LOS ANGELES -- Lions Gate Films doesn't go looking for movies that will peeve and perturb. But the independent distributor has had its share of hot-potato films in its short history. \n Among them, the satirical serial-killer flick "American Psycho," the angels-run-amok comedy "Dogma," and now "O," a grim examination of teen violence that is based on Shakespeare\'s "Othello." \n Lions Gate stepped in to release "Dogma" and "O" after original distributor Miramax bowed out. \nDisney-owned Miramax came under fire from Roman Catholics who viewed "Dogma" as an assault on their church. And with its uncompromising tone, which preserves the Shakespearean violence of "Othello," "O" became too touchy for Miramax in light of the Columbine school massacre and other school tragedies. The movie finished shooting in spring 1999, just before Columbine. \n As one of Hollywood's biggest independent distributors, with no major corporate owner, Lions Gate felt comfortable buying both movies. "Dogma" became its top-grossing movie, with $30.4 million domestically, while the distributor plans to give "O" a fairly wide release in 1,500 theaters. \n "I do think that it's the relative corporate structure of Lions Gate vs. some of our studio competitors that allows us to produce or acquire certain films that others might stay away from," said Tom Ortenberg, head of Lions Gate Films, a division of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. "We do not go looking for controversy when we're thinking about what movies to distribute, but we certainly are not the sort of company that shies away from it." \n Other Lions Gate releases in its four-year history include the dark character studies "Affliction," "Gods and Monsters" and "Shadow of the Vampire," and the Mexican "Amores Perros," which features horrific depictions of dog fights. \n "Since Lions Gate has no one to answer to other than themselves, they must feel unfettered in a way that perhaps other distribution companies don't," said "O" director Tim Blake Nelson. "That allows them to grab hold of a movie like 'Amores Perros' or 'Affliction' or 'O,' without having to worry they're going to be removed from their jobs." \n Lions Gate has just acquired another sobering film directed by Nelson, "The Grey Zone," about Jews who aided the Nazis in the Holocaust. Other provocative releases include "Bully," the story of a teen who brutalizes classmates; "Lost and Delirious," about a lesbian love affair at a boarding school; and the upcoming "Liam," a gritty tale of Irish poverty from director Stephen Frears. \n Nelson and "Dogma" director Kevin Smith hold no bitterness against Miramax, saying they were glad the company was willing and able to sell off the films to a good distributor. \n "'Dogma' landed in a good place," said Smith, who's back with Miramax for his latest movie, "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." \n Smith, who made his name with Miramax when the company bought his low-budget feature "Clerks" in 1994, said Lions Gate has become Hollywood's premiere buyer of independent films since Miramax began focusing on in-house productions. \n "They're absolutely where Miramax was back in '94, '95, '96," Smith said. "Who's out there to pick up the American and foreign independent films anymore? Where's the great acquisition companies? Right now, it looks like Lions Gate is the major game in town." \n Lions Gate Entertainment was formed in 1997 by investment banker Frank Giustra, who cobbled the company together from the purchase of Canadian film company Cinepix, Mandalay Television and a British Columbia movie studio. Last year, Lions Gate bought Trimark Pictures, giving it a film library of about 1,000 titles plus its own distribution system for home video. \n The company and fellow indie distributor Artisan Entertainment have been in talks for a possible merger. \n Nearly all of Lions Gate's releases have been finished films bought on the open market. The company now plans to evenly divide its releases between acquisitions and its own self-produced films. \n Beginning with "O," Lions Gate also plans one fairly wide release every quarter. It plans a big release this fall for "The Wash," a comedy starring Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, and next spring for "Frailty," a thriller with Matthew McConaughey and Bill Paxton that marks Paxton's directing debut.
\n Lions Gate has several prestige films coming this fall, including the thrillers "The Cat's Meow" from director Peter Bogdanovich and "Lantana" featuring Geoffrey Rush; Richard Linklater's mind-games drama "Tape," with Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard and Uma Thurman; and "Monster's Ball," starring Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger and Peter Boyle as three generations of death-row executioners. \n While Lions Gate is focused on growth, the industry is littered with the shells of indie distributors that tried to expand too quickly into commercial entities, Thornton noted. \n "You don't want to start shutting out movies like 'Monster's Ball' by saying, 'Yeah, we could, but we've got the wacky new comedy from Biffo,"' Thornton said. "Right now, Lions Gate's a real good place. But I would say the greatest advice for anybody who has success in a small way, an independent way, is to stay there until you're sure. Let the glue dry all the way before you try to play with the toy"
