Buyers flock to Protagonist slate

UK sales outfit Protagonist Pictures secured a slew of deals on their impressive EFM slate, including multiple deals on new films from Ben Wheatley, Eleanor Coppola and Joshua Marston.

Heading the company’s slate was Bonjour Anne, Eleanor Coppola’s road-trip romance-drama which is due to shoot later in the spring with Diane Lane, Yvan Attal and Nicolas Cage.

The project proved a hit with buyers, selling to Latin America and South Korea (California Filmes), Scandinavia (Svensk), Poland (Kinoswiat), Portugal (Lusomundo), South Africa (Times Media Films), Turkey (Tanweer), Former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria (MCF), Middle East (Front Row Entertainment), Baltics (Hea Films), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Cinemart), and Airlines (Cinesky).

Frequent Coppola partner Tohokushinsha had already taken a host of territories in Asia including Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and India.

Rebecca Miller’s upcoming comedy Maggie’s Plan, starrring Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke and newly minted Oscar winner Julianne Moore, added new sales in South Korea to AUD, Taiwan to Cai Chang International (CCI), Poland to Best Film, Czech Republic/Slovakia to Cinemart, Former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria to MCF, Israel to Lev Films, Indonesia to PT Amero, Baltics to Hea Films and to Cinesky for Airlines.

Hit Sundance documentary Dark Horse, which was snapped up by Sony Pictures Classics for North America during the EFM, continued to sell well, with deals closing in Berlin to Madman Entertainment for Australia and New Zealand, Betta Pictures for Spain, Front Row Entertainment for the Middle East, Zed for France, and Bir Film for Turkey. Discussions are at an advanced stage on a sale to Scandinavia.

The currently Untitled Joshua Marston project and Ben Wheatley’s next film Free Fire also added new distributors.

The Marston sold to AUD for South Korea, Best Film for Poland, CCI for Taiwan, Cinesky for Airlines and Lusomundo for Portugal, while Free Fire, which goes into production in the spring, sold to Sookie Pictures for South Korea, CCI for Taiwan, Front Row Entertainment for the Middle East and Queen International Pictures for Indonesia, in addition to the recently announced multi-territory deal to Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA).

Heyday Films’ Testament Of Youth, which recently opened in the UK with Lionsgate, is almost sold out. France has newly sold to Mars, Benelux to Cineart, Middle East to Front Row Entertainment, Portugal to Lusomundo, South Korea to Pan Cinema, Indonesia to Queen International Pictures,  and CIS and Baltics to MGN Paradise.

“Protagonist had a very fruitful EFM and did brisk business across a range of titles,” said CEO Mike Goodridge. “The international buyers are really responding to the quality and calibre of our projects, and we can’t wait to show them footage of several new titles at Cannes.”