Vertigo’s existing team will remain in place and will continue to be led by co-founder Andres Martin.

Wild Bunch has taken a majority stake in Spanish distributor Vertigo, the company announced Tuesday. The move is designed to expand Wild Bunch’s pan-European distribution network which already includes France, Italy, Germany and Benelux.

Vertigo’s existing team will remain in place and will continue to be led by co-founder Andres Martin. Vertigo will also continue to act autonomously in terms of acquisitions. Wild Bunch’s international sales group will carry on selling films to Vertigo and other distributors in the territory.

Wild Bunch’s Brahim Chioua further told Screen that the companies will dig deeper into electronic distribution – notably via VOD – with Spain a particularly key spot given the country’s piracy issues. Chioua also confirmed that Wild Bunch will aid Vertigo in the development of its Spanish production endeavors.

Vertigo was founded in 1995 by Martin and Isabel Munoz. With a 170-film strong catalog, Vertigo’s release slate has included such important titles as Millennium, Le Concert, Le Petit Nicolas and Amelie. Upcoming releases include Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere [pictured], Mike Leigh’s Another Year and Nanni Moretti’s We Have A Pope.