Altitude sells Spooks, Big Game

UK sales outfit Altitude Film Sales has confirmed a slew of sales on their growing slate.

Pre-sales on Spooks: The Greater Good, Shine Pictures’ action-thriller based on the hit TV series, have been inked with Constantin (German-speaking Europe), Swen (Latin America), Gulf Film (Middle East), Cinesky (airlines) and Cinemania (former Yugoslavia).

47 Metres Down, Johannes Roberts underwater thriller which is scheduled to shoot in Q2 2014 and has Screen Star of Tomorrow Vanessa Kirby attached, has been picked up by Entertainment One (UK), Square One (Germany), Wild Side (France), Vendetta (Australia/NZ), All Media (CIS), Dutch Filmworks (Benelux), Gulf Film (Middle East), Pictureworks (India), Suraya (Malaysia), Shaw (Singapore), CMC (Taiwan), Impuls (Switzerland) and Cinemania (former Yugoslavia).

Launched at Cannes last year, the thriller from Tower Block and Cockneys vs Zombies producers James Harris and Mark Lane, has clocked up an impressive string of pre-sales and continues to generate interest from buyers.

Big Game, Rare Exports director Jalmari Helander’s action-adventure starring Samuel L Jackson as the US president, has secured additional deals with Shochiku (Japan), Swen (Latin America), Pictureworks (India), Shoval (Israel), Gulf Film (Middle East), Multivision (Malaysia), Pioneer (Philippines), IPA Asia Pacific (Thailand) and Cinemania (former Yugoslavia).

Entertainment One (UK), Ascot Elite (German speaking territories and Switzerland) and Nordisk (Scandinavia) sealed deals in Cannes for total sales of 16 territories to date.

Found footage sci-fi Hangar 10 has been bought by Nikkatsu (Japan), Gulf Film (Middle East) and Cinemania (former Yugoslavia) while sci-fi action The Call-Up, Charles Barker’s feature debut which topped the UK Brit List in 2011, has been acquired by Entertainment One (France, Benelux, Germany, Scandinavia, South Africa, South Korea), Mediaquest (Philippines), Impuls (Switzerland), Mono Film (Thailand), Gulf Film (Middle East) and Cinemania (former Yugoslavia).

Julius Avery’s crime-thriller Son of a Gun, starring Ewan McGregor, Alicia Vikander and Brenton Thwaites, has sold to Kadokawa (Japan), Ascot Elite (German speaking territories and Switzerland), Mono Film (Thailand), D Productions (Turkey), Prorom (Hungary and Romania) and Mediaquest (Philippines).

Tiger House, a high-concept thriller from director Thomas Daley, starring Kaya Scodelario, has been acquired by ZDF Enterprises (German-speaking Europe) and Gulf Film (Middle East) while football hooligan spoof The Hooligan Factory from director Nick Nevern has gone to Gulf Film (Middle East) and Ascot Elite (German-speaking territories and Switzerland).

As announced by Screen at the AFM, Universal Pictures International Entertainment has multiple territories on the latter.

The majority of the deals were secured at the AFM in November with further deals pending.

Vertically integrated Altitude, set up by former Optimum founder Will Clarke, has quickly amassed a large sales slate under the stewardship of genre-aficionado and former Pathe executive Mike Runagall.

The company announced the launch of its distribution arm prior to this year’s AFM in November.

Clarke, chairman and co-CEO of Altitude Film Entertainment, said: “To be achieving this level of international business with distributors across our sales slate including our own productions 18 months out of the blocks is exactly what we wanted to achieve in finding and supporting new films and filmmakers.”

Runagall, managing director of Altitude Film Sales, added: “Our second AFM was outstanding.  We have closed deals on 14 films including titles brought to the market for the first time such as Spooks, The Call-up and Hangar 10, as well as Big Game and 47 Meters Down which we launched at Cannes. 

“Buyers have become more discerning so the level of interest from distributors in our slate underlines its strong commercial prospects in a highly competitive market,” he continued.