River Road Entertainment

River Road Entertainment

Company type	Private
Industry	Film production
Founded	1987
Founder	Bill Pohlad
Headquarters	Los Angeles and Minneapolis , United States
Key people	Bill Pohlad (President), Mitch Horwits (President, 2007), Frank Hildebrand (Head of Production, 2006), Deborah Zisper (Business Operations), Gray Rembert (Executive Leadership, 2017), Kim Roth (Co-President and Creative Director, 2020), Christa Zofcin Workman (Co-President and COO, 2020)
Products	Films and documentaries (e.g. 12 Years A Slave, The Tree of Life, American Utopia, Into The Wild, Food, Inc.)

River Road Entertainment is a U.S.-based independent film production company established in 1987 by Bill Pohlad, who holds the position of president. Operating from offices in both Los Angeles and Minneapolis, the company has been behind notable films including 12 Years A Slave, The Tree of Life, and American Utopia. Its film slate also features titles like Into The Wild, Wild, Fair Game, Love & Mercy—which was directed by Pohlad himself—Brokeback Mountain, A Prairie Home Companion, and A Monster Calls. Additionally, it has produced documentaries such as Food, Inc..

History

River Road Entertainment was created by entrepreneur Bill Pohlad. Over time, the company bolstered its executive team with significant appointments: Frank Hildebrand assumed the role of head of production in 2006, Deborah Zisper took charge of business operations, and Mitch Horwits was promoted to president in 2007. The firm demonstrated a focused investment strategy through projects like the 2010 biographical film The Runaways, emphasizing its commitment to engaging narratives.

In 2017, Gray Rembert joined the executive leadership after transitioning from GK Films, further strengthening the management team. By 2020, River Road enhanced its leadership structure by naming Kim Roth as Co-President and Creative Director, while Christa Zofcin Workman advanced to Co-President and COO, solidifying both strategic oversight and creative vision.

In October 2024, StudioCanal secured international distribution rights—excluding UK rights retained by Searchlight Pictures—for eleven River Road titles across theatrical releases, television, SVOD, and other media channels. This deal highlights the company's expanding global presence and influence within the marketplace.

Films

Release Date	Title	Director(s)	Distributor(s)	Co-production with
December 9, 2005	Brokeback Mountain	Ang Lee	Focus Features	Alberta Film Entertainment, Good Machine, Paramount Pictures
June 9, 2006	A Prairie Home Companion	Robert Altman	Picturehouse, New Line Cinema	GreeneStreet Films, Sandcastle 5 Productions, Prairie Home Productions, Armenia Film Studio
November 10, 2006	Fur	Steven Shainberg	Picturehouse	Edward R. Pressman Film, Iron Films, Vox3 Films, Furthefilm LLC
September 21, 2007	Into the Wild	Sean Penn	Paramount Vantage	Paramount Vantage, Square One C.I.H., Linson Film
September 24, 2007	Lust, Caution	Ang Lee	Focus Features	Haishang Films, Sil-Metropole Organisation
February 29, 2008	Chicago 10	Brett Morgen	Roadside Attractions	Consolidated Documentaries, Participant Productions, Curious Pictures
June 12, 2009	Food, Inc.	Robert Kenner	Magnolia Pictures	Dogwoof, Participant Media
March 19, 2010	The Runaways	Floria Sigismondi	Appartition	Linson Entertainment
October 1, 2010	Fair Game	Doug Liman	Summit Entertainment (US), Gulf Film (UAE)	Participant Media, Weed Road Pictures, Hypnotic, Zucker Productions
May 27, 2011	The Tree of Life	Terrence Malick	Searchlight Pictures	Plan B Entertainment
November 8, 2013	12 Years a Slave	Steve McQueen	20th Century Fox (North America), Entertainment One, Lionsgate Films, international distribution by Lionsgate and others	Fox Searchlight Pictures, Summit Entertainment, Regency Enterprises, Plan B Entertainment, Film4 Productions
June 5, 2015	Love & Mercy	Bill Pohlad	Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions	Battle Mountain Films
September 11, 2015	Time Out of Mind	Oren Moverman	IFC Films	Blackbird, Cold Iron Pictures, Gere Productions, QED International
October 7, 2016	A Monster Calls	J. A. Bayona	Universal Pictures (Spain), Entertainment One (UK), Focus Features (US)	Participant Media, Apaches Entertainment, Telecinco Cinema, Peliculas La Trini
June 29, 2017	The Last Face	Sean Penn	Saban Films	FilmHaven Entertainment, Gerber Pictures, Matt Palmieri Productions
July 26, 2017	Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets	Luc Besson	EuropaCorp Distribution	EuropaCorp, TF1 Films Production, Fundamental Films, BNP Paribas, Orange Studio, Novo Pictures, Belga Films
October 17, 2020	American Utopia	Spike Lee	HBO (US/Canada), Universal Pictures (International)	HBO Films, Participant Media, Warner Music Entertainment, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks
August 4, 2023	Dreamin' Wild	Bill Pohlad	Roadside Attractions	Zurich Avenue, Innisfree Pictures
November 24, 2023	Frybread Face and Me	Billy Luther	ARRAY	MACRO, Indion Entertainment, REI Co-OP Studios, World of Wonder, Good Gravy Films
July 5, 2024	Unicorns	Sally El Hosaini & James Krishna Floyd	Signature Entertainment	Maven Screen Media, Chromatic Aberration