EXCLUSIVE: Worldview Entertainment, in town with six films in the festival, is preparing a move into US distribution that chairman and CEO Christopher Woodrow aims to finalise within the next few months.

The development follows what appeared to be a departure for the New York-based financier-producer on the eve of Cannes when it acquired US rights to Arnaud Desplechin’s Jimmy P.

“We are trying to finalise a deal with a major studio or distributor for us to put movies through,” Woodrow told Screen.
“Our hope is that some time maybe this fall we can have something locked down.”

The identity of the partner was not known at time of writing. Woodrow has established close ties with Fox Searchlight and Lionsgate following co-financing deals with the former on Birdman and the latter on Child 44.

Woodrow said he expected to provide P&A backing for the distribution titles and was considering a cash raise from his investor base to set up an acquisitions fund.

Worldview’s Toronto entries are: Atom Egoyan’s Devil’s Knot, Eli Roth’s The Green Inferno, Ti West’s The Sacrament, David Gordon Green’s Joe, Guillaume Canet’s Blood Ties and Egyptian Revolution doc The Square.