October Films

{{Short description|Former independent film production company}}

{{About-distinguish2|the defunct American independent film production company|the currently-trading London and New York-based television production company October Films Limited and its subsidiary, October Films Inc.}}

{{Infobox company

| name = October Films, Inc.

| logo = October Films logo.svg

| caption =

| trading_name =

| fate = Sold to USA Networks and merged with Gramercy Pictures, Interscope Communications and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

| successor = USA Films
Focus Features

| foundation = {{start date and age|1991}}

| founder = Bingham Ray
Jeff Lipsky

| defunct = {{end date and age|1999}}

| location =

| location_city = Beverly Hills, California

| location_country = United States

| locations =

| industry = Independent film

| key_people =

| products =

| num_employees =

| owner =

| parent = Universal Studios (1997–1999)

| subsid = Rogue Pictures

}}

October Films, Inc. was a major U.S. independent film production company{{cite web|url=http://www.thefilmjournal.com/issue6/americancinema.html |title=Are the U.S.A.'s Independent Films a Distinct National Cinema? |publisher=TheFilmJournal.com |access-date=2013-08-12}} and distributor founded in 1991 by Bingham Ray and Jeff Lipsky as a means of distributing the 1990 film Life Is Sweet.

A series of mergers and acquisitions began when Universal Studios (then a division of the Seagram Company) bought a majority stake in October Films in 1997.{{cite web|last=Eller|first=Claudia |date=1997-05-01|title=Universal Says It Will Acquire October Films|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-05-01-fi-54134-story.html|access-date=2021-03-26|website=Los Angeles Times}} In 1999, Universal sold its shares to Barry Diller, who renamed the company USA Films and merged it with Interscope Communications and Gramercy Pictures.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-09 |title=Interscope Communications |url=https://www.avid.wiki/Interscope_Communications |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=Audiovisual Identity Database |language=en}} Vivendi then acquired USA Films, which acquired Good Machine in 2002 and merged it with USA Films, forming Focus Features.