25/02/2008

As of March 31, the international sales division of Bavaria Media GmbH, Bavaria Film International (BFI), will be run solely by Thorsten Ritter, following the departure of the company’s co-managing director Thorsten Schaumann, who will join the acquisitions department of German pay TV broadcaster Premiere.

Ritter’s long-time colleague Stefanie Zeitler will continue to work as head of sales, Klaus Rasmussen as sales manager and Sebastian Kiesmueller as head of marketing. However, other staff members will soon be added as part of BFI’s strategy to further expand its international portfolio, while also staying closely connected to the German film industry.

“Ideally, we would like our line-up to be 50% international and 50% German, offering a mix of arthouse films with other titles with a wider appeal,” Ritter told Cineuropa.

At the last Berlinale BFI did excellent business across its slate, recording higher revenues within the first half of the market than for its overall 2007 results. Doris Dörrie’s competition entry Cherry Blossoms – Hanami [+see also:
trailer
film profile] sold to a dozen territories, including Benelux (Cinemien), France (Jour 2 Fete), Spain (Wanda), Norway (Fidalgo) and Greece (PCV).

The other competition title, Black Ice [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kai Nordberg
interview: Petri Kotwica
film profile] by Finland’s Petri Kotwica, sold to seven territories, including France (Surreal Film), Bulgaria (Multivision), CIS and the Baltic States (Plan 2 Real). BFI’s third competition title, Restless by Israel’s Amos Kollek, was sold to Brazil (Estacao) and Greece (Ama Films), who also picked up the controversial Panorama title La Rabia by Albertina Carri.

The Swedish vampire film Let The Right One In by Tomas Alfredson (winner of a top award in Göteborg), was picked up by Magnolia Pictures for the US and Momentum for the UK. The German animated film Lissi and the Wild Emperor by Michael Herbig sold to China (HGC), Brazil (Art Film), Turkey (Ozenfilm), Spain (Key2 Media), CIS and the Baltic States (Luxor), and Greece (PCV) for DVD and TV.