Salt taps seasoned exec Norrie

Sales veteran to head international division

By ALI JAAFAR

LONDON — U.K.-based sales and finance entity the Salt Company has tapped seasoned sales exec James Norrie to head up its international division.

Norrie was previously head of sales at Capitol Films and before that at Icon.

The appointment of the well-respected Norrie is a further indication of the desire of Salt execs to expand their operations. In April this year they re-launched and re-named the company — it was previously known as Lumina Films. The name change was primarily to reflect its sharpened focus on packaging and financing international films.

Salt, a part of the Intl. Film Collective, is run by Samantha Horley as managing director, with Robert Bevan and Cyril Megret as directors.

Originally founded in Spain as the sales arm of Latin American shingle Buena Onda, also part of the Intl. Film Collective, Lumina Films relocated to London in 2005.

Since then the company, while still specializing in Latin American features such as Sergio Machado’s steamy 2005 love triangle pic “Lower City,” diversified its slate to take on projects from around the world, including the U.K.

Salt’s slate includes Rebecca Miller’s “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee,” starring Robin Wright Penn, Keanu Reeves, Maria Bello and Julianne Moore, and eco-documentary “Big River Man,” about one man’s attempt to become the first person to swim the Amazon. Both projects are in post-production.