Ben Affleck and Matt Damon launch new label to support independent cinema

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are expanding their production company with a new label focused on supporting emerging filmmakers and independent cinema.

The actors have launched Artists Equity Independent Pictures, a new division of their production company Artists Equity. The label’s first announced project is A Woman in the Sun, the directorial debut of Julia Cox, who wrote the 2023 film Nyad.

Cox will make her first feature as a director with a cast that includes Renée Zellweger, Sissy Spacek and Mia Threapleton.

In a joint statement, Affleck and Damon said their careers were shaped in large part by independent filmmaking and that they understand its role in discovering and developing new talent.

They said the new label is intended to give emerging voices more opportunities, expand the types of stories being produced and respond to growing audience interest in high-quality independent films.

Another project in development under the label is Downriver, directed by Sam Jones and written by Carl Hiaasen, in collaboration with Hungry Bull Productions.

The announcement comes as Affleck promotes Animals, a crime film he directed and stars in that is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on October 9. The movie is also an Artists Equity production.