Ira Deutchman has been making, marketing and distributing films since 1975, having worked on over 150 films including some of the most successful independent films of all time. He was one of the founders of Cinecom and later created Fine Line Features—two companies that were created from scratch and, in their respective times, helped define the independent film business. He was also a co-founder of Emerging Pictures, the first digital projection network in the United States and a pioneer in delivering live cultural events into movie theaters.
Currently Deutchman is an independent producer, director, and a consultant in marketing and distribution of independent films. Among his clients is Cinecitta, for which he promotes Italian cinema in the U.S. He is also Professor Emeritus in the School of the Arts at Columbia University, where he has taught since 1987 and was the Chair of the Film Program from 2011-2015.
In 2017, Deutchman was awarded the Spotlight Lifetime Achievement Award by the Sundance Art House Convergence for his service to independent film marketing and distribution.
His current projects include serving as producer of Nickel & Dimed, based on the book by Barbara Ehrenreich and directed by Debra Granik (in pre-production), director/producer of the feature documentary Searching for Mr. Rugoff (opened in theaters in August, 2021), producer of the stage adaptation of Joan Micklin Silver’s Hester Street (in development) and executive producer of the mini-series based on the novel Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford (in development).
Among the over 60 films he acquired and released at Fine Line were Jane Campion’s An Angel at My Table, Gus van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho, Jim Jarmusch’s Night on Earth, Robert Altman’s The Player and Short Cuts, Roman Polanski’s Bitter Moon and Death and the Maiden, Alan Rudolph’s Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, Mike Leigh’s Naked, and the award-winning Hoop Dreams, which in its time was the highest grossing non-music documentary in history.
Prior to Fine Line, as President of The Deutchman Company, he provided marketing consulting services for such films as Steven Soderbergh’s sex, lies, and videotape for Miramax, Charles Burnett’s To Sleep With Anger for The Samuel Goldwyn Company and Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan for New Line Cinema.
Previously, Deutchman was one of the founding partners and President of Marketing and Distribution for Cinecom Entertainment Group, the film distribution company known for such diverse releases as Merchant/Ivory’s A Room with a View, Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense, Gregory Nava’s El Norte and John Sayles’ The Brother From Another Planet.
While at United Artists Classics, Films Incorporated and Cinema 5 Ltd., highlights included Lina Wertmuller’s Seven Beauties and Swept Away, Barbara Koppel’s Harlan County, USA, Jean-Jacques Beineix’s Diva, and Francois Truffaut’s The Last Metro. While still in college, he organized and marketed the Midwest premiere of John Cassavetes' A Woman Under the Influence.
Deutchman’s screen credits include Associate Producer of John Sayles’ Matewan and Honeydripper; Executive Producer of Jonathan Demme’s Swimming to Cambodia, Gary Sinise’s Miles From Home, Paul Bartel’s Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills, Matty Rich’s Straight Out of Brooklyn, Stephen Gyllenhaal’s Waterland, Maggie Greenwald’s The Ballad of Little Jo, Alan Rudolph’s Mrs. Parker & the Vicious Circle, Paul Auster’s Lulu On the Bridge, Wayne Wang’s Center of the World, Daniel Noah’s Twelve, Anthony Jaswinski’s Killing Time, Loren-Paul Caplin’s The Lucky Ones, Amy Wadell’s Brothel and Georgia Lee’s Red Doors; and Co-Producer of David Anspaugh’s The Game of Their Lives. Deutchman was the Producer of Tony Vitale’s Kiss Me, Guido, Sarah Kernochan’s All I Wanna Do, Mark Christopher’s 54, Adam Davidson’s Way Past Cool, Bob Gale’s Interstate 60, Tanya Wexler’s Relative Evil, Ann Hu’s Beauty Remains and Ed Radtke’s Speed of Life. He was also Consulting Producer on the CBS sitcom Some of My Best Friends.
Deutchman is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he majored in film. His personal archive is part of the University of Michigan Screen Arts Mavericks and Makers Collection, which also includes the archives of Orson Welles, Robert Altman and John Sayles.
News
FilmProfessor Ira Deutchman, Founding Filmmaker of Missing Movies Nonprofit
Professor Ira Deutchman is a founding filmmaker of Missing Movies, a new non-profit organization dedicated to empowering filmmakers, distributors, archivists, and others to locate lost materials, clear rights, and advocate for policies and laws to make the full range of our cinema history available to all.
Film and Media Studies
'Searching for Mr. Rugoff' by Professor Ira Deutchman Released in Theaters
Searching for Mr. Rugoff, a documentary directed and produced by Professor Ira Deutchman, is currently screening theatrically in more than 45 locations all across the US, including in seven theatres in New York and six in California. Deutchman was also recently interviewed by Filmmaker Magazine about the film which had a strong festival showing ahead of its release.?
Film and Media Studies
Professor Ira Deutchman Develops and Produces 'Radio Girls'
Professor Ira Deutchman is set to develop and produce Radio Girls, a limited series adapted from the novel of the same name by Sarah-Jane Stratford.?
Film and Media Studies
Out of the Past, Into the Future: Professor Ira Deutchman
Out of the Past, Into the Future is a bi-weekly series that aims to chronicle a limitless scope of work by Columbia filmmakers representative of the past, present, and future. This series investigates how Columbia film projects, and the bespoke stories therein, are enmeshed with tales of history and experience, and harbingers of what’s to come.
Film and Media Studies
Professor Ira Deutchman’s 'Searching for Mr. Rugoff' Showed At Galway Film Fleadh 2020
Searching for Mr. Rugoff, a documentary directed and produced by Professor Ira Deutchman, showed at the Galway Film Fleadh 2020 as part of the documentary section.
Film and Media Studies
Long Awaited Documentary by Professor Ira Deutchman Premieres Next Month
Searching for Mr. Rugoff, a documentary directed by professor Ira Deutchman, will have its world premiere at the DOC NYC Festival this November.
Film
Ira Deutchman Receives First Annual Spotlight Lifetime Achievement Award
Faculty member, Ira Deutchman was awarded the first annual Spotlight Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to the distribution and exhibition of independent films.?
Film
Ira Deutchman to Adapt Film Classic Hestern Street into Musical
Film department professor Ira Deutchman will begin adapting the classic film Hester Street into a musical.?
Film
Film Producer, Marketer Ira Deutchman Donates Archive to University of -Michigan Library Mavericks & Makers Collection
Professor Ira Deutchman announced December 2 at Lincoln Center in New York that he will donate his entire archive to the University of Michigan's Screen Arts Mavericks & Makers collection.
Special Lecturer, Film