A Band Apart Films LLC was an American independent film production company founded by Quentin Tarantino, Michael Bodnarchek, and Lawrence Bender in 1991, before its liquidation in 2006. Its name is a play on the French New Wave classic film, Bande à part ("Band of Outsiders") by filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, whose work was highly influential on the work of the company's members.
History
thumb|Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, two central members of A Band Apart (pictured at the 2007 [[Scream Awards).]]
Tarantino formed A Band Apart in 1991, naming it after his favorite Godard film, Bande à part. The company's logo was a stylized image of the robbers from Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino's debut film. Subsequently, several legal entities within the company were named after the film's characters. Mr. Pink LLC was for music video production budgets, and Mr. Brown LLC was for commercials.
In addition to Tarantino, members of the company included Robert Rodriguez, John Woo, Tim Burton, Steve Buscemi, Darren Aronofsky, John Landis, Athanasius Acropolis, Joseph McGinty Nichol, Nigel Dick, Varl Hobe, Steve Carr, Cameron Casey, Marcel Langenegger, Wayne Isham, Cale Donk, Terry Windell, Lisa Prisco, Paul Street, Phil Harder-Rick Fuller, Coodie & Chike, Osbert Parker, Luc Besson, Porker LeVance, Adam Christian Clark, André 3000, Christopher Morrison and Michael Palmieri, Ducky Powell, Andy Mornahan, Chash Brower, Steve Lowe, Loren Hill, Darren Grant, Charles Whittenmier, Geoff McGann, Olivier Venturini, The 405 Guys, and Craig Tanamoto.
The company catapulted to fame with the 1994 release of Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, which was considered by some critics to be the most influential American film of the decade. In the summer of 1995, the company added a division for commercials and later, for music video production, adding a third co-owner Michael Bodnarchek. Michael Bodnarchek tapped Simon Foster to co-found A Band Apart Music Video who brought notable A-list Directors as well as Kristin Cruz (aka Kris Foster) and Heidi Santelli as directors' rep and executive producer, respectively.
Company closure
Tarantino and Bender had an amicable split, leaving Tarantino as the sole owner of the studio and the studio being up for liquidation, while David Heyman (Harry Potter, Gravity) produced Tarantino's ninth film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The company is listed for Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Django Unchained (2012), and credited for Grindhouse (2007).
Filmography
Films produced and co-produced
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Title
!Directed by
!Distribution
!Co-production
!Notes
|-
|1992
|Reservoir Dogs
|Quentin Tarantino
|Miramax Films
|Live America Inc.<br>Dog Eat Dog Productions
| first film
|-
|1993
|True Romance
|Tony Scott
|Warner Bros.
|Morgan Creek Productions<br>Davis Films
|
|-
|1994
|Pulp Fiction
|Quentin Tarantino
|Miramax Films
|Jersey Films
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1995
|The Whiskey Heir
|JoAnn Fregalette Jansen
|A Band Apart
|
|Short film
|-
|White Man's Burden
|Desmond Nakano
|Savoy Pictures
|UGC<br>Rysher Entertainment
|
|-
|Four Rooms
|Allison Anders<br>Alexandre Rockwell<br>Robert Rodriguez<br>Quentin Tarantino
|Miramax Films
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1996
|Curdled
|Reb Braddock
|Rolling Thunder Pictures<br>Miramax Films
|Tinderbox Films
|
|-
|From Dusk till Dawn
|Robert Rodriguez
| rowspan="3" |Miramax Films
|Dimension Films<br>Los Hooligans Productions
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1997
|Jackie Brown
|Quentin Tarantino
|Mighty Mighty Afrodite Productions<br>Lawrence Bender Productions
|
|-
|Good Will Hunting
|Gus Van Sant
|Be Gentleman Limited Partnership
|as Lawrence Bender Productions
|-
|1998
|Metallica: Cunning Stunts
|Wayne Ishun<br>Adam Dubin
|Elektra Entertainment
|Celluloid Construction Company<br>Woof! Woof!
|Concert video
|-
|1999
|From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money
|Scott Spiegel
|Buena Vista Home Entertainment
| rowspan="2" |Dimension Home Video<br>Los Hooligans
| rowspan="2" |Direct-to-video
|-
|2000
|From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter
|P. J. Pesce
|Amuse Pictures<br>Buena Vista Home Video<br>New Films International
|-
|2003
|Kill Bill: Volume 1
| Quentin Tarantino
| Miramax Films
|
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2004
|Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
|Guy Ferland
|Lionsgate Films<br>Miramax Films
|Artisan Entertainment<br>Havana Nights LLC<br>Lawrence Bender Productions<br>Miramax Films
|
|-
|Kill Bill: Volume 2
| rowspan="5" |Quentin Tarantino
|Miramax Films
|
|
|-
| Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair<!-- Per source: -->
|Lionsgate Films
|
|
|-
|2007
|Death Proof
|Dimension Films
|Troublemaker Studios
|Soundtrack only
|-
|2009
|Inglourious Basterds
|The Weinstein Company<br>Universal Pictures
|Studio Babelsberg<br>Visiona Romantica
|
|-
|2012
|Django Unchained
|The Weinstein Company<br>Columbia Pictures
|Columbia Pictures
|last film
|}
Music videos produced (partial list)
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Title
!Artist(s)
|-
|1997
|"Promise Ain't Enough"
|Hall & Oates
|-
| rowspan="7" |1998
|"Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)"
|The Offspring
|-
|"Fuel"
|Metallica
|-
|"Believe"
|Cher
|-
|"The City Is Mine"
|Jay-Z ft. Blackstreet
|-
|"Miami"
|Will Smith
|-
|"Clock Strikes"
|Timbaland & Magoo ft. Mad Skillz
|-
|"Hard Knock Life"
|Jay-Z
|-
| rowspan="2" |1999
|"Everything You Want"
|Vertical Horizon
|-
|"The Hardest Thing"
|98 Degrees
|-
| rowspan="6" |2000
|"Bye Bye Bye"
|NSYNC
|-
|"Hemorrhage (In My Hands)"
|Fuel
|-
|"(Rock) Superstar"
|Cypress Hill
|-
|"U Got It"
|Cleopatra
|-
|"Breathless"
|The Corrs
|-
|"Oops!... I Did It Again"
|Britney Spears
|-
| rowspan="4" |2001
|"Cry"
| rowspan="2" |Mandy Moore
|-
|"Crush"
|-
|"Pop"
|NSYNC
|-
|"Overprotected"
|Britney Spears
|-
| rowspan="2" |2003
|"Some Girls"
|JC Chasez
|-
|"Falls on Me"
|Fuel
|-
| rowspan="3" |2005
|"An Honest Mistake"
|The Bravery
|-
|"Resolve"
|Foo Fighters
|-
|"Juicebox (song)"
|The Strokes
|}