Three of 2025’s most acclaimed international releases, all distributed by NEON, will get the Criterion Collection treatment.
Joachim Trier‘s “Sentimental Value,” Jafar Panahi‘s “It Was Just An Accident,” and Kleber Mendonça Filho‘s “The Secret Agent” will join the home-video distribution brand in the near future. That should include both hard-copy DVD/Blu-Ray releases and a streaming release on The Criterion Channel for all three films. That’s quite a coup for Criterion, but also NEON, whose rise as a buzzy distributor shows no signs of slowing down.
It’s worth noting that all three of these films premiered at Cannes last year, where NEON first snagged their distribution rights. And all three received rave reviews at the festival, with “It Was Just An Accident” winning the Palme d’Or, and “Sentimental Value” the Grand Prix. The three films have had strong awards seasons so far, too. Just this weekend, Panahi’s film was nominated for four Golden Globes, Trier’s eight (including a Best Supporting Actor win for Stellan Skargaard), and Filho’s three (with two wins, Best Actor – Drama for Wagner Moura and Best Foreign Language Film). Up next? To see if any of the three films wins the Best International Feature at the Oscars; each of them made the 15-film shortlist for potential nominees.
As for future releases, 2026 looks like another strong year for NEON. The distributor releases another Cannes 2025 favorite, Oliver Laxe‘s “Sirat,” in theaters on February 6. Other 2026 films this year are as follows: Ugo Bienvenu’s “Arco” on January 23; Matt Johnson’s “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” on February 13; Baz Luhrmann’s “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” on February 20; and Steven Soderbergh’s “The Christophers”. NEON also releases Boots Riley’s “I Love Boosters,” which has its world premiere as the opening film of SXSW this year, in theaters on May 22.
Stay tuned for official home-video release dates for “Sentimental Value,” “It Was Just An Accident,” and “The Secret Agent” from The Criterion Collection later this year.
