AMBI Pictures: in high spirits

“Sometimes it can be hard to prove to others that you’re serious,” says AMBI Pictures co-founder Monika Bacardi, whose surname reveals a famous legacy. But Bacardi, the former real-estate entrepreneur turned film financier whose late husband was an heir to the famous rum empire, knows it will take more than money to forge success in the film business.

“Without hard work, there are no results,” says the Italian businesswoman, whose ambitious entrée into the industry seemingly belies inevitable suspicions of short-lived ‘red carpet finance’.

Based in Monaco, Bacardi - whose full name is Monika Gomez del Campo Bacardi, Lady of Bayfield Hall - set up fast-growing AMBI Pictures with Italy-born, Canada-based producer Andrea Iervolino in 2013. Since then the ambitious duo have amassed a busy slate and are rapidly growing their vertically integrated production and distribution company, which now has outlets in seven countries.

AMBI’s production arm has backed some 14 features in the past 18 months, including In Dubious Battle, an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic novel starring James Franco, Selena Gomez and Robert Duvall; romantic comedy All Roads Lead To Rome starring Sarah Jessica Parker; futuristic sci-fi film Andron with Alec Baldwin, Danny Glover and Michelle Ryan; and Barry Levinson-directed drama The Humbling with Al Pacino and Greta Gerwig.

The team has a hand in development, production, post-production, international sales and Italian distribution. Backing comes in the form of equity investment, sales and post-production and VFX commitments.

The company’s Los Angeles-based licensing unit, AMBI Distribution, is headed by former Lakeshore Entertainment and NBC executive Julie Sultan, who spearheads a team aiming to sell eight to 10 commercially oriented, English-language films per year, some in-house and others third-party productions.

“Films have always been a passion of mine,” says Bacardi. “Films offer the opportunity to deliver diverse messages to diverse audiences. But I’m well aware this is a very complex and serious business. A lot of people sometimes think it’s just fun. If you want to succeed long term, it’s hard work.

“There are a lot of people with ulterior motives in the business,” she continues. “It’s not safe as houses - it’s a risk. But without risk you don’t get anything in life. You have to risk something. It’s a calculated risk if you have the right partner.”

Clear heads

AMBI’s foundations are built on the trust accrued between Bacardi and her prolific business partner Iervolino, who is only 27 years old but already had a string of producer credits to his name before the two met, including Michael Radford’s The Merchant Of Venice and Stefano Incerti’s Gorbaciof.

“Neither of us drink, smoke or take drugs,” laughs Bacardi. “That’s already quite a commitment in this business. It’s important to have a clear head.”

As for Iervolino, who oversees the day-to-day running of the company, he cites their desire “to make every type of film - sci-fi, drama, comedy, animation, all genres. Our clients need everything.”

The outfit’s most recent projects include big-budget animation Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad and Rupture, which Andrew Lazar (American Sniper) is producing. Both films are in pre-production.

Sci-fi thriller Rupture is being introduced to buyers at Cannes and has Steven Shainberg (Secretary) attached to direct, with Noomi Rapace on board to star. It is the tale of a struggling single mother abducted by a mysterious organisation.

Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad is an ecology-themed 3D animation, to be directed by Canada’s Matthew Lyon, about a sinister walrus who plots to accelerate global warming and melt the Arctic Circle. A rag-tag group of inexperienced heroes, led by a fox, must foil his plan and save the Arctic.

Few Italian outfits have cracked the animation market in recent years, but not many have had access to AMBI’s resources. The company operates a post-production, VFX and animation house in Canada (where Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad will be made) and has a production servicing team in Italy.

AMBI also has designs on further exploitation of its copyright through merchandising, with plans afoot for a subsidiary company to handle the merchandising of projects such as Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad.

It seems Iervolino’s ambitions for AMBI are boundless. “We would like to start a new animation movie every six months,” he says.

“We believe AMBI can be a studio one day. We would like our own searchlights, like Fox. We have time and we’ll invest plenty of hard work. If we want it, we can do it.”