New York-based Arthouse Films has signed an exclusive output and distribution deals with Melbourne-based Madman Entertainment for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Madman will distribute 10-15 Arthouse titles per year in the territories.

The deal was negotiated by David Koh, Head of Acquisitions & Production for Arthouse Films along with Arthouse partner Lilly Bright and her Curiously Bright Entertainment outfit along with Paul Wiegard, Co-Managing Director of Madman Entertainment.

Arthouse said it had other output deals in the works.

The initial titles under the deal are Black, White + Gray: a Portrait of Sam Wagstaff & Robert Mapplethorpe by James Crump; A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams & the Andy Warhol Factory by Esther Robinson; Alice Neel by Andrew Neel; Peter Beard: Scrapbooks From Africa and Beyond by Guillaume Bonn and Jean-Claude Luyat; Next: A Primer in Urban Painting by Pablo Aravena; and Jean-Michel Basquiat by Tamra Davis.

'We are thrilled and proud to have Madman Entertainment as our partner in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa and to present our Arthouse Films brand and titles to this very important territory. We hope to establish ourselves as the label and brand of choice for fine arts, cultural, and music documentaries. We see ourselves as the Taschen Books of the DVD world,' stated Koh and Bright in a joint statement.

Wiegard added, 'the output deal with such a talented curatorial team formalizes a fantastic opportunity to deliver a consistent supply of passionate cinema about artisans to our territories. The label will further grow our distribution channels into gallery spaces, the book industry and arts centres.'

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