21/02/2006

Founded in 2003, Backup Films, the Parisian company specialising in finding film finance and the setting up of co-productions, has added a new string to its bow by heading a Sofica (a finance company for the film and audiovisual industry), which allows tax deductions against investment in the sector. Baptised Coficup, this Sofica, with €1.15m for 2006, will concentrate on minority French co-productions in Europe and on independent French features with good prospects of international success. Investment decisions will be made by a committee that includes Carole Baraton (Wild Bunch), Nathanael Karmitz (MK2), Eric Lagesse (Pyramide) and Backup Films’ Olivier Aknin and Joël Thibout.

However, Backup’s core activity remains supporting projects in development and setting up of film finance. Since its creation, the company has been involved in 15 features, most notably Radu Mihaileanu’s Live and Become [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Denis Carot
interview: Didar Domehri
interview: Radu Mihaileanu
film profile] , Yilmaz Arslan’s Fratricide , Raoul Ruiz’s The Lost Domain, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Tropical Malady, Serge Frydman’s Mon ange (lit. "My Angel"), Fabrice du Welz’s The Way of the Cross [+see also:
trailer
interview: Fabrice du Welz
film profile], as well as Alain Guiraudie’s No Rest for the Brave [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

2006 is also shaping up to be an excellent year with titles that include Angosto by Jorge Sanchez-Cabezudo (a co-production between Alta Films Producción, The Film, Fado Filmes and Arte France Cinéma), Confidentiel by Rodolphe Marconi (produced by Realitism Films) and the animated film Renaissance from Christian Volckmann (Onyx Films), which will be released on French screens on March 15.

Backup is currently working on another important project, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Intimacy. This debut feature is a co-production between Thailand and France, supported by The New Crowned Hope, a collection of films from young directors organised by Simon Field to celebrate Mozart Year. Also on the drawing table is Fabrice du Welz’s next film, Vinyan, the screenplay for which is nearing completion and which is being produced by French company The Film.

(Translated from French)