BET, Miramax form film group

The founders of the Black Entertainment Television network and the independent-film giant Miramax are forming a movie company to produce family comedies centered on black characters.

Robert L. Johnson, founder of BET and owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats, will oversee the company, called Our Stories Films.

The movies will be distributed by Dimension Films, a unit of the Weinstein Co., formed last year by Harvey and Bob Weinstein after they departed their original movie outfit, Disney-owned Miramax.

Johnson says he has lined up $200 million in financing so far.

“Never before has an African American had green-light authority at a studio combined with this quality of financing and a distribution partner that has a proven track record in successful urban films,” he says.