Sara May joins Embankment Films

Sara May has joined Embankment Films to steer activities in European sales, co-productions and acquisitions.

She was most recently evp of acquisitions and co-productions at TF1, where she spent nearly 10 years and acquired distribution rights for France as well as sourcing, developing and packaging for the international sales division.  

Prior to TF1, Sara held positions at Europacorp as head of acquisitions and M6 as program supervisor for English-language TV series.

Founding partner Tim Haslam said: “Based in Paris and Los Angeles, Sara is a focal point for Embankment.  

“Sara extends our reach throughout the business primarily in the US and Europe, further developing producer, agent and talent relationships, working closely with London-based acquisition and marketing executive Max Pirkis.  

“Sara’s appointment completes a dynamic international and multi-lingual acquisitions and sales team including Barcelona-born Maite Villarino (Hispanic territories) and Hong-Kong born Sharon Lee (Asian territories).  

“Like my partner and ex-Icon director Hugo Grumbar, Sara brings invaluable distribution experience and point of view to an ambitious international sales company.”

In the 18 months since Haslam and Grumbar founded Embankment, the company has generated a slate including Roger Michell’s Le Week-End and Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Diana, starring Noami Watts.  

Currently in post-production are teen sci-fi feature Robot Overlords starring Sir Ben Kinsley; sub-aqua thriller Pressure starring Danny Huston and Matthew Goode; and action thriller Kidnapping Freddy Heineken directed by Daniel Alfredson, starring Anthony Hopkins and set to shoot at the end of October.

Financed and green-lit for production next year are The Dressmaker starring Kate Winslet, and Mission Blacklist starring Robert Pattinson.  International pre-sales are also in place for Andy Serkis’ performance capture Animal Farm and Rupert Wyatt’s First World War drama, Birdsong, which are both in advanced casting.