The Ten Most Important Moments in Miramax History

Eulogizing the indie-film studio that launched Tarantino and changed Hollywood.

By Eric Larnick

With Thursday's news that Miramax would be shutting down its N.Y. and L.A. offices and likely shelving the few projects it had in development, a significant chapter in film history has closed. Since the 2005 departure of Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Miramax has slowly wound down its output, but for fifteen years it was the most influential tastemaker in Hollywood, and its approach reshaped the way movies are made. These ten moments highlight the ways that Miramax changed film forever.

1. sex, lies, and videotape

Miramax broke out in 1989 by producing then-unknown, now-Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh's sex, lies, and videotape. Tackling sexual repression, desire, and infidelity, the film won both the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It became an international success and proved to Hollywood producers that independent film could be profitable. Soon every studio was scooping up any self-financed film they could find, Sundance became the hip destination, and "indie" became the hottest adjective around. This was the movie that lit the fuse, and it happened because of Miramax.

2. International fame for a new generation of directors

The other momentous impact of 1989 came with Miramax's American distribution of Jim Sheridan's My Left Foot. The Weinsteins' American push for the U.K.-made film made it a massive success and gave Daniel Day-Lewis his first Oscar win. As vanguards of the world film market, Miramax brought international acclaim and fortune to directors like Danny Boyle, Jane Campion, Anthony Minghella, and Pedro Almodovar, introducing American audiences to projects as eclectic as Trainspotting, The Piano, and The English Patient.

3. The Crying Game

After bombing twice in Hollywood, Irish-born Neil Jordan returned home to make the type of film that brought him attention in the first place. The result, 1992's The Crying Game, failed at the U.K. box office, and would have disappeared forever, if not for the Weinsteins. Miramax brought the film to the U.S. and turned it into a hit by playing up its controversial aspects: its sympathetic portrayal of Stephen Rea's IRA terrorist and the sexual politics of his relationship with the androgynous "Dil." Never before had transgender relationships been so openly discussed in pop culture; for the first time, the general public was giving the thought-provoking subject a lot of dialogue.

4. The rise of Dimension Films

In 1992, Miramax created Dimension Films, an imprint aimed at releasing horror, action, and other genre pictures. Dimension's resume includes the resurrection of the Halloween franchise, Guillermo Del Toro's first American work, and giving Robert Rodriguez the success to found the digital production house Troublemaker Studios. But its biggest fortune was the Scream franchise. The post-modern horror film became the most successful slasher of all time, revitalizing horror films in the process. It sparked the rebirth of teen-oriented entertainment, a massive industry focus that has affected film, television, music, fashion, and just about everything else we see, hear, or do.

5. Tidal Wave of Film-Makers Changes Hollywood

Miramax launched dozens of careers, producing debut films by directors like Kevin Smith (Clerks), Larry Clark (Kids), and Julian Schnabel (Basquiat) among others. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were able to break out of their struggling character-actor careers and write the Oscar-winning phenomenon Good Will Hunting, which catapulted them into the mainstream. The same went for future Iron Man-director Jon Favreau and his screenplay for Swingers, which also co-starred Vince Vaughn in his breakout role.