Paramount Pictures Forms Specialty Film Division

Posted on March 2, 1998

Paramount Pictures is establishing a specialty film division to be headed by co-presidents Ruth Vitale and David Dinerstein, it was announced Friday by Sherry Lansing, chairman of Paramount Pictures' Motion Picture Group. The new venture will operate as an autonomous division. Paramount Pictures is part of the entertainment operations of Viacom Inc.

"I have always been a huge fan of specialty films," Lansing said. "It's been a long-term vision at Viacom and Paramount to establish a division devoted to these very special motion pictures, but we wanted to do it right.

Vitale and Dinerstein will share overall responsibility for running the division while concentrating day-to-day on their own areas of expertise. Vitale will focus on acquisitions and production, while Dinerstein will oversee marketing and distribution.