EXCLUSIVE: HanWay Film’s London-based specialist film division HanWay Select has signed a subscription VoD deal with Sohu Video, the VoD arm of Chinese internet giant sohu.com.

The non-exclusive deal covers titles from HanWay’s branded filmmakers’ collections, such as the British Film Institute Collection, the Wim Wenders Collection and the Jeremy Thomas catalogue, among others.

Sohu subscribers will be able to access titles such as David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch, Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Sheltering Sky, John Maybury’s Love Is The Devil and Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas and Wings Of Desire.

HanWay Select director of sales & distribution Fabien Westerhoff said the deal is an example of the company’s ongoing strategy of pushing independent film in the digital space globally.

The deal also increases the availability of arthouse product in China’s booming online video market, which so far has been mostly focused on Hollywood and commercial Asian titles.

Wang Yi, who heads Sohu’s international acquisitions, said: “We are aiming to the gain top spot in video traffic by purchasing hit TV series and blockbusters from Hollywood, but Sohu is also looking to diversify its offering by introducing quality independent movies and documentaries from pioneering brands like HanWay Select.”