn, international films—such as the works of renowned Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki—to North American audiences.

The company has gained prominence since 2010 by garnering a series of Academy Award nominations for little-known, "underdog" films, beating out big-budget American films such as The Lego Movie and The Peanuts Movie.

History

GKIDS was founded in 2008 by Eric Beckman, who previously co-founded and ran the New York International Children's Film Festival with his partner, Emily Shapiro. Their first general release was Azur & Asmar, a French film dubbed in English for British and Irish audiences.

The company attained national recognition with the 2010 release of The Secret of Kells, the debut film by Irish animator Tomm Moore, which received a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 82nd Academy Awards. This surprise nomination was followed by two more Best Animated Feature nominations at the 84th Academy Awards, Spanish-language Chico and Rita and French-language A Cat in Paris. Both nominations were considered highly surprising by film insiders, beating out such notables as The Adventures of Tintin and Cars 2—the first eligible Pixar film not to be nominated since the category's founding. This marked the first time that an independent distributor had two films in the Best Animated Feature category in the same year, a decision which Puss in Boots director Chris Miller said indicated the Academy's "respect for diversity."