Killer Films
| Company type | Independent film production company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film production |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler |
| Products | Independent films, television productions |
Killer Films is an independent film production company located in New York City, established in 1995 by producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler. The company is known for producing critically acclaimed indie films such as Far From Heaven (which received four Academy Award nominations), Boys Don't Cry (an Academy Award winner), One Hour Photo, Kids, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Happiness, Velvet Goldmine, Safe, I Shot Andy Warhol, Swoon, I'm Not There (nominated for an Academy Award), Kill Your Darlings, Still Alice (Academy Award recipient), and Carol (which garnered six Academy Award nominations). Additionally, Killer Films served as executive producer for Todd Haynes' HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce, a project that earned five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
In 2014, Killer Films combined forces with Glass Elevator Media, resulting in the creation of Killer Content, Inc. Their emblem showcases a rabbit with a dartboard as its torso.
Awards and recognition
Killer Films has been honored with numerous accolades and nominations from prestigious organizations including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Emmy Awards, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and the Independent Spirit Awards. Marking their 10th anniversary in 2005, the company was celebrated with a retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.
Christine Vachon's debut feature production, Todd Haynes' Poison, secured the Grand Jury Prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival and is regarded as a seminal work within New Queer Cinema. For her role in producing Far From Heaven, Vachon was awarded the Producer of the Year honor by the National Board of Review and received commendation from the New York Film Critics Circle.
Vachon also produced Showtime's adaptation of This American Life, which earned her an Emmy Award. In 2011, she presented the State of Cinema Address at the San Francisco International Film Festival. She has authored two memoirs detailing her professional journey: Shooting to Kill (1998) and A Killer Life (2006).
Among recent projects are Kill Your Darlings, featuring Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan; it debuted at Sundance and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. Following their production of the well-received Sundance premiere Magic Magic (2013), Killer Films collaborated once more with Sebastián Silva on Nasty Baby.
In 2015, Julianne Moore earned the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Killer Films' Still Alice, directed by Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer. That same year, Killer Films reunited with Todd Haynes to produce Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.
The year 2017 saw Killer Films produce Janicza Bravo's Lemon, starring Brett Gelman and Judy Greer; the drama Beatriz at Dinner featuring Salma Hayek and Chloë Sevigny; as well as the documentary Dina, which won Sundance's Documentary Grand Jury Prize.
In May 2017, Killer Films entered into a two-year first-look agreement with Amazon Studios.
Film
| Year | Title | Global Box Office | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Poison | $787,280 | |
| 1992 | Swoon | Template:N/A | |
| 1994 | Go Fish | $2.4 million | |
| Postcards from America | Template:N/A | ||
| 1995 | Safe | $512,245 | |
| Kids | $7.4 million | ||
| Stonewall | $692,400 | ||
| 1996 | Plain Pleasures | Template:N/A | |
| I Shot Andy Warhol | $1.9 million | ||
| 1997 | Bad Bosses Go to Hell | Template:N/A | Short film |
| Office Killer | $76,054 | ||
| 1998 | Happiness | $2.8 million | |
| Velvet Goldmine | $1.1 million | ||
| I'm Losing You | $13,996 | ||
| Dark Harbor | Template:N/A | ||
| 1999 | Boys Don't Cry | $11.5 million | Recipient of one Academy Award |
| 2000 | Crime + Punishment in Suburbia | $26,394 | |
| 2001 | Series 7: The Contenders | $195,065 | |
| Women in Film | Template:N/A | ||
| The Safety of Objects | $319,299 | ||
| Storytelling | $2 million | ||
| Hedwig and the Angry Inch | $3.6 million | ||
| The Grey Zone | $517,872 | ||
| Chelsea Walls | $60,902 | ||
| 2002 | One Hour Photo | $52 million | |
| Far From Heaven | $29 million | Earned four 75th Academy Awards nominations | |
| 2003 | Party Monster | $742,898 | |
| Camp | $2.6 million | ||
| The Company | $6.4 million | ||
| 2004 | A Home at the End of the World | $1.5 million | |
| A Dirty Shame | $1.9 million | ||
| 2005 | The Notorious Bettie Page | $1.8 million | |
| 2006 | Infamous | $2.6 million | |
| 2007 | An American Crime | $1.3 million | |
| Savage Grace | $1.4 million | ||
| I'm Not There | $11.7 million | Received one 80th Academy Awards nomination | |
| Then She Found Me | $8.4 million | ||
| 2008 | Gigantic | $165,888 | |
| 2009 | Motherhood | $726,354 | |
| Cracks | $29,683 | ||
| Cairo Time | $2 million | ||
| 2010 | Lulu at the Ace Hotel | Template:N/A | Short film |
| Loop Planes | Template:N/A | Short film | |
| Virginia | $12,728 | ||
' Dirty Girl'
'|$55,125' '|' '|-' '|2011' '! scope = row|' Dragonslayer' '|Template:N/A' '|' '|-' '|rowspan=2|'2012' '! scope = row|' Shut Up and Play the Hits' '|$629,107' '|' '|-' '! scope = row|' At Any Price' '|$380,594' '|' '|-' '|rowspan=7|'2013' '! scope = row|' Magic Magic' '|Template:N/A' '|' '|-' '! scope = row|' Kill Your Darlings' '|$2.1 million' '|' '|-' '! scope = row|' Dealin' with Idiots' '|$17,909' '|' '|-' '! scope = row|' Deep Powder' '|Template:N/A' '|' '|-' '! scope = row|' The Last of Robin Hood' '|$288,545' '|' '|-' '! scope = row|' WildLike' '|Template:N/A' '|' '|-' '! scope = row|' Bluebird' '|Template:N/A' '|' '|-' '|rowspan=4|'2014' '! scope = row|' Young Bodies Heal Quickly' '|Template:N/A' '|' '|-' '! scope = row|' Electric Slide' '|Template:N/A' '|' '|-' '! scope = row|' Still Alice' '|$44 million' '| Awarded one 87th Academy Awards.' '|-' '! scope = row|' Mala Mala' '|$10,761' '|' '|-' '|rowspan=3|'2015' '! scope = row|' Nasty Baby' '|$80,828' '|' '|-' '! scope = row|' Carol' '|$40.3 million' '| Nominated for nine British Academy Film Awards, |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Mrs. Harris | Television film Received twelve Emmy Award nominations |
| 2007–2009 | This American Life | Television series Awarded three Emmy Awards |
| 2010 | The Neistat Brothers | Television series |
| 2011 | Mildred Pierce | Miniseries Earned five Emmy Awards |
| 2015–2017 | Z: The Beginning of Everything | Television series |
| 2018–2019 | This Close | Television series |
| 2021 | Halston | Miniseries |
| 2021 | Pride | Miniseries |