Alternately praised as the savior of modern film for his role in bringing such contemporary classics as Pulp Fiction (1994) and Chicago (2002) to the screen, and decried by fans of foreign film for his poor handling of foreign titles on domestic soil (Shaolin Soccer and Hero, in particular), it's difficult to deny that controversial producer and Miramax co-founder Harvey Weinstein has — love him or hate him — unquestionably changed the face of modern film. A Queens native, Weinstein, along with brother Bob, founded their small production company in 1979 when they acquired the rights to the film The Secret Policeman's Ball at the Cannes Film Festival. Drawing from the funds they made distributing the film to establish their company, the Weinsteins quickly made their presence known among the Hollywood elite. The company's namesake was drawn from a combination of their mother's and father's names (Miriam and Max, respectively).

Miramax's early distribution of the Errol Morris docudrama The Thin Blue Line in 1988 grabbed headlines when the film's protagonist — the wrongly convicted Randall Adams…  » Read more