New Horizons is the leading independent producer and worldwide distributor of feature films. The company is primarily engaged in the production and distribution of films for international, cable television, and domestic video markets, and has several exciting projects on the horizon.

New Horizons’ predecessor company, New World Pictures, was founded by legendary producer/director Roger Corman in 1970. In a tradition continued by New Horizons, New World built a profitable and enduring niche in the entertainment industry by developing, producing, and distributing a steady quantity of smaller-budgeted motion pictures. In addition, the company headlined and discovered a legion of producers, directors, writers, and actors currently at the top of the motion picture industry. A sampling of those who worked for Roger Corman or appeared in his films include: Jonathan Demme, James Cameron, Ron Howard, Peter Bogdanovich, Joe Dante, Gale Anne Hurd, James Horner, Robert Towne, Robert DeNiro, Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Sylvester Stallone, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorcese, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, William Shatner, Charles Bronson, Diane Ladd, John Sayles, Talia Shire, and many others.

While developing the new talent that would someday lead the entertainment industry, New World grew rapidly into the largest independent motion picture distribution company in the United States. In addition to providing the public with in-house productions such as Death Race 2000, Battle Beyond the Stars, Big Bad Mama, and Eat My Dust!, New World soon became the independent leader in presenting high-quality foreign films to America. New World releases included Academy Award-winning films by Ingmar Bergman, Francois Truffaut, Federico Fellini, Akira Korosawa, and Volker Schlondorff. In a ten-year period, New World won more Academy Awards for best foreign film than all other studios combined.

In January of 1983, Roger Corman sold New World Pictures and founded New Horizons to continue his legacy of independent production and distribution. The sale allowed him to continue producing films without managing a major theatrical distribution company. Twenty-six years later, New Horizons remains a leading entertainment company with a rich history and a legacy of success. New Horizons’ strength, and Corman’s vision for his new enterprise, iss and always has been its unique position of existing as a self-financed mini-studio. This independence gives New Horizons the flexibility to react quickly to shifts in consumer trends, and to take advantage of rapid changes in technology that influence both the production and distribution of entertainment product.

Since its inception, New Horizons has produced and acquired between 20 and 40 films per year. At least 24 pictures have been released annually. In the mid 1990s, production reached a peak, with New Horizons producing 38 films each year. At this time, New Horizons produced a number of original films and remakes of Corman classics for the Showtime Network’s “Roger Corman Presents” series. A selection of films includes Ghost Ship starring James Brolin, Inhumanoid with Richard Grieco and Corbin Bernson, Black Scorpion I and II starring Joan Severance, Overdrive featuring Steve Guttenberg and Robert Wagner, Death Artist starring Anthony Michael Hall and Justine Bateman, and Not of This Earth with Michael York, Parker Stevenson, and Richard Beltzer.

New Horizons has continually remained on the forefront of efficient and low-cost production by seeking out production sites around the world. In 2002, the company wrapped production in Lithuania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Canada. Other recent locations have included India, the Philippines, Argentina, Italy, Mexico Peru, and Ireland.

Roger Corman’s keen ability to spot young talent, a defining feature of New World, is also evident in the alumni of New Horizons projects. A sample of actors who starred in New Horizons films early in their careers includes Jennifer Love Hewitt, Talisa Soto, Tobey Maguire, and Sandra Bullock. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski is one of the many influential Hollywood figures who began on New Horizons crews. Producers Brad Krevoy (Dumb & Dumber) and Andrew Stevens (The Whole Nine Yards) rose through the New Horizons ranks to become successful independent producers in their own right.

Since its founding 20 years ago, when Roger Corman sold New World to a group of investors, New Horizons has grossed over a billion dollars. The company remains the last truly independent production and distribution company with a substantial film library in America today. New Horizons will continue to evolve in service of the market, continuing the legacy of creating and distributing quality feature product well into the future.