Toronto: Criterion Collection Lands Canadian Distributor

Indie Unobstructed View has acquired the exclusive Canadian distribution rights to the film library, including a 'Godzilla' monster series.

Indie distributor Unobstructed View has acquired the exclusive Canadian distribution rights to the art house-focused Criterion Collection.

The Canadian deal, which includes films from David Cronenberg, Norman Jewison, Orson Welles, Spike Lee, Agnes Varda and Wes Anderson, follows Entertainment One ending its own deal to release the collection titles north of the U.S.-Canada border.

Stateside, the Criterion Channel streaming service, launched in April with more than 1,000 classic and contemporary films as a domestic replacement for Filmstruck, which WarnerMedia shuttered after two years in service.

"Criterion is the gold standard for DVD and Blu-ray releases, and we plan on making their content more available and more affordable for Canadian cinephiles," Unobstructed View president Jonathan Gross said in a statement. Among the first releases from Unobstructed View is a Blu-ray box set of 15 Godzilla monster movies, Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975.

"The team at Unobstructed View understand the value of our special edition DVD and Blu-ray releases, and we’re looking forward to working closely with them to enable our Canadian fans, who have always been strong supporters of our brand, to build their collections and enjoy our films for many years to come," Jonathan Turell, CEO of the Criterion Collection, said in his own statement.