About Passion River
Since 1998, Passion River Films has been devoted to acquiring, distributing and representing unique independent films and documentaries. Our award winning and festival favorite features have made their home on shelves of various notable film libraries and institutions. Our deep catalog represents films focused on a multitude of topics including Multicultural Studies, Women’s Studies, Medical Studies and Advances, Religious and Spiritual studies, Environmentalism, Aging, Drug Addiction, LGBT and more!
Passion River Films is a film distributor specializing in films that engage with audiences and impact communities. We handle distribution to theaters, VOD, home video, and to academic and digital markets. Passion River's diverse catalog features Academy Award and Emmy-winning films as well as films that have been recognized at Independent Spirit Awards, Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Tribeca Film Festival and many other prestigious events.
Passion River Films is a film distributor specializing in films that engage with audiences and impact communities. We handle distribution to theaters, VOD, home video, and to academic and digital markets. Passion River's diverse catalog features Academy Award and Emmy-winning films as well as films that have been recognized at Independent Spirit Awards, Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Tribeca Film Festival and many other prestigious events.
Allen Chou
President
Allen Chou is President and owner of Passion River Films, an independent film distribution company specializing in the release of films and documentaries that engage with audiences. Passion River handles distribution to theaters, VOD, home video, and libraries in public, academic and digital markets. Allen manages a diverse catalog featuring Academy Award and Emmy-winning films and directors as well as films that have been recognized at festivals such as: Hot Docs, Sundance, SXSW, Berlin, Cannes, Toronto, Tribeca and many other prestigious events. In 2005, he established a distribution partnership with Netflix, resulting in over 200 titles released on their site. Allen has placed titles into accounts such as: Blockbuster, Hastings, Whole Foods, Barnes and Noble, Best Buy, Walmart, Netflix Streaming, Hulu, & more. Allen Chou also manages the in-house social media marketing department and serves on the adjunct faculty at New York University teaching film marketing and distribution courses. He is a frequent speaker, panel moderator, and instructor on distribution and social media marketing at film festivals, industry conferences and universities. Allen attended New York University and received his BA in Radio,TV,Film from the University of Maryland.
Mat Levy
Senior Director Of Sales & Acquisitions
Mat Levy has worked with Passion River Films since 2004. Having a background in Film and TV publicity, Mat has worked with film campaigns for New Line Cinema, Sony Pictures Classics, Magnolia Pictures, Warner Independent, and Picturehouse. He has also worked with producers from VH1 and MTV on promotion and development. Mat attends most major markets and film festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, AFM, and Hot Docs; as well as national retail and library trade shows including: National Media Market, Ingram Entertainment, Alliance Entertainment, Baker & Taylor, CTAM, and the American Library Association. Mat attended the University of Hartford and received a BA in Cinema Studies.
Josh Levin
Director of Theatrical/Exhibitor Relations
Josh Levin is the newest member of the Passion River team. Josh brings the perfect mix of experience to the role; having been a film distribution executive, documentary film producer and art house cinema operator in his career in the industry, as well as a professor of film distribution, marketing and finance at New York University and American University in Washington, DC. With that range of expertise, Josh is the ideal partner to help you navigate the waters of getting your film into theaters and putting butts in seats!
Josh spent three years as the Chief Marketing Officer at Film Movement, the New York-based art house cinema distributor, where he created and managed marketing, advertising and publicity campaigns for over 25 feature films released to the theatrical, festival, institutional, home video and television markets. Projects Josh worked on included films from stars such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ellen Page, Sandra Oh and Rose Byrne, and top award-nominated directors Deepa Mehta, Joseph Cedar and Scott Hamilton Kennedy.
As a filmmaker, Josh has produced or executive produced five documentary features, including CORMAN'S WORLD: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (Sundance and Cannes, 2011, national theatrical release, broadcast by A&E) and CAPE SPIN: An American Power Struggle (IDFA 2011, Film at Lincoln Center Art of the Real November 2012, platform theatrical release, broadcast rights purchased by Sundance Network).
In 2010, Josh returned to his home town of Washington, DC and opened West End Cinema, named Washington, DC's Best Independent Movie Theater by Washington City Paper and maker of the Best Popcorn in DC (according to TBD.com). West End Cinema specialized in the kinds of art house fare that found audiences through grassroots and retail marketing, elbow grease and passion.
Josh spent three years as the Chief Marketing Officer at Film Movement, the New York-based art house cinema distributor, where he created and managed marketing, advertising and publicity campaigns for over 25 feature films released to the theatrical, festival, institutional, home video and television markets. Projects Josh worked on included films from stars such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ellen Page, Sandra Oh and Rose Byrne, and top award-nominated directors Deepa Mehta, Joseph Cedar and Scott Hamilton Kennedy.
As a filmmaker, Josh has produced or executive produced five documentary features, including CORMAN'S WORLD: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (Sundance and Cannes, 2011, national theatrical release, broadcast by A&E) and CAPE SPIN: An American Power Struggle (IDFA 2011, Film at Lincoln Center Art of the Real November 2012, platform theatrical release, broadcast rights purchased by Sundance Network).
In 2010, Josh returned to his home town of Washington, DC and opened West End Cinema, named Washington, DC's Best Independent Movie Theater by Washington City Paper and maker of the Best Popcorn in DC (according to TBD.com). West End Cinema specialized in the kinds of art house fare that found audiences through grassroots and retail marketing, elbow grease and passion.
Kurt Beadling
Marketing Coordinator
Kurt has worked with Passion River films since 2017. He graduated from Rowan University with a bachelor's degree in Radio/TV/Film and a minor in Marketing. Previously interning for the Philadelphia Film Society in their Marketing Department, Kurt is ecstatic to be working in the business of distribution and marketing film. Kurt's hobbies include kayaking, hanging out with friends around a campfire, playing with his niece, and going to the movies.
Liam Collins
Distribution Coordinator
Before joining Passion River in December of 2017, Liam attended Marist College, where he graduated with a degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Marketing. For the past two summers, Liam commuted into Brooklyn and interned at Oscilloscope Laboratories, where he gained a wealth of great experiences working in independent film. In addition to interning at Oscilloscope, Liam managed the social media and marketing for the Rahway International Film Festival and worked in product publishing for SkyAuction inc.
Jennifer Iwaskow
Operations Coordinator
Jen has a bachelors degree in Marketing from John Carroll University. She joined the team from Ohio in October 2014. Her previous jobs gave her skills in sales as well as distribution which has helped her exceed within the Operations department. Without having a large background in film, she has enjoyed learning more about the film industry and is working on furthering her knowledge in the subject. While not at Passion River, she enjoys spending time in her new home with her dog Romeo and husband Mike. She also enjoys hanging out with friends, playing golf, exercising and spending time with her family.
