Overseas Filmgroup In 1980, Robert and Ellen Little founded
Overseas Filmgroup as a film sales company for foreign markets. Overseas Filmgroup expanded towards film financing to give the company greater control over its output. From the company's foundation, it competed with fellow, also-defunct film producers J&M Film Sales (later J&M Entertainment),
Manson International and
Producers Sales Organization as the most successful company with global film sales. Overseas Filmgroup decided to pay $3 million in order to set up operations for different areas worldwide such as
Spain,
Arizona,
Texas,
Taiwan,
Italy, southern
California and
Colorado in the mid-1980s, and by 1986, the company became active, setting up a number of domestic theatrical, home video and television syndication sales with
New World Pictures and other distributors. In 1987, while other sales companies were gaining production outfits, the Littles stated that they would avoid production, so Overseas Filmgroup had set up a company policy stating that they would acquire new films via distribution advances, and the three new movies, namely those directed by
Roland Emmerich, will be offered to various Mifed buyers. The company was the original international home video distributor for the show
Tales from the Darkside, until it was sold off to
Lorimar-Telepictures in late November 1987 after Lorimar International president Jeff Schlesinger saw all episodes of the show that was well-suited and combined to become eight ninety-minute episodes from the show. Films ranged from genre titles such as
Blue Tiger (starring
Virginia Madsen) and
No Way Back (starring New Zealand actor
Russell Crowe) to art house films, including ''
Antonia's Line, Mrs. Dalloway, The Secret of Roan Inish, Waking Ned Devine, and Titus''. In 1993, the company expanded towards North American distribution through its
First Look Pictures subsidiary. In October 1996, Entertainment/Media Acquisition Corporation, a
special-purpose acquisition company incorporated in the state of Delaware in December 1993 that had consummated its
initial public offering in February 1995, acquired Overseas Filmgroup, and the company went public. The company stock was floated on the
OTC market. In 2000,
EUE/Screen Gems acquired a minority interest in the company.
First Look Studios In January 2001, as part of a restructuring and to reflect the company's expansion into domestic film and home video distribution, Internet content development and television commercial production, Overseas Filmgroup was renamed
First Look Media (not to be confused with
the news organization of the same name). The Overseas Filmgroup name remained as the international distribution division of First Look Media. In 2003, founders Robert and Ellen Little left First Look, and Overseas Filmgroup was renamed
First Look International. In November 2005, First Look acquired
DEJ Productions from
Blockbuster. In March 2006, First Look acquired Ventura Distribution, a Californian home video distribution company, The same month,
Nu Image acquired a 52% stake in First Look. The deal was brokered by
William Morris Independent. Following the acquisition, Nu Image and its production/distribution arm
Millennium Films were given an outlet for home video and theatrical distribution In January 2008, First Look Studios started releasing titles on Blu-Ray. In November 2010, First Look Studios filed for bankruptcy through an assignment for the benefit of the studio's senior secured creditors.
Millennium Entertainment, a new sister company formed by Nu Image, acquired most of First Look's assets and inherited many of the former key management and staff. ==Films==