Altitude Film Entertainment

What Altitude Film Entertainment does

Altitude Film Entertainment is a privately held, vertically integrated film company founded in May 2012 by Will Clarke and headquartered at Somerset House, London. It operates four interlocking divisions: Altitude Film Production (original features across genres such as action, drama, horror, documentary and factual), Altitude Film Sales (international rights sales led by Mike Runagall, formerly SVP International Sales at Pathé), Altitude Film Distribution (UK theatrical and digital release via cinema chains and platforms including Prime Video UK), and Altitude Factual (documentary content). The company serves two principal customer sets: B2B film industry participants — filmmakers, co-producers, international territorial buyers, and exhibition/streaming partners — and downstream film audiences consuming content theatrically, on physical media (Blu-ray/DVD), or digitally.

The company monetises through three primary revenue streams: (1) UK film distribution revenue from theatrical, Blu-ray/DVD and digital releases (transaction-fee model); (2) international film sales licensing the company's slate to territory distributors worldwide; and (3) production and co-production economics including licensing royalties and back-end participation on its own and co-financed titles. Its content library exceeds 100 titles, anchored by award-winning releases such as All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Venice Golden Lion, 2022), Io Capitano (Venice Silver Lion, 2023), Radical (Sundance Festival Favorite, 2024), Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (Tribeca 2024 selection), and the blur concert-film slate. Go-to-market combines organic social channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) for awareness with bottom-of-funnel cinema screenings, premieres and events to drive theatrical conversion.

The leadership team is the principal operating asset: Founder Will Clarke previously founded and exited Optimum Releasing (sold to Studiocanal in 2006); Co-CEO Andy Mayson has held Board-level positions at Working Title, PolyGram, Icon, Exclusive and Hammer; and Mike Runagall heads the international sales arm. Strategic partnerships span True Brit Entertainment, Prime Video UK, Neon (North America), Big Talk Studios, Up The Game Co, and the Badlands genre label co-founded with Thunder Road. The company has received institutional funding from 30WEST (2020) and remains independent with no parent or controlling shareholder.

Name

Altitude Film Entertainment

Legal name

Altitude Film Entertainment Ltd

Website

https://altitudefilment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Altitude Film Entertainment is a London-based, vertically integrated independent film company founded in 2012 by Will Clarke, operating production, international sales, UK distribution and factual divisions to bring over 100 titles to global cinema, streaming and home-video audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Production and Distribution

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Theatrical Distribution (International) (MPADAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Theatrical Distribution (Domestic) (MPADAJAA)

Keywords

• Film production
• International film sales
• Film distribution
• Documentary production
• Independent film finance

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Film Distribution Revenue: Revenue generated from UK theatrical distribution, Blu-ray/DVD sales, and digital distribution of acquired and produced films.
2. International Film Sales: Altitude Film Sales handles international sales of their film slate, selling distribution rights to territories worldwide through their sales division run by Mike Runagall.
3. Production and Co-production: The company co-produces and finances films as part of their vertically integrated structure, with films like Big Game, 47 Metres Down, and The Girl With All The Gifts in their library.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Altitude Film Entertainment is a vertically integrated independent film company that finances and produces feature films across genres, sells international distribution rights for its slate through Altitude Film Sales, and distributes films theatrically, physically, and digitally across the UK through Altitude Film Distribution. Its divisions (Altitude Film Production, Altitude Film Sales, Altitude Film Distribution, Altitude Factual) collectively cover the full lifecycle from development through to audience release.

Product overview

Altitude Film Entertainment is a vertically integrated film company encompassing production, international film sales, and UK distribution. Founded in May 2012 by Will Clarke (former founder of Optimum Releasing), the company operates through distinct divisions: Altitude Film Production creates original feature content across genres; Altitude Film Sales (led by Mike Runagall) handles international rights and sales; Altitude Film Distribution manages UK theatrical and digital release; and Altitude Factual specializes in documentary content. The company maintains an extensive film library featuring award-winning titles such as The Florida Project, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Made in England (presented by Martin Scorsese), Io Capitano, No Way Up, and the blur documentary collection including blur: To The End and blur: Live at Wembley Stadium.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Altitude Film Sales: International sales arm of Altitude Films
• Altitude Film Distribution

Products and services

• Altitude Film Production Produces original feature films across genres including action, drama, documentary, and horror. Current slate includes Horrible Histories: The Movie, Maradona, Guns Akimbo, and SAS: Red Notice. Targets independent filmmakers and co-production partners seeking financing and studio support.
• Altitude Film Sales International sales arm handling worldwide distribution rights for Altitude's film library. Run by Mike Runagall, formerly SVP International Sales at Pathé. Targets overseas distributors acquiring territorial rights.
• Altitude Film Distribution UK theatrical and digital distribution of films, handling release strategies, marketing, and reaching UK audiences through cinema chains and streaming platforms such as Prime Video UK.
• Altitude Factual Specialised division focused on documentary and factual content production and distribution.
• blur: To The End Feature documentary following the British band blur during their 2023 return, including the release of album 'The Ballad of Darren' and sold-out Wembley Stadium shows. Distributed theatrically in UK and internationally.
• Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger Feature documentary presented, narrated, and executive produced by Martin Scorsese exploring British cinema's greatest filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Directed by BAFTA and Emmy winner David Hinton.

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• True Brit EntertainmentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 August 2024True Brit Entertainment is the UK distributor for 'In the Shadows', the true story of British-Somali boxer Ramla Ali, starring Jasmine Jobson. The film is currently in production.
• Prime Video UKcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrime Video UK streams Altitude films including No Way Up, providing UK audiences access to their content through the Amazon platform.
• NeoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNeon handles North American distribution for 'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed', the Golden Lion-winning documentary by Laura Poitras about artist Nan Goldin.
• Badlands (Thunder Road)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAltitude Film Sales launched international sales on 'Arachnid' at Cannes from the new genre label Badlands, founded by John Wick outfit Thunder Road with former Screen Gems exec Scott Strauss. Starring Matilda Lutz.
• Big Talk StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBig Talk Studios is the production company for 'Mars Express', an extraordinary true story and debut feature of Mackenzie Crook. Altitude is a co-producer on the film.
• Up The Game CominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company behind 'blur: To The End' documentary and 'blur: Live at Wembley Stadium' concert film. The blur documentary was Top-10 in UK & Ireland Box Office (number 6 opening weekend) and biggest cinema opening for a UK/Ireland documentary of 2024.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• A24: US-headquartered independent film production and distribution company with a vertically integrated model spanning production, international sales, and theatrical release; directly comparable to Altitude in targeting prestige filmmakers and festival-circuit awards while operating at meaningfully larger scale.
• Neon: US independent distributor specialising in prestige and genre films; comparable to Altitude in its international sales / distribution remit and as a partner handling North American release of Altitude titles such as All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.
• Curzon: UK arthouse distributor and cinema operator with integrated distribution and exhibition; directly comparable to Altitude Film Distribution in serving UK premium audiences with independent and arthouse releases, and operates in the same physical exhibition footprint.
• Bleecker Street: US independent distributor focused on prestige and adult-oriented films with theatrical and digital release capabilities; directly comparable to Altitude in targeting the same filmmaker demographic and competing for similar festival titles.

Broad incumbents

• StudioCanal: Major European film studio and distributor; comparable as the acquirer of founder Will Clarke's prior business Optimum Releasing and as a benchmark for the type of strategic exit Altitude could pursue, though operating at substantially larger scale and with owned IP.
• Pathé: European film production, sales, and distribution major; comparable to Altitude given shared talent flows (Altitude's Head of Sales Mike Runagall was formerly SVP International Sales at Pathé) and overlap in international film sales territory.
• Entertainment One (eOne): Independent film and television distributor with international sales; comparable to Altitude in its portfolio of production, sales, and distribution activities, though at significantly larger scale and now operating under Hasbro ownership.
• Focus Features: Universal Pictures-owned specialty film label focused on prestige and independent releases; comparable to Altitude in festival-driven acquisitions and theatrical distribution of adult-skewing films, though backed by a major studio's resources.

Regional players

• Film4: UK-based film commissioning and production division of Channel 4; comparable as a UK-centric film production and distribution peer targeting independent British filmmaking, though operating under a public broadcaster umbrella rather than as a private integrated distributor.

Emerging players

• MUBI: Global curated streaming platform and rights acquirer with growing production capabilities; comparable to Altitude in curating and monetising independent film catalogues internationally, though with a primarily streaming-led rather than theatrical-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/AltitudeFilms
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKLYbSo2BNSekUF9jpmxP-Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/altitudefilmdistribution
• Instagraminstagram.com/altitudefilmuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/altitude-film-entertainment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Altitude Film Entertainment