EuropaCorp acquires Roissy Films
Besson to tap into catalog for remake material
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EuropaCorp will acquire all capital and voting rights for E27.85 million ($42.33 million) in cash. It has already provided 66% of the total, with the balance to be paid in early 2009.
Roissy Films' catalog features more than 500 titles, including many from the world's most renowned directors, such as Michelangelo Antonioni's "L'Avventura" and Jean-Jacques Annaud's "La Guerre du feu."
Its distribution arm markets about 10 new titles per year; recent pics including Claude Lelouch's "Roman de gare" (Crossed Tracks) and Gerard Krawczyk's "L'Auberge rouge" (The Red Inn).
Recent co-productions include Nadine Labaki's "Caramel" and Emanuele Crialese's "Respiro." Roissy Films also developed a popular rights management software platform, Lisa Vision.
EuropaCorp wants to increase Roissy's TV sales substantially by developing the DVD and video-on-demand business. It is also planning to tap into the catalog for remake material, as StudioCanal has been doing with its film library.
The deal was announced in October. Raphael Berdugo, who has owned and run Roissy since taking it over in a management buyout from owner L'Oreal subsid Paravision in 1996, remained as operational topper, along with 15 staff.
