First Independent Films
 | |
| Film distributor, home video company | |
| Fate | Sold to Columbia TriStar Home Video |
| Founded |
1981 (as Vestron Video UK) 1991 (as First Independent Films) |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Headquarters | London, England |
First Independent Films was a British film distributor and home video company that replaced Vestron Video UK and were first opened in 1991.
Although a small film company, the company distributed a wide selection of genres, but they mainly served as a distributor for New Line Cinema and Turner Pictures Worldwide Distribution. The company also distributes independent films.
Some films released by First Independent Film are distributed and marketed by Cinema Club, a home video company that specialises in movies owned by Video Collection International (now 2 Entertain).
First Independent Films was sold to Columbia TriStar Home Video (now Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) in 1997 and shut down two years later but Columbia TriStar continued to use the First Independent Films label for as long as four years.
Films
Some notable films distributed by First Independent Films (or Vestron Video UK) include:
Children's programmes
- Hanna-Barbera animated programmes
- Budgie the Little Helicopter
- The Slow Norris
Martin Gates Productions
- Bimble's Bucket (1997 only)
- The Snow Queen (Martin Gates film)
- The Snow Queen's Revenge
- The Dreamstone (later releases only)
Films
- Tom and Jerry: The Movie
- Mortal Kombat
- G.I. Jane
- Now and Then
- Dumb and Dumber
- Dirty Dancing
- The Lawnmower Man
- Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace
- Class of 1999
- The Trouble with Spies
- Honeymoon in Vegas
- Trigger Happy
- Deep Cover
- Fear
- Cube
- Above The Rim
- Ernest Goes to Africa
- Blue Steel
- Conagher
- Wishmaster
- Ernest Goes to School
- Project Shadowchaser
- Backstreet Dreams
- Ricochet
- Leprechaun
- Bhaji on the Beach
- A Time of Destiny
- Catchfire
- Amsterdamned
- Red Scorpion
- Twister
- Nostradamus
- Farewell to the King
- Far From Home
- Zero Tolerance
- A Dangerous Woman
- Shadow Man
- The Force
- Pentathlon
- Dolly Dearest
- Menace II Society
Current Distribution
Note: First Independent shut down its video distribution plant in London in October 1999. The following programmes would go on to be distributed by other companies after 1999.
- New Line Cinema films are now distributed by Warner Bros, they were released by Entertainment In Video as well.
- Hanna-Barbera library is also with Warner Bros. as they bought Turner in 1999.
- GI Jane is owned by Columbia Tristar in the UK but the DVD release has the First Independent logo on the cover.
- Most of Vestron Pictures, Trimark Pictures and Live Entertainment films are now owned by Lionsgate UK. The Leprechaun films were released by Prism Leisure for their first DVD releases. The Lawnmower Man was also released by Prism Leisure but is now released by Universal Pictures along with its sequel.
- Honeymoon In Vegas is owned by Optimum Releasing and is one of the few Castle Rock films to not be released by Warner in the UK.
- The Ernest films are owned by Cornerstone Media.
- The Channel 4 films that were released by the company are now owned by Film 4 themselves.
- Red Scorpion is now under the hands of Optimum Home Entertainment while Pentathlon is under the Anchor Bay label.
- Dolly Dearest was released by Bellevue Entertainment as part of a 4 movie pack on DVD.
- Budgie The Little Helicopter was released by Columbia Tristar UK for low key "The Air Show" release in 2002, but the show itself is owned by DreamWorks Classics.
- The Slipper and The Rose is now released by Second Sight Films.
- Most of Martin Gates' animated works are now either owned by VCI or Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment UK (The Dreamstone only)