Independent studio Mubi is doing a major shuffle of its content division leadership heading into 2026, including promoting chief content officer Jason Ropell.
A person with knowledge of the staffing changes says that Ropell’s new title has not been specified yet, but that the exec will work alongside Mubi founder Efe Cakarel on a wider corporate strategy for the entire studio, which includes its own streaming service as well as theatrical distribution and film production.
Arianna Bocco, who joined Mubi from IFC at the start of 2025, will now serve as the head of the film’s distribution and acquisition teams. Michael Weber, the longtime head of Mubi’s German distribution wing The Match Factory, will now become global production head as Match Factory’s team will be fully integrated into Mubi while continuing to distribute in countries where Mubi does not have its own direct distribution infrastructure set up.
As part of this realignment, a dozen staffers at Mubi are departing the company, including former co-chief of acquisitions Kevin Chan. An insider at Mubi says that the changes will enable the studio to be “fully aligned and optimized” heading into what is expected to be both a competitive and challenging year ahead for the independent film market.
Mubi exploded onto the specialty scene with Coralie Fargeat’s Oscar-winning body horror film “The Substance,” which grossed $77.3 million worldwide. Earlier this year, the studio received a $100 million investment from Sequoia Capital and became a big player at Cannes, acquiring the Lynne Ramsey thriller “Die My Love” for a staggering $24 million.
But “Die My Love” didn’t come close to matching “The Substance” with just $11 million grossed worldwide and is looking like it won’t be a major awards contender with only one Golden Globe nomination. The studio is still expected to continue to have a major presence at Cannes and other major film festivals in 2026, as it prepares to release Jim Jarmusch’s “Father Mother Sister Brother” this Christmas in the U.S. and Park Chan-Wook’s “No Other Choice” in several international territories in January.
The leadership shuffle was first reported by Deadline.
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