Roadshow Films CEO Joel Pearlman Steps Down

Joel Pearlman has stepped down from his role as CEO of Roadshow Films. 

Pearlman has been with Village Roadshow for three decades. During his tenure, he oversaw a diverse slate of titles from partners including Warner Bros, Lionsgate, Village Roadshow Pictures, A24, FilmNation, Made Up Stories, and Arenamedia. Some of his credits in ANZ include Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rings, Hunger Games, and The Dark Knight franchises. 

Village Roadshow today said Pearlman was also instrumental in securing “strong strategic partnerships” for Village Roadshow, such as its investment in independent production, financing, and distribution company FilmNation. Village Roadshow owns a 31.03% stake in the company.

“My time at Village Roadshow has been such a remarkable chapter in my life and it is a bittersweet decision to move on to a new adventure,” Pearlman said. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to have led this organization for many years and am incredibly appreciative of the support from Village Roadshow CEO Clark Kirby, Village Roadshow Chair Robert Kirby, and also former CEO Graham Burke. It has been a great privilege and honor to work for this iconic Australian organization and with an amazing group of colleagues over many decades who have shared my love for cinema and entertainment.” 

Roadshow’s upcoming slate includes the Midnight Oil documentary The Hardest Line, which will open the Sydney Film Festival next week. Other upcoming releases include the reboot of The Crow starring Bill Skarsgard, Michael Gracey’s Robbie Williams biopic Better Man, which opens across Australia on December 26, and Lionsgate’s John Wick spin-off Ballerina.

Village Roadshow CEO Clark Kirby said: “Working with Joel has been one of the great privileges of my career. Joel leaves an indelible mark on our company he has helped build, shape and evolve over a remarkable 30-year career. More broadly, there are few people who have contributed more to the development of the Australian film industry than Joel and I wish him the very best for the future.”