Former chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures Bruce Berman is joining with the founder of Through the Lens Entertainment (TTLE), Aditya Chand, to create a new pan-Asian film ecosystem.
Headquartered in Singapore, with operations in the US and Japan, the outfit is set to unlock and combine the opportunities of the East with the experience of the studio systems in the West, building a new studio platform out of Asia for the digital age. Through a library of IP projects and infrastructure, it aims to be a one-stop creative production house that brings together Asia’s billion-dollar burgeoning entertainment and content industries.
TTLE’s primary focus is on developing and producing a diverse range of film and TV projects that spotlight international talent and East-West stories. It provides financing, production support and distribution services to filmmakers from emerging territories and operates as a platform for new talent. The company has put in place its production and financing infrastructure in Singapore, Japan, Thailand and New Zealand, while embracing fully the benefits of new digital blockchain technologies.
Upcoming projects on TTLE’s debut slate include The Incident Report, executive produced by Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) and directed by Naomi Jaye as an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Martha Baillie. The romantic thriller follows a middle-aged librarian whose burgeoning love affair with a young Slovenian cab driver coincides with her receiving a series of threatening letters that crack open her sheltered existence. The film stars Britt Lower (Apple TV+ series Severance), Tom Mercier (Luca Guadagnino’s We Are Who We Are) and Sook-Yin Lee.
The Left-Handed Girl is a Taiwanese feature written and produced by acclaimed filmmaker Sean Baker (The Florida Project) and is directed by Shih-Ching Tsou, who co-directed Take Out with Baker and is his regular producer. The drama focuses on a woman who struggles to make ends meet in a night market along with her debt-laden mother, while her five-year-old sister, oblivious to the tensions, happily embraces the energy of life in Taipei.
While the above two titles are in post-production, additional projects include Skysong, which is being developed as both a comic book and an animated feature film with Freebird Films, the Los Angeles-based production company of Slumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto, who is the producer and lead voiceover of the project. The fantasy adventure is a transcendent fairy tale about a princess who accidentally falls from a floating Sky Palace, landing in the city below where she befriends a group of citizens. The comic book is in the latter stages of production while the feature film is in early pre-production.
Untapped potential
“I have been working in the film industry for many years, and I believe Asia has huge untapped potential and opportunities as a creative hub and ecosystem for the global film and TV industry,” says Berman, who served as chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures for 24 years until 2021.
Berman has a long list of credits as executive producer under the Village Roadshow banner, working alongside studio partner Warner Bros. Notable hits include Joker, for which Joaquin Phoenix won a best actor Oscar; Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven franchise; Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One; Clint Eastwood’s Sully, starring Tom Hanks; American Sniper, starring Bradley Cooper; George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road; San Andreas, starring Dwayne Johnson; and The Lego Movie. Prior to Village Roadshow, Berman was president of worldwide production at Warner Bros; he has joined the board of TTLE and takes the title of president and co-chairman.
“I am thrilled to be partnering with Aditya to create a high-tech studio for the East that will showcase the best of what Asia has to offer for today’s ever evolving worldwide market,” Berman continues. “We are building a well-rounded, innovative company that is ready to blend the best of creative storytelling with state-of-the-art technology.”
TTLE founder, CEO and chairman Chand is an entrepreneur with a macro perspective on entertainment and a global, solution-based approach to its future. A graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts, he has been mentored by leading independent and studio executives such as producer Michael Cerenzie (Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead), veteran Hong Kong film executive Fred Wang from Salon Films, and Barry Levine, producer of Tom Cruise sci-fi Oblivion and Alanna Brown’s Trees Of Peace.
“Asia is home to some of the most exciting and talented filmmakers and content technicians in the world today, and I am thrilled to be working with Bruce to bring their talents to a global stage,” says Chand, who is of south Asian descent, was born in Kobe, Japan and grew up in Singapore. He has developed relationships in the East, previously collaborating on projects with prominent companies in the region including Japan’s Nippon TV, Manga Kingdom and Asahi Broadcast, and Thailand’s NorthStar Studios.
Chand formed TTLE in early 2020, describing it as “a place where creativity and innovation can thrive, and where film and TV makers can focus on quality and originality”. He sees the future of cinema to be multi-cultural with international talent continuing to collaborate and create new stories from different perspectives.
“After the success of movies like Parasite and the adoption of global platforms, language barriers have all but disappeared and stories that were once classified as ‘foreign language’ are now being seen for what they are supposed to be — simply great movies that are worth watching,” he says.
“Today, audiences are yearning for more stories across cultural lines that are novel, distinct and different. We are in a time where independent film, regardless of budget, continues to thrive and we must support more production of those stories on an international scale,” Chand continues. “Irrespective of socio-economic status, cultural upbringing, native language or gender expression, we believe the best stories must be told and supported, especially those of diverse storytellers.”
In addition to being a financier, Chand is also a filmmaker and director represented by Hollywood manager Jon Levin, formerly of CAA.
TTLE boasts a team of experienced executives on both sides of the Pacific, including Robert Corbin who is joining the company as CFO after leaving Village Roadshow Pictures. Corbin worked alongside Berman as executive director of finance and operations for five years and was previously at Lionsgate.
With the launch of TTLE, Berman and Chand are determined to make a significant impact on the global film industry. Their vision, combined with expertise and experience, promises to bring exciting new stories and perspectives to audiences around the world.
No comments yet