2026

• Celebrated Madman’s 30th anniversary, recognising three decades of independent film distribution and the company’s contribution to Australian and New Zealand screen culture.
• Enjoyed an exceptional Cannes 2026, representing five Competition films on arrival, including Palme d’Or winner Fjord, directed by Cristian Mungiu.
• 16 Academy Award nominations across six Madman films, with two Oscar wins. Sentimental Value – Best International Feature Film, Mr Nobody Against Putin – Best Documentary Feature Film.
• 4 films grossing over AUD$1M at the Australian Box Office Nuremberg, starring Russell Crowe, Sentimental Value, directed by Joachim Trier, No Other Choice, directed by Park Chan-wook and NZ film Pike River.
• Journey Home was a standout Australian documentary success for Madman, winning the AACTA Award for Best Feature Documentary and reinforcing our commitment to bringing compelling Australian stories to audiences.
• Former staffer, Paloma Schneideman’s directorial debut Big Girls Don’t Cry was Opening Night Film – 2026 New Zealand International Film Festival, marking four consecutive years of Madman films opening the festival.
• A record 40 Madman films played across the major Australian & NZ Film Festivals, including Sydney Closing Night film Paper Tiger, directed by James Gray. Dead Man’s Wire directed by Gus Van Zant Opening Revelation Film Festival.  Film Whistle directed by Christopher Neilus Opening Bangalow Film Festival.  Film The Fox directed by Dario Russo Opening Byron Bay Film Festival.
• The Voice of Hind Rajab, an Academy Award-nominated film blending dramatic reconstruction with real emergency recordings, delivered a profoundly moving account of a six-year-old Palestinian girl trapped in a car in Gaza. Madman’s Australian release generated more than $250,000 at the box office, supported by community partnerships and special event screenings that amplified the film’s humanitarian message.
• A remarkable special screening of film Lomu in Tonga on 29th July attracting approximately 8,000 attendees to Teufaiva Stadium.
• Signed a second MUBI distribution partnership, including films Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma directed by Jane Schoenbrun, Fatherland directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and A Long Winter directed by Andrew Haigh.
• Major restorations and re-releases included the tenth-anniversary theatrical re-release of Hunt for the Wilderpeople, including a launch across more than 70 screens. The 20th Anniversary Thunderbox Edition of Kenny, and the 70th Anniversary – 4K edition of Seven Samurai.
• Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie achieved the highest Australian screen average in its opening week, subsequently grossing approximately $420,000. This event release was then passed by John Wilson’s History of Concrete including a pre-recorded Q&A with Australian comedian Alexei Toliopoulos, collectible posters and novelty concrete-making kits, generating $500,000+.
• Streaming platform DocPlay celebrated its 10th anniversary in December 2026, marking the milestone with the full integration of the Garage channel and a major upgrade to its recommendation engine, enhancing content discovery and helping audiences navigate 5,000 hours of documentary programming.
• DocPlay expanding into presenting ticketed tours and event releasing films across ANZ cinemas including Jebediah, Are We OK? directed by Arlo Dean Cook, Sentient directed by Tony Jones and Naza directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor.
• Launched Ken Burns’ The American Revolution on DocPlay on 4 July 2026, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of American independence.
• BBC home entertainment output agreement renewed after selling approx. 350,000 units over the subsequent three years.
• A Madman first: bringing a streaming series to the cinema screen, turning up the heat with a special cinema presentation of Heated Rivalry on 5 December.
• Putting our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) into practice, Madman celebrated NAIDOC Week by amplifying First Nations voices and storytelling through a curated collection of documentaries on DocPlay. We also supported the Garma Festival in Northeast Arnhem Land, providing operational assistance to deliver its film program and deepen our engagement with First Nations communities.
• Film Boss Cat  directed by Genevieve Clay-Smith the first full-length feature film produced by Bus Stop Films, a disability-led Australian social enterprise on the 3 December 2026.
• Na Hong-jin’s Korean feature Hope demonstrated the value of an ambitious, event-driven theatrical release strategy. Launched across premium large-format screens in Australia and New Zealand, positioning it as a must-see cinematic spectacle and capitalising on its scale, visual ambition and audience anticipation. The strategy paid off, with Hope grossing more than $1 million across the territory.

2025

• Madman & DocPlay represented 4 of the 5 Oscar-nominated documentaries, reinforcing its position as a leading documentary destination.
• Becoming Led Zeppelin grossed $1M across ANZ, finishing No.2 feature documentary in Australia in 2025.
• Flow won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and earned over $1M at the Australian box office.
• Tina surpassed NZD $6M, becoming the fifth highest-grossing New Zealand film of all time.
• Launch of a dedicated Advertising-supported Video on Demand (AVoD) strategy, opening a new revenue stream via YouTube and Amazon Prime Direct.
• Band Kneecap performed to 10,000+ people at Fed Square on 10 March, sponsored by Madman.
• Cannes Film Festival success with seven films in Official Competition, including Palme d’Or (It Was Just an Accident), Jury Prize (Sirat), Grand Prize (Sentimental Value), Best Actress (The Little Sister), and Best Screenplay (Young Mothers, Die My Love, The Mastermind).
• Parasite tops the New York Times Best Films of the 21st Century.
• Streaming platform DocPlay exceeds 50,000 paying subscribers.
• Pike River opened No.1 in New Zealand cinemas on 30 October 2025.
• Entertainment Masters catalogue officially launched & distributed to 70,000+ households, expanding the home entertainment and direct-to-consumer offering.
• Launch of Madman Bonus Features Podcast. Episode One: Warren Ellis & Marlon Williams in conversation.
• Head Office relocation into T3 Building – 36 Wellington St, Collingwood.

2024

• Madman enjoy a record haul at the 96th Academy Awards with The Zone of Interest (Best International Feature Film, Best Sound), Anatomy of a Fall (Best Writing – Original Screenplay) and 20 Days in Mariupol (Best Documentary) as well as numerous nominations.
• We Were Dangerous opened the NZ International Film Festival after Premiering at South by Southwest (SXSW), Austin, Texas
• Adam Elliot directed Memoir Of A Snail opened the Melbourne International Film Festival, after winning Cristal Award for a Feature Film at Annecy International Animation Festival (France).
• August, Madman announced its commitment to reconciliation with the launch of a Reconciliation Action Plan (Reflect). Representing Madman’s ongoing commitment to strategically take meaningful action to advance reconciliation, create opportunities, engage and amplify First Nations storytelling.
• September 3rd, DocPlay Channel, a linear service on PayTV operator Foxtel is turned on.
• First DocPlay Original commission Second To None (3 x 1hr) is delivered.

2023

• Academy Award winning films The Whale (Best Actor – Brendan Fraser), Navalny (Best Documentary). Four (4) of the Five (5), nominated films in Best Documentary category represented by Madman.
• Shayda – Opening Night Film – Melbourne International Film Festival, Audience Award – Sundance Film Festival.
• Positive, cinematic stories about the environment, sustainability, regeneration… Bob Brown’s The Giants, Joost Bakker’s Greenhouse and Rachel Ward’s – Rachel’s Farm.
• Stop Making Sense re-release in 4K achieved AUD$1M at Australia & NZ box office.
• All The Beauty And The Bloodshed won The Gold Lion – Best film Venice International Film Festival.
• Secured BBC home entertainment output agreement.
• NZ film Red, White & Brass becomes 100th Madman distributed film to achieve more than AUD$1M at the Australian & NZ box office.
• Madman sponsors Garma Festival film program.
• Documentary feature Greenhouse – Audience Award – Melbourne International Film Festival.

2022

• Academy Award nominated films represented by Madman – Best International Feature Film, two nominations Flee, The Worst Person In The World.
• Australian film How To Please A Woman grosses AUD$3M at Australia & NZ box office.
• Film Nitram is awarded 8 AACTAs, Incl. Best Film.

2021

• Madman represented films prominently feature in Cannes Film Festival. Nitram by Justin Kurzel (Caleb Landry Jones – Best Actor). The Worst Person In The World by Joachim Trier (Renate Reinsve – Best Actress), Annette (Leos Carax – Best Director)
• Minari became the first Korean film to win an acting Academy Award.
• James & Isey grossed NZ$600,000+ at the NZ box office, ranking the film among the top 10 NZ documentaries of all time.
• Girls Can’t Surf is the highest-grossing Australian documentary in 2021.
• High Ground directed by Stephen Johnson is released as part Australia’s Summer of Cinema, navigating pandemic shutdowns, achieving AUD$3M at Australian box office.
• In March, Madman launched an Emissions Reduction Plan with the goal to be net carbon zero by 2025.

2020

• Parasite became the first Madman-distributed film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
• On August 3rd, the Curzon CM Development Fund (CCM) was launched in partnership with Curzon Film World Limited (UK), Cinéart Nederland B.V. (Benelux), and Madman Entertainment (Australia). The film development fund focused on director-led projects.
• Savage grossed NZ$1.5 million at the NZ box office, placing it in the top 15 NZ films of all time.
• Madman NZ moved to a new office in Beresford Square, NZ.

2019

• February 2019, the Madman Anime Group is sold to Aniplex, Inc, a renowned Japanese entertainment company and subsidiary of the Sony Group. Former in-house streaming platform AnimeLab is transitioned into Crunchyroll.
• Free Solo won the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.
• The Australian Dream opened the Melbourne International Film Festival, grossing over $1 million at the box office and AACTA Award – Best Documentary.
• Pavarotti grossed over $650,000 at the NZ box office, becoming Madman’s highest-grossing documentary in New Zealand.
• Parasite won the Palme d’Or and the Sydney Film Festival Best Film prize.
• Damon Gameau’s feature documentary 2040 is released May, 2019, grosses AUD1.8M at Australian & NZ box office and marks an output agreement with production company GoodThing Productions helmed by former Madman crew Nick Batzias & Virginia Whitwell

2018

• Gurrumul closes the Melbourne International Film Festiva, grossed over AUD$1million at the Australian box office and awarded AACTA – Best Documentary.
• NZ film The Breaker Upperers opens Sydney Film Festival, grosses NZD$1.8 million in New Zealand and over AUD$2 million in Australia.
• Streaming platform AnimeLab achieves 250,000 concurrent subscribers.

2017

• On January 24th, Madman established the production company Third Man Films. The first production, Blind Ambition, won the Tribeca Audience Award.
• On April 19th, Madman Media Group acquired Garage Entertainment, specialist distributor in adventure sport.
• All For One, a Madman Production Company film, won the Audience Award at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
• Mountain became the highest-grossing Australian documentary of all time (excluding IMAX), placing four Madman documentaries in the top 10 highest-grossing Australian documentaries.
• Jasper Jones directed by Rachel Perkins, grossed $2.7 million at the Australian box office, becoming Madman’s highest-grossing film directed by a woman.
• In November, Madman HQ move to East Melbourne Office.

2016

• On December 1st, Madman launched streaming platform DocPlay, featuring a curated collection of 125 feature documentaries.
• South Pacific Pictures sublicensing deal to represent ancillary rights for NZ production is secured.
• Hunt for the Wilderpeople became Madman’s highest-grossing box office release, with AUD$11.3 million in Australia and NZD$12.2 million in New Zealand, making it the highest-grossing NZ film of all time.

2015

• That Sugar Film grossed $1.7 million at the Australian box office and won an AACTA Award for Best Documentary.

2014

• On April 17th, Discworld Pty Ltd is established. Providing cross ownership of a replication business to further control the supply chain.
• On July 31st, Madman Entertainment is sold back to founders and a consortium of investors including Adrian MacKenzie, Brett Chenoweth and Charbel Nader.
• Streaming platform AnimeLab is launched in beta on 28 May 2014 as a Madman Entertainment skunkworks project with 50 series and 700 episodes, replacing the Madman Screening Room.

2013

• Tim Winton’s The Turning grossed over $1.2 million at the Australian box office and won an AFI Award for Best Actress.
• Shopping is Madman’s first NZ film released into cinemas, launching Julian Dennison’s career.

2012

• Searching for Sugar Man won Academy Award for Best Documentary.
• In July, Madman Production Company was launched, with Screen Australia Enterprise funding assistance. Notable productions include That Sugar Film, A Month of Sundays and All For One.
• Madman releases feature documentary Buck, 100th film to achieve more than AUD$100,000 at the Australian box office.
• Madman move to office – Goodwood St, Richmond.

2011

• Snowtown screened at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Best Actor AFI Award.
• In July, Warehouse Comedy (10 x 1hr performances) was produced and filmed at Madman’s warehouse in collaboration with Token Artists, featuring artists including Hannah Gadsby, Josh Thomas, Charlie Pickering, Tom Gleeson.
• Madman secured a deal with Hasbro for My Little Pony.
• Madman support inaugural Natalie Miller Foundation event in 2011, supporting the professional leadership of aspirational women in all sectors of the Australian screen industry.

2010

• Animal Kingdom won the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize, grossed AUD$5 million at the Australian box office, and scooped 10 AFI Awards, including Best Film.
• Madman secures home entertainment licensing output deal with National Geographic.
• Digital platforms iTunes and Sony PlayStation certify Madman lab services to aggregate and directly supply.

2009

• In May, Madman launched a development initiative ‘Keep Your Wits About You’ with Warp X Australia, discovering film project Snowtown.
• The September Issue was the first Madman-distributed documentary to gross over AUD$1 million at the Australian box office.
• Bronson won the Sydney Film Festival Best Film prize.
• Madman’s first Blu-ray release Transformers: The Movie.
• Wake In Fright (1971) re-release of NFSA restored feature, under supervised of editor Anthony Buckley. Following a successful theatrical release, grossing AUD$330,000. Film was reintroduced and sold into several territories by Madman on behalf of the Wake In Fright Trust and played part of the Cannes Classics selection in 2009.

2008

• Man on Wire won Academy Award for Best Documentary.
• Co-Funding deal with Warp X (UK) to produce five films including Paul King’s Bunny & the Bull is agreed on the back of This Is England success.
• Not Quite Hollywood opened the Melbourne International Film Festival and won the Best Documentary AFI/AACTA Award.
• Madman underwent a rebrand.

2007

• Paris Je T’aime became the first non-English film distributed by Madman to gross over AUD$1 million at the Australian box office.
• The Counterfeiters won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, a first for Madman.
• Palace Enterprises distribution output is signed, including films Chopper, Lantana, 10 Canoes.
• Notable ancillary partnerships secured Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.
• The AV Channel sales logistics business name was discontinued in favor of Madman Entertainment on March 6th, 2007.
• Madman become a full voting member of industry body AHEDA, fka AVSDA.
• NZ Office in Ponsonby, New Zealand is opened with a dedicated team, after ten years working with Manga NZ, Dunedin and GDE, Auckland.

2006

• On May 10th, public company Funtastic Ltd acquire the Madman Entertainment Group.
• Australian film Kenny grosses $7.7 million at the Australian box office and won the AFI Best Actor award for Shane Jacobson.
• On October 3rd, a partnership with SBS Home Entertainment was launched releasing 594 products over the duration partnership and AUD$65M in retail.

2005

• The Director’s Suite label launched to showcase important classic and contemporary cinema created by auteurs from around the world.
• Howl’s Moving Castle opens 61st Venice Film Festival.
• The Child is Madman’s first distributed film to be awarded Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival.
• Ong Bak is Madman’s first Eastern Eye label cinema release.

2004

• January, Madman’s Theatrical Film Division is established under Anna McLeish.
• Film Safe directed by Todd Haynes is Madman’s first cinema release.
• The Blues series (7 films) featuring works by filmmakers Martin Scorsese, Wim Wenders, Mike Figgis, Clint Eastwood is released as a cinema event.
• On September 9th, Madman founders were awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneurs of the Year (Southern Region).
• Short film Harvie Krumpet wins Academy Award for Best Short Film.
• Asian cinema label, Eastern Eye is launched: Asian Cinema, with a strong regional focus.
• Madman Intranet (NAVI) is developed in-house for licensing and contract management, product catalogue and production workflow.
• Madman Anime Group strike first publishing deal to distribute Manga books.

2003

• Spirited Away won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
• Madman move into new warehouse / office on Wellington Street in Collingwood, Victoria.
• On August 20th, related entity Madman Printing Pty Ltd complete first print & packaging order.

2002

• Spirited Away is released in Australian cinemas on December 12th, marking the beginning of a 20+ year relationship with Studio Ghibli.

2001

• Madman’s first Anime DVD release was the iconic Ghost in the Shell.
• Madman’s first Australian film on DVD – The Bank directed by Robert Connolly, followed by David Caesar directed Mullet (Ben Mendelsohn).

2000

• The AV Channel Pty Ltd is established for Madman to act as 3PL / distribution centre for independent / agency distribution businesses.
• Madman Interactive is formed, creating a post-production, DVD authoring and design services resource.

1999

• Toei Animation’s Dragon Ball Z is secured for home entertainment.

1997

• Neon Genesis Evangelion is licensed to SBS television and broadcast immediately after the hugely popular South Park.
• First anime title released on VHS was Bubblegum Crisis.
• First feature documentary released on VHS was Crumb, directed by Terry Zwigoff.
• First scripted feature released on VHS was Latcho Drom, directed by Tony Gatlif under license from Potential Films.

1996

• Madman was founded by Paul Wiegard and Tim Anderson in Melbourne, Australia.