Christal Films is cutting out the middle man. The Montreal-based producer and distributor is winding up its six-year distribution partnership with Lionsgate Films and Maple Pictures in order to set out on its own.

The move, announced Friday, makes Christal the first nationwide independent producer to handle its own theatrical releases, TV sales and DVD distribution.

‘My company has reached a stage of maturity and acquired a strong reputation that can only serve as a springboard for us to become completely independent,’ says Christal president Christian Larouche, noting that the company has, for the last year, been handling distribution of March of the Penguins and The Wind that Shakes the Barley.

The three companies will dissolve their distribution partnership on May 31. On June 1, Christal will add DVD releases and TV sales outside of Quebec to its list of in-house activities.

Christal’s slate for next year includes My Blueberry Nights from Wong Kar-Wai, Emir Kusturica’s Promise Me This and The Orphanage from Juan Antonio Bayona, all of them unspooling at Cannes. Other titles include Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream, the doc Earth from Alastair Fothergill, and Severance, a horror comedy from Christopher Smith.

‘My team is ready to undertake the challenges that await us,’ Larouche added.

‘I have a lot of confidence in these assets, and therefore feel motivated to go forward… In movie theatres and living rooms across Canada, our films will now be distributed in line with a single vision — our own.’