Inside Robert Schwartzman’s Utopia: U.S. Distributor Gears Up for Next Chapter
variety.comManori Ravindran International Editor Robert Schwartzman is part of one of Hollywood’s great filmmaking dynasties, but when he ventured into directing himself, he discovered that the world of distribution for up-and-coming filmmakers was broken.
The multihyphenate, who is Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew, has acted in movies like “The Princess Diaries” — where he played Anne Hathaway’s love interest Michael Moscovitz in what became her breakout movie — and has fronted the rock band Rooney since 1999.
In recent years, however, Schwartzman has become more ensconced in the family business, directing indie features such as “The Unicorn,” “Dreamland” and “The Argument.” “I felt a frustration that certain films were being overlooked in the market, like when you don’t get into a film festival, and the movie doesn’t make the cut sometimes,” Schwartzman tells Variety. “It’s pretty emotionally devastating for a filmmaker to feel that rejection.” He continues: “You want to put [the film] in the hands of somebody that just cares, and is willing to put in some time and effort to help that movie reach an audience.” Schwartzman co-founded distribution banner Utopia with business partner Cole Harper in 2018 to offer a more artist-focused approach for filmmakers, and provide “another home” for acquiring independently produced and financed movies.
The company has so far made a number of big swings on the film festival circuit following its breakout success in 2020 with dark comedy “Shiva Baby.” Out of January’s Sundance Film Festival, it won the U.S.
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