uMedia expands Celluloid Dreams partnership

European film group uMedia is to expand its partnership with Hengameh Panahi’s sales company Celluloid Dreams.

After partnering at Berlin’s EFM in February, the two companies have agreed to join forces for their international acquisitions and sales operations and will present together in shared offices at Cannes next month.

Titles include Takashi Miike’s Shield of Straw, which is selected for Competition, and Katrin Gebbe’s Tore’s Pogo, which is screening in Un Certain Regard.

Peter Rogers, who heads up uMedia sales division uConnect, will share acquisitions and sales duties with Hengameh Panahi on both mainstream and specialised fare along with Celluloid Nightmares’ genre slate as part of the package.

“This long-term collaboration is of huge benefit to us,” said Rogers. “Hengameh is a highly valued industry figure and someone whose expertise and renown we are eager to bring into the fold here at uMedia.”

Panahi added: “This closer working relationship enables us to continue to broaden our selling power with Peter and his team and focus more on content through Cannes and beyond.”

Titles included in the deal are acclaimed US director Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha, Catriona McKenzie’s Satellite Boy, Takeshi Kitano’s Outrage Beyond and Daniel Algrant’s Greetings From Tim Buckley as well as S Craig Zahler’s Bone Tomahawk, Heitor Dahlia’s Bald Mountain and Daniele Luchettis’ Those Happy Years.

Other uMedia titles included are Giuseppe Tornatore’s English-language feature The Best Offer, starring Geoffrey Rush, Sylvia Hoeks, Jim Sturgess and Donald Sutherland, Closed Curtain from Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, and Warwick Ross and David Roach’s Red Obsession narrated by Russell Crowe.