Biography
2024 marks Jeff Lipsky's 50th year in the independent film industry. Internationally recognized for his expertise in independent film marketing, acquisition, and distribution, Lipsky co-founded three successful distribution companies: October Films, Lot 47 Films, and Adopt Films. He is also prominently featured in books about Oscar®-nominated writer/director Mike Leigh and Oscar®-winning filmmaker Spike Lee.
Lipsky began his distribution career in 1974, working alongside his mentor and friend, actor/writer/director John Cassavetes, known as 'the godfather of American independent film.' Jeff distributed Cassavetes' iconic film *A Woman Under the Influence*, starring Gena Rowlands, which received Academy Award® nominations for Best Actress and Best Director. Adjusted for inflation, the film grossed $89 million in North America alone.
His filmmaking career started with the 1997 film *Childhood's End*, starring Tony Award nominee and *True Blood* co-star Sam Trammell. The film competed at the San Sebastian and Montreal World Film Festivals. In 2006, Lipsky directed *Flannel Pajamas*, which was selected for the Dramatic Competition at Sundance, starring Emmy Award winner Julianne Nicholson and Emmy nominee Justin Kirk. His 2009 film *Once More With Feeling* was also chosen by Sundance and featured Oscar® nominee Chazz Palminteri, Drea de Matteo (*The Sopranos*), and Linda Fiorentino, New York Film Critics Circle Best Actress for *The Last Seduction*, a film Lipsky had previously distributed.
In 2010, Lipsky wrote and directed *Twelve Thirty*, starring Tony Award winners Jonathan Groff and Reed Birney, with Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter) and Halley Feiffer (Jules Feiffer's daughter) co-starring. His next three films, all New York productions, included *Molly's Theory of Relativity* (2013), co-starring Tony Award winner Cady Huffman; *Mad Women* (2015); and the Holocaust-themed *The Last* (aka *The Last Nazi*, 2019), starring Rebecca Schull. His most recent film, *Goldilocks and the Two Bears*, was released in 2024.
As a distributor, Lipsky became General Sales Manager of New Yorker Films in 1979, where he handled titles such as Wayne Wang's debut *Chan Is Missing*, Louis Malle's *My Dinner with Andre*, R.W. Fassbinder's *The Marriage of Maria Braun*, and Jean-Luc Godard's *Every Man for Himself*. In 1983, he was named Vice President of Distribution at Samuel Goldwyn Films, distributing films including *Dance with a Stranger*, *3 Men and a Cradle*, *Gregory's Girl*, *The Care Bears Movie*, and Jim Jarmusch's *Stranger Than Paradise*, which was named Best Picture in 1984 by the National Society of Film Critics.
In 1987, Tom Skouras appointed Lipsky President of the Motion Pictures Division at Skouras Pictures. There, he distributed David Koepp’s first film *Apartment Zero* starring Colin Firth, the two-time Academy Award® nominee *My Life as a Dog*, and *High Hopes*, which introduced Mike Leigh to U.S. audiences and fostered a lasting mentor relationship between Lipsky and Leigh's producer Simon Channing-Williams.
Lipsky co-founded October Films in 1990, which quickly became a highly regarded independent distributor, releasing films such as Leigh's *Life Is Sweet*, Gregg Araki's *The Living End*, Alain Corneau's *Tous les matins du monde*, and John Dahl's *The Last Seduction*.
After a two-year return to Goldwyn, where he released Adrian Lyne's controversial *Lolita*, Lipsky co-founded Lot 47 Films in 1999. Notable releases included Tim Roth’s directorial debut *The War Zone*, Audrey Tautou's debut *Venus Beauty Institute*, the French multi-Academy Award-winning comedy-drama, Im Kwon-Taek's Cannes competitor *Chunhyang*, Michael Cuesta's *L.I.E.*, and Zacharias Kunuk's *The Fast Runner (Atanarjuat)*, the best-reviewed film of 2002 according to Metacritic.
In 2006, Lipsky launched his own distribution venture, offering his expertise to producers of well-crafted, challenging, yet overlooked films. Between 2006 and 2009, he distributed titles such as *Assisted Living*, *The War Tapes*, *Sweet Land*, *The Bridge*, *Nuremberg*, and *David & Layla*.
In 2011, Lipsky co-founded Adopt Films. In 2014, Adopt released its first Oscar®-nominated film, Hany Abu-Assad's *Omar*. Other notable Adopt releases included four award-winning films acquired at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival: Christian Petzold's *Barbara*, Ursula Meier's *Sister*, Miguel Gomes' *Tabu*, and the Golden Bear winner *Caesar Must Die* by the Taviani Brothers. Additional Adopt releases were the 2014 Cannes Palme d'Or winner *Winter Sleep* by Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Berlin award-winner Sebastian Schipper's *Victoria*.
In 2018, Lipsky launched Glass Half Full Media. Its initial slate included *Measure of a Man* starring Donald Sutherland; *A Happening of Monumental Proportions*, featuring Oscar® winner Allison Janney, Jennifer Garner, and Katie Holmes; and *Aardvark*, starring Jon Hamm and Zachary Quinto. In 2021, Glass Half Full Media released *Shepherd*, *The Story of a Jewish Dog*, and Emma Dante's *The Macaluso Sisters*, which continues to hold a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
