Las Vegas art house theater launches distribution arm to acquire films
Las Vegas’ only indie-movie theater has launched a distribution arm that will showcase films across the country.
The Beverly Theater announced it launched Ink Films which will acquire and distribute films “that have not previously enjoyed proactive distribution,” said a news release.
Ink Films aims to distribute films in theaters in every market and work with filmmakers that haven’t received visibility for their projects.
Creating this distribution arm is a “natural evolution and extension” of the Beverly Theater, said Kip Kelly, the founding creative director and chief experience officer for the theater. The Beverly Theater started in March 2023 with the goal of elevating independent artists and films.
“Storytelling starts with ink,” Kelly said in a statement. “We are excited to provide theatrical distribution of a variety of films, many of which are underrepresented. Even better, we are going to do it from right here in Las Vegas as the city further strengthens its connection to the movie industry.”
All films acquired by Ink Films will be screened at the Beverly Theater, the release said.
Ink Films will likely focus on U.S. markets but could expand to international markets for the right project, Kelly said. Ink Films will likely be played mostly at other indie-movie theaters in different markets.
“We anticipate a majority of our projects to be a better fit for the indie circuit, but we will work with every exhibitor and every market who can help us deliver box office visibility for our Ink family,” Kelly said in an emailed statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Ink Films will be led by Mike Plante, who will be the head of distribution. Plante also serves as a film consultant for the Beverly Theater and a senior programmer for short films at the Sundance Film Festival, the release said.
“I’m looking forward to helping audiences discover more unheard or forgotten voices on the giant screen,” Plante said in a statement. “We love connecting movies to movie theaters.”
There aren’t any titles in Ink Films’ catalogue currently, but announcements on new films could come soon, Kelly said.
Contact Sean Hemmersmeier at shemmersmeier@reviewjournal.com. Follow @seanhemmers34 on X.
