Contemporary Films, the British distributor that introduced international art-house cinema and the auteur generation to UK audiences, is staging a 75th anniversary series of screenings despite fading from marketplace prominence in the early 1990s, according to current managing director Pete Lawley. Founded in 1951 by East End communist Charles Cooper, the company popularized foreign-language masterpieces from directors like Ingmar Bergman, Satyajit Ray, and Yasujiro Ozu before shifting industry practices and the home entertainment boom eroded its commercial reach.
Origins of Contemporary Films and Charles Cooper’s Vision
Charles Cooper established Contemporary Films in 1951 to supply short films to Britain’s burgeoning film society network, which counted an estimated 200 groups nationwide. The distributor quickly expanded into feature films with the release of the 1952 Japanese drama Children of Hiroshima. Cooper, the son of a Ukrainian-born butcher, brought a distinct political edge to his work. Having previously managed Soviet films via Kino before World War II and run a film section for the International Workers Order in New York—which led to his deportation from the United States in 1950—Cooper viewed cinema as a way to build awareness, according to his daughters Adi and Sue Cooper.
Shaping British Film Culture and Supporting Mike Leigh
Contemporary Films shaped the cosmopolitan tastes of a generation by bringing Eastern European and underclass-oriented cinema to British viewers who had previously only seen Hollywood and British productions, according to filmmaker Mike Leigh. Leigh recalled that moving to London exposed him to a vibrant landscape of Italian neorealism and Russian cinema anchored by Cooper’s distribution efforts. In 1971, Contemporary picked up Leigh’s feature directing debut, Bleak Moments. Financed by actor Albert Finney and based on Leigh’s own stage play about an isolated woman living with a sister who has a learning disability, the homegrown indie project represented an off-kilter acquisition for the company. Leigh noted that working with the distributor felt like a mark of distinction because the name appeared on all non-Hollywood films worth watching.
Decline in the 1990s and Current Restoration Efforts
Contemporary Films lost its commercial clout in the early 1990s as the market shifted toward home entertainment formats, though the company managed to acquire key indie releases of the era, such as Patricia Rozema’s I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, Jane Campion’s Sweetie, and Hal Hartley’s The Unbelievable Truth. Following Cooper’s declining health in the late 1980s, control passed to his second wife, Kitty Furstenberg, and later to their friend Eric Liknaitzky, who died in 2023. Current managing director Pete Lawley, who took over in 2023, is sorting through company archives and sustaining operations primarily by licensing clips, paving the way for the upcoming 75th-anniversary screenings.
Did you know? Charles Cooper’s daughters grew up immersed in the family business, recalling basement screenings of classics like Alexander Nevsky in their Wembley home and pasting press cuttings into scrapbooks at the Frith Street office during school holidays.
Contemporary 75 Anniversary Screening Schedule
The upcoming “Contemporary 75” retrospective will launch with a special screening of Bleak Moments accompanied by Mike Leigh in conversation at the BFI Southbank in London on September 3. The retrospective will continue running at various cinemas across London until October 11, featuring historical highlights from the distributor’s archive, including Miloš Forman’s A Blonde in Love, Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries, and Jack Hazan’s David Hockney documentary A Bigger Splash.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Contemporary Films?
Contemporary Films was a prominent British film distributor founded in 1951 by Charles Cooper that popularized international art-house cinema, foreign-language films, and the auteur generation in the UK.
Who founded Contemporary Films?
The company was founded in 1951 by Charles Cooper, an East End political activist and internationalist who aimed to introduce diverse global cultures to British audiences through cinema.
What is the Contemporary 75 event?
Contemporary 75 is an anniversary screening series celebrating the distributor’s history. It opens on September 3 at the BFI Southbank with Mike Leigh’s Bleak Moments and runs in London cinemas through October 11.
How did Contemporary Films influence Mike Leigh?
The distributor provided young filmmaker Mike Leigh with exposure to world cinema after he moved to London, and later gave Leigh his feature directing debut by picking up Bleak Moments in 1971.
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