Gruber shingle rehung with new partners, coin
Holmes pacts with Momentum Pictures, Film Council
He has also lined up debt and equity financing for his company from Bonaparte, the private investment group that previously backed his film "Waking Ned."
"Our goal is to build on Gruber's history of delivering top-level British films that recoup their investment," Holmes said. "The funding provided by these deals will allow us to focus on producing well-crafted projects which are likely to be commercially, as well as artistically, successful."
Building Momentum
The Film Council is providing a three-year deal to fund the development of up to six projects. Momentum, which is owned by Alliance Atlantis, will match the Film Council's coin for 12 months, in return for a first-look against U.K. and Canadian rights.
Momentum CEO David Kosse said, "I've always liked Richard Holmes' approach to filmmaking and taste."
William Parente, director of Bonaparte, which is taking a stake in Gruber, said, "We enjoyed working with Richard on 'Waking Ned,' and he was always top of our list when we decided to extend our operations into the production field. It's taken a little while, but we're excited by the prospect of partnering Richard as he takes Gruber Films into its next phase."
Holmes' other credits include "Shooting Fish," "Dead Babies" and "The Abduction Club." He spent two years running Civilian, the publicly listed production group that owns lottery franchise the Film Consortium.
