Variety to Celebrate 10 Years of Bleecker Street and the New York Premiere of Mike Leigh’s ‘Hard Truths’

Variety will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bleecker Street with a cocktail party and awards presentation to Bleecker Street CEO Andrew Karpen on October 5 at the New York Film Festival. Karpen will be honored with the Variety Vanguard Award for his exemplary leadership and extensive contributions to the indie film community. Variety’s co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh will give remarks and present the award.

The invite-only cocktail party will also celebrate the New York Premiere of Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths,” which Bleecker is releasing December 6 in a qualifying run, followed by a January 10 nationwide rollout. The film stars Academy Award nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Secrets and Lies”), alongside Leigh regular Michele Austin, and explores deep-rooted family dynamics with humor, pathos, and Leigh’s singular view into the human condition.

Karpen is the CEO of Bleecker Street, which he founded in August 2014. Having guided the company through a time of immense industry disruption and change, Karpen has established a trusted label and champion of original cinema, curating an impressive and lauded slate that extends across all genres. The company has released more than 70 films under his leadership including films from auteurs like Steven Soderbergh (“Logan Lucky,” “Unsane”), Mike Leigh (“Hard Truths”), and Debra Granik (“Leave No Trace”), with Oscar-nominated films including “Captain Fantastic,” “Trumbo,” “Golda” and countless more acclaimed films from visionary directors.

“Bleecker Street started as a dream, and that dream was a sustainable, filmmaker-forward distribution company,” said Karpen. “I am so proud, that after 10 years, we still champion that mission. We will continue to take that mission forward, even as the landscape changes around us. Thank you to Variety for recognizing our contribution, and thanks to my amazing colleagues, who have made that dream a reality.”

“Variety is excited to partner with Bleecker Street to celebrate their significant accomplishments and impact on the industry over the past decade,” said Dea Lawrence, Chief Operating and Marketing Officer, Variety.