Wild Bunch puts its money where its mouth is
En route for the Toronto Film Festival, which opens tomorrow, where the French international sales and distribution outfit aims to do a significant share of business, Wild Bunch has announced the creation of a new €110m investment fund called Continental Films, a 50% partnership with a subsidiary of US banking group Citti.
The operation – which has been accompanied by an increase in capital of €25m – means that the French outfit now hold a majority stake in the company, while its four founders (Vincent Grimond, Brahim Chioua, Alain De La Mata and Vincent Maraval) hold a blocking minority. A similar agreement was signed in October 2005 with the Virtual Studios funds.
Now equipped with exceptional financial power, Wild Bunch also intends to continue its dizzying rise to success which began in 2002, in particular by acquiring rights (even to co-produce films with budgets of more than €15m) and by continuing to follow its aims in pan-European distribution. The company even has its own channel in France (Wild Bunch Distribution) and in May of this year signed a partnership agreement with Benelux distributor A-Film (see news).
Six films currently screening at the Venice Film Festival (see article) are from the packed line-up of Wild Bunch, which comprises a number of attractive projects including Afterwards by Gilles Bourdos (see news), starring Romain Duris, John Malkovich and Evangeline Lilly; Jaco Van Dormael’s Mr Nobody (see news) with Jared Leto, Sarah Polley and Eva Green; Gaspard Noé’s Enter The Void, Marina de Van’s Ne te retourne pas with Monica Bellucci, Sophie Marceau and Pierfrancesco Favino; Woody Allen’s Midnight in Barcelona, starring Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson (see news); Jérôme Salle’s Largo Winch (see news); Vinyan by Fabrice du Welz, starring Béart and Rufus Sewell (see news); Peter Mullan’s Neds and two films on Che Guevara by Steven Soderbergh (Argentine and Guerilla) with Benicio del Toro, Franka Potente and Julia Ormond (see news).
Other strong titles include Cristian Mungiu’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Oleg Mutu
film profile] (see Focus); Alain Corneau’s Second Wind [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] with Daniel Auteuil and Monica Bellucci; Erick Zonca’s Julia [+see also:
trailer
film profile]; Guillaume Malandrin’s The Hand of the Headless Man, starring Cécile de France and Ulrich Tukur; Pascal Laugier’s Martyrs; Olivier Jean-Marie’s animated film Go West: A Lucky Luke Adventure; and Vera Belmont’s Survivre avec les loups.
(Translated from French)
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