"Producer Jonathan Sothcott is a friend of mine, and his company is Shogun Films. I think it's going to be the No. 1 film company for old-fashioned action films. It's kind of like a touch of Quentin Tarantino in there, you know?"
- Lee Majors
Shogun Films is a disruptive independent production company with a global reach that is dedicated to making outstanding, high-octane, filmmaker-driven commercial movies in the horror/action/thriller/crime space with a particular emphasis on black cinema. The company was founded by producer/actress Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott and industry veteran Jonathan Sothcott. Shogun is a trusted partner for the very best international sales and distribution companies including Saban, Film Bridge International, 101 Films and Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Shogun Films is a relatively new business with huge aspirations and significant long-term international growth prospects built on a foundation of exceptional sector knowledge and experience. Shogun is aiming to be the largest and most prolific provider of international genre films in the UK and Western Europe. We have a formula that works, the absolute cream of the crop of talent, and our timing is right. At Shogun, we love film. We are passionate about our industry and the people in it, and are proud of our incredible British film heritage, yet our ambition is global and our films are designed to have genuine international appeal. The Shogun name and branding is inspired by the great independent studios from the '80s video boom era such as Cannon and Carolco, however, we want Shogun to be a new breed of film company; one that builds and fosters long-term relationships creatively as well as commercially; that becomes an incubator to the very best creative talent and an immediately identifiable brand that gives its audience that little bit more.
Our philosophy is to give audiences what they want. We make world-class films using the very best talent and facilities the UK has to offer. We make films people want to see, not for ourselves.
We believe in independence. In an industry overshadowed by billion-dollar behemoths, we offer a counter point of true independence, authenticity and craftsmanship.
In the emerging post-coronavirus world, there is a genuine, significant gap in the market for high volumes of low-cost entertainment which can be produced and delivered expertly and expediently, and Shogun is well placed to fill it. The first Shogun film, NEMESIS, was one of the first produced in the UK during the national lockdowns and became a hot property in the international marketplace.
In November 2020, as a testament to the huge impact the business has had in a short space of time, Shogun Films won Best Emerging Independent Film Production Company at the prestigious SME Greater London Enterprise Awards. In 2023, RENEGADES was nominated for two prestigious National Film Awards and triumphed at the NIAFFES festival in Spain, winning three awards including Best Foreign Film, as well as at the Oz Indie Film Festival where it won Best Action Film. Shogun won the 2021/22 Corporate Livewire UK Independent Film Production Company of the Year Award and did so again in 2023.
And we’re just getting started.
In 2021, we launched Shogun Books and Shogun Records – publishing and soundtrack divisions to complement our core film production activities. In March of that year, the theme song for NEMESIS hit the number 1 spot in the UK iTunes charts while a glossy coffee table book exploring the making of the film allowed audiences an unusual degree of insight into the production process.
In 2023, co-founder Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott set up a Shogun Noire label to focus on genre films for black audiences, having found herself and her heritage unrepresented in popcorn genre films for so long. Shogun Noire will focus on female-driven projects both in the same genres as Shogun Films, while also pivoting into drama, television and seasonal family content.
The company also has a new focus on the horror genre with an epic slate of quality chillers in the works, featuring a mix of legendary genre names and fresh new talent, writing a new chapter in Britain's heritage of horror.
Accept no substitutes. We Are Shogun.