OXFORDSHIRE — Jeremy Thomas, the British film producer who shaped five decades of arthouse cinema through bold international collaborations and independent financing, has died at the age of 77. Thomas died on Friday, September 11.

A representative for Thomas stated he died peacefully at his country home in Oxfordshire, surrounded by his family and loved ones. The producer was born in London in 1949.

Thomas produced more than 80 feature films during a career that began in the editing room. He started as an assistant editor, working on Ken Loach’s Family Life and The Harder They Come. In 1973, he edited Loach’s TV short A Misfortune.

His first producer credit came in 1976 for Mad Dog Morgan, directed by Philippe Mora and starring Dennis Hopper. Two years later, he released The Shout, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski. The Shout was the first film produced under his Recorded Picture Company banner. It competed for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Grand Prix de Jury prize.

Thomas established himself as a key figure in independent financing. He co-founded HanWay Films in 1989, a company that became a player in international film distribution and co-production. His most famous production, The Last Emperor, was directed by Bernardo Bertolucci.

Thomas financed the film independently with a budget of $22 million, making it one of the most expensive independent film productions of its time. The Last Emperor was the first feature film to be shot in the Forbidden City in Beijing, granting unprecedented access to Chinese historical sites. It won nine Academy Awards, including best picture, in 1988.

Thomas produced five features with director Bernardo Bertolucci over a span of 17 years, including The Sheltering Sky and Little Buddha. His collaborations extended to other major auteurs. He produced Naked Lunch and Crash, both directed by David Cronenberg.

He worked with Nicolas Roeg on Bad Timing, Insignificance, and Eureka. Other productions included Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, directed by Nagisa Oshima, and Sexy Beast, the debut feature of Jonathan Glazer.

In later years, Thomas continued to back distinctive voices. He produced High-Rise, directed by Ben Wheatley, and Young Adam, directed by David Mackenzie. He worked with Terry Gilliam on Tideland and Jim Jarmusch on Only Lovers Left Alive.

He produced Tale of Tales and Dogman, both directed by Matteo Garrone. He also produced Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo, directed by Takashi Miike, which is scheduled to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on September 14. Thomas directed the film All the Little Animals, starring Christian Bale, which was released in 1999.

Industry figures responded to his death with tributes. Producer Stephen Woolley said Thomas was an undervalued genius. "He was a huge inspiration and a massively undervalued genius and necessary rebel in our industry," Woolley said.

"He sided with the subversives and movie anarchists and we loved him dearly. Jeremy showed with his first movie success The Shout that boundaries were there to be ignored or broken, and that movies are an international and all-embracing experience. Myself and my producing partner Elizabeth Karlsen look up to his guiding star still moving across the galaxy and inspiring film-makers from all nations and genders with his extraordinary body of stellar work."

Producer Mike Downey described Thomas as a curator of world cinema. Thomas was one of the most significant producers of world cinema in the world," Downey said. "The list of the giants of cinema that he curated, encouraged, selflessly supported and believed in, often when others wouldn’t take the risk, was a tribute to his belief in film as an art above all else. Jeremy’s legacy is incalculable and he has left an indelible mark on cinema history. Director Luca Guadagnino praised his partnerships.

The canon of his work is unmatched, and some of the greatest movies of the past 50 years have been produced by him," Guadagnino said. "And the level of the partnerships that he established in his career is incredible, from Nagisa Oshima to Bernardo Bertolucci.""

Why It Matters

Thomas’s career demonstrated the viability of independent financing for large-scale international productions. By securing funding for The Last Emperor without studio backing, he enabled unprecedented access to historical sites in China. His work with directors such as Bertolucci, Cronenberg, and Oshima supported artistic visions that might otherwise have lacked resources. The scale of his output, more than 80 feature films, reflects a sustained commitment to auteur-driven cinema across five decades.

His influence extended beyond production into industry infrastructure through the co-founding of HanWay Films. This company facilitated international co-productions and distribution, shaping the global market for independent film. Awards such as the European Film Award and the Bafta recognized his role in promoting British and European cinema. His death marks the end of an era for a producer who consistently backed risky, boundary-pushing projects.

Timeline

Thomas edited Ken Loach’s 1973 TV short A Misfortune. Thomas received his first producer credit for Mad Dog Morgan in 1976. The Shout was released in 1978.

The Last Emperor won the best picture Oscar in 1988. All the Little Animals was released in 1999. Thomas received a European Film Award for Outstanding European Achievement in World Cinema in 2006. The Storms of Thomas screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021.

What's New

The Last Emperor was financed independently by Thomas, with a budget of $22 million, making it one of the most expensive independent film productions of its time. The Shout was the first film produced under Thomas's Recorded Picture Company banner.

Thomas died on Friday, September 11. Thomas produced more than 80 feature films.