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Mongrel Media was founded by its President, Hussain Amarshi in 1994. We are one of Canada's leading film distribution companies specializing in art house, foreign and independent feature films and documentaries. We are also home to some of the very best films made in Canada. Each year, we release on average 40 films in theatres and over 80 films on DVD. We have a library of over 600 titles.

The name of the company -- Mongrel Media -- was inspired by two great contemporary authors -- Salman Rushdie and Michael Ondaatje: Rushdie called his book The Satanic Verses "a love song to our mongrel selves" and Ondaatje made 3 films in the 1970s under his film production company called Mongrel Films (now distributed by Mongrel Media). To us, Mongrel encapsulates our aim to bring the best of the world, in all its diversity and richness, to Canadian audiences.

We have our own DVD label and distribute titles under both the Mongrel Media and Festival Collection brands. In Quebec, we distribute our films through Metropole Films.

Since 1994, we have released some of the most significant films from around the world including several Palme D'Or and Academy Award winners. These include Taste of Cherry by Abbas Kiarostami (Palme D'Or 1997); 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days by Cristian Mungiu (Palme d'Or 2007); L'enfant by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Palme D'or 2006); Entre Le Murs (The Class) by Laurent Cantet (Palme D'Or 2008); and Academy Award winners including Nowhere in Africa (2003); Lives of Others (2007); and The Counterfeiters (2008). Since 2001, Mongrel Media has exclusively distributed films in Canada by Sony Pictures Classics (http://www.sonyclassics.com/i ndex.php)

Mongrel Media has also been integrally involved in some of the most significant Canadian films made and released in the last several years. These include Deepa Mehta's Bollywood/Hollywood (2002), Water (2005); and Heaven on Earth (2008); Mark Achbar's The Corporation (2004); Sarah Polley's Away From Her (2007); Jennifer Baichwal's Let It Come Down (1999), Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Act of God (2009); Wiebke Von Carolsfeld's Marion Bridge (2003); Andrea Dorfman's Parsley Days ((2000) and Love That Boy (2003); Julia Kwan's Eve & the Firehorse (2005 ); Ian Rashid's Touch of Pink (2004) and How She Move (2008); Sean Garrity's Inertia (2001) and Lucid (2005); Daniel MacIvor's Past Perfect (2002) and Wilby Wonderful (2004); Ruba Nada's Sabah (2005) and Cairo Time (2009); Michael McGowan's One Week (2009) and many more. In 2007, Mongrel Media, in association with Sienna Films and Foundry Films, established a Writer's Unit to promote the development of new scripts. This Writer's Unit is by invitation and aims to bring together a diverse group of talented creators for informal meetings to share their works in progress and give feedback.

Mongrel Media is located in the Queen West West neighbourhood in Toronto. We are co-owners (along with noted Canadian filmmaker, Atom Egoyan) of our turn-of-the-century building that boasts a gallery (Stephen Bulger Gallery) and a cinema/bar (Camera). Our offices were designed by one of Canada's leading architects, Siamak Hariri ( http://www.hariripontarini.com /) and the renovations to the building including Camera Bar have been cited for several architecture awards.
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In the fifteen years of distributing films in Canada, we have built a reputation as an innovative company with discerning taste. We have developed long lasting relationships with filmmakers and international sales agents from around the world who have entrusted us with their beautiful films. We are also proud to have excellent relationship with exhibitors, home entertainment retailers/rental chains and broadcasters. But above all, we are proud to be a wholly-owned Canadian company bringing to Canadian audiences the best of World and Canadian cinema.

Please join our mailing list for ongoing updates on our upcoming titles; look out for Mongrel Media releases in cinemas and on dvd and write to us if you like or dislike the films we release; and please help us nurture a culture of diversity and plurality; of unique voices and independent visions; and celebrate with us the great art of storytelling through moving images.