Seven & Seven will offer support to independent producers enabling them to retain control during the sales process.

Maura and Anthony Ford are in Cannes to launch Seven & Seven, a new UK company offering specialist support to independent producers enabling them to retain direct control over worldwide sales, marketing and revenues.

The pair set up the London based company after spotting a gap in the market for a new business model which allows producers to maintain control of their films, rather than having to license them out to an international sales agent.

Seven & Seven will act like a sales agent, helping producers to find territories and negotiate deals and analyze reports. The company will only represent films that are fully financed.

The Seven & Seven slate already includes Rob Holder’s comedy thriller Archie Cookson, which completed in March and will have its first market screening in Cannes.

Also screening in the market are two films to come out of the British Youth Film Academy (BYFA), Re-Evolution starring Brian Blessed, Julius Caeser and As You Like It.

Seven &Seven has been appointed as the sole sales representation for all future projects coming out of the BYFA.

“Over the years we have advised informally on films and kind of despaired of how independent film-makers when they get involved with some sales agency agreements, they lose control of their film and see very little for their return. All the deals we negotiate are signed directly between the producer and distributor. That’s the main difference and that’s the way it should be,” explains Anthony Ford.

“We have the experience to guide independent producers, to save them money and also make them money because we have the creative know how and we have the sales know how. We can talk to them about festivals, and which distributors are the best in each marketplace,” adds Maura Ford who has previously worked at Content Film and Hanway.