Sales org sets sail

Victor, Lumiere, Goalpost launch venture

By ADAM DAWTREY

LONDON --- A new London-based film sales company, North and South Film, has been launched as a joint venture between Victor Film Co., Brazilian distrib Lumiere-EBA and Tristan Whalley's Goalpost Film.

The first two pics on North and South's slate are "The Oyster and the Wind," a Brazilian movie directed by Walter Lima Jr. that screened at the Venice Film Festival; and "Conquest," a Canadian drama starring Lothaire Bluteau and Tara Fitzgerald, directed by Piers Haggard.

English accent

North and South aims to handle four to five upscale English-language pix a year. It has been conceived as an upmarket sister company to Victor Film, which specializes in genre product.

The venture brings together three experienced figures from the international indie distribution scene: Whalley, who was formerly marketing chief at Majestic Film, Lumiere's Marc Beauchamps and Victor's Alasdair Waddell.

Whalley will be in overall charge of North and South's sales and marketing efforts, while his own marketing company Goalpost will continue to operate independently.

Lumiere-EBA, Brazil's biggest indie distrib, will provide sales, contract and servicing backup for Latin America, and Victor Film will perform the same function in the rest of the world.

Whalley commented, "I see the team at North and South as an exceptional force because of the complementary mix of talents within acquisition, marketing, sales, finance and administration. North and South will draw strength from its cross-cultural makeup to provide a lively range of films for the worldwide market."

Beauchamps said, "It is an exciting moment of change within the independent sector, and we feel the time is right to establish a solid, globally minded company that will serve the mutual needs of the international film-maker and distributor."

Waddell added, "You could say that Victor handles mainstream and North and South handles the classics, but I don't believe definitions matter. The point is that distributors have different tastes, and these companies have been established to address the whole market. Between Victor Film Co. and North and South Film, producers can feel confident that whatever their chosen subject matter, their target audiences can be reached