Welcome to our 12th Future Leaders showcase, in which Screen International spotlights the rising professionals in a key sector of the international film industry — this year, turning our attention to the young executives making a name for themselves in sales and acquisitions.
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It’s the fourth time since we first launched Future Leaders in 2012 that we have opted to showcase the bright minds carving their career paths in sales and acquisitions — and the class of 2025 couldn’t be making their way in a more different or unpredictable industry landscape than our inaugural cohort of next-gen leaders. Between the combined impacts of the streamers, the pandemic, the strikes, the shift in audience tastes and the never-more-fierce competition to secure the best projects, choosing to pursue a career in film sales or acquisitions is not for the faint of heart. And it’s why those who do, and who go on to succeed, can end up making such an enormous impression in our industry.
Just look at a few of the names who featured on our inaugural list in 2012: Yohann Comte, then deputy head of sales at Gaumont, now CEO of leading sales and production outfit Charades; Jeff Deutchman, then at IFC Films/Sundance Selects, now president of acquisitions, production and development at Neon; Peter Kujawski, then EVP of worldwide acquisitions for Universal Pictures, now chairman of Focus Features; and Anna Marsh, SVP of international sales at Studiocanal, now CEO of Studiocanal as well as chief content officer of Canal+.
So no pressure on our class of 2025! But also a clear signal that climbing the industry ladder in sales and acquisitions often leads straight to the top. What we said back then remains true today: the business of independent distribution and international sales is unconventional, and sometimes mysterious. Unlike filmmaking, there are few courses you can attend to learn the ropes or get a foot in the door. It takes perseverance, outstanding networking abilities and time to learn the ins and outs of deal structures and a company’s role in the whole financing and distribution puzzle.
But we know our Future Leaders of 2025 are exactly the types of fearless young executives for whom no challenge will be too great.
To find out more about our 2025 Future Leaders, click on the profiles below
- Zahra Benasri (Belgium) - Founder, Hors du Bocal
- Abe Bengio (US) - Agent, WME Independent
- Quentin Bohanna (France) - International sales agent, mk2 Films
- Juliana Brito (Brazil) - Executive director, Belas Artes Grupo
- Augusta ‘Goose’ Charlton (UK) - Director, international sales and acquisitions
- Sarah Colvin (US) - Vice president, acquisitions, Neon
- Jeanne Deny (Middle East) - Director of sales and acquisitions, MAD World
- Alfred Deragne (France) - Head of acquisitions and co-productions, Indie Sales
- Lucie Desquiens (France) - Acquisitions manager and sales agent, Charades
- Amelie Eckhardt (Germany) - Acquisitions and sales manager, Plaion Pictures
- Yeniffer Fasciani (Spain) - Sales manager, FeelSales
- Archie Faulks (UK) - Acquisitions and production manager, Embankment Films
- Marissa Frobes (US) - Agent, CAA Media Finance
- Nur Hadas (Israel) - Head of international sales, Go2Films
- Frederik Hemmingsen (Denmark) - Sales manager, TrustNordisk
- Adam Ibourk (France) - Sales agent, Coproduction Office
- Jason Ieong (Hong Kong) - Manager, international sales, Edko Films
- Joy Kim (South Korea) - International sales manager, Showbox Corp
- Miranda King (US) - Vice president, acquisitions and co-productions, Bleecker Street
- Maria Lanfranchi (Italy) - Festival specialist, Rai Cinema International Distribution
- Suzy Lee (South Korea) - Assistant manager, Barunson E&A
- Jessica Luo (China) - Head of film acquisition, iQiyi
- Kateryna Nahorna (Ukraine) - International sales manager, Film.UA
- Claudia Nario (Spain) - Sales executive, Filmax International
- Julia Nelson (US) - Financing and sales executive, 2AM
- Eleonora Pesci (UK) - Acquisitions manager, Curzon
- Tommaso Priante (Italy) - Founder, Luminalia
- Céline Rei (UK-France) - International sales manager, Anton
- Jonathan Rhodes (UK) - International sales manager, Cornerstone Film
- Salomé Rizk (France) - Festivals manager and sales agent, Totem Films
- Francesco Tocci (Italy) - Senior acquisitions manager, I Wonder Pictures
- Umi Yamamoto (Japan) - International sales, Nikkatsu
- Matthias Ziegler (Germany) - VP, acquisitions and sales, Epsilon Film
Profiles by: Geoffrey Macnab, Jeremy Kay, Rebecca Leffler, Elisabet Cabeza, Mona Tabbara, Jeremy Kay, Michael Rosser, Tim Dams, Ben Dalton, Emilio Mayorga, Silvia Wong, Matt Schley and Daisy Kim.
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