In devastating news on the eve of Cannes, Bleecker Street founder and CEO and independent community stalwart Andrew Karpen has died of brain canc
In devastating news on the eve of Cannes, Bleecker Street founder and CEO and independent community stalwart Andrew Karpen has died of brain cancer. He was 59.
Karpen was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2024 and died in hospital in Connecticut on Monday.
Longtime friend and Bleecker Street president Kent Sanderson said, “Our industry has lost a giant. Andrew taught us all so much, foremost of which is the value of kindness, honesty, and family above all else. His leadership and courage will inspire all of us at Bleecker Street for the rest of our lives.”
The popular East Coast native founded Bleecker Street in 2014 and guided the company through the disruption of the pandemic, Hollywood strikes, and the rise of streaming. He remained an enthusiastic and resourceful figure throughout, and was a regular face in Cannes and the festival circuit.
The company has released more than 75 films since launch, including recent titles like TIFF selections The Friend with Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, David Mackenzie’s Relay with Riz Ahmed, Hard Truths from Mike Leigh, as well as Guy Maddin’s Cannes 2024 entry Rumours, and Andrew Ahn’s Sundance premiere The Wedding Banquet.
Bleecker Street continues to broaden its remit into horror with the likes of Out Of Darkness and the upcoming The Third Parent.
Later this summer Bleecker will release Rob Reiner’s mockumentary sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues after it re-releases Reiner’s original 1984 cult classic This Is Spinal Tap. Over the years the release slate has encompassed titles like Leave No Trace, Captain Fantastic, Trumbo, Golda, The Assistant, and The Starling Girl.
Born on April 18, 1966, Karpen attended Washington University in St. Louis and attained a finance MBA from NYU Stern School Of Business.
He began his career at Miramax in New York and served at Oxygen Media as SVP finance & planning. Karen joined Focus Features in 2002, rising to president in 2006 and then on to co-CEO. He also assumed management responsibility for Focus Features International, the company’s former international sales and distribution arm.
Karpen is survived by his wife Pam, his sons Josh and Zack, his daughter Sloan, and Josh’s wife Kristen who is expecting their first child.
The family would appreciate donations made in Karpen’s name to the Lenox Hill Brain Tumor Center or Fairfield County Hospice House.
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