Rome-based sales and co-production outfit Buskin Filmhas sealed a '$20m financial partnership with Italian private funds groupMg Lab.''

The deal will enable Buskin to board internationalco-productions by'investing between 10-25% of a film's budget.

In future, Buskin hopes' to be able to invest upto 35% of a movie's budget.'' Buskin CEO Antonio Guadalupi said hehopes to invest in 10 films over' the next three years.

Each project will have a project of $10-$12m.''Under the new partnership, Buskin will partly finance Etruscan Mask, a' horror film by Ted Nicolao which is sold by Beyond and startsshooting' on July 10; and Sleeping Around, anadaptation of the stage play that 'starts shooting on August 21.''

Guadalupi says the partnership was borne out of theneed to find new'forms of financing international pictures, particularlyin light of' the changing financial systems in the UK and Germany whichmake those 'territories less attractive to co-production territories.''

"We want to tell international productions tocome to Italy and we can'put up to 25% of their budget," saysGuadalupi.

''Buskin's co-production credits include TheGood Woman, Modigliani and' John Irving'sUK-Hungarian-Italian co-production The Moon And The 'Stars, for which Buskin has put up 45% of the budget.''

Mg Lab is based in the northern Italian town of Turinand has' experience in European and American private fundsadministration.