FutureFilms has tapped Qwerty Films veteran Andrew Hildebrand as managing director ofFuture's UK operations.

Hildebrandhad been head of commercial and business affairs at Michael Kuhn's QwertyFilms, working on films including Kinsey and I Heart Huckabees. He previously served as director of business affairs at Film4,head of business affairs at Channel 4 and was a partner at entertainment lawfirm Mishcon de Reya. He also served as executive producer on Richard Attenborough'sClosing The Ringstarring Shirley Maclaine and Mischa Barton, in post-production.

Future'sCEO and co-founder Stephen Margolis will continue to oversee Future's UK and USoperations. Hildebrand will be charged with helping to strengthen ties with theUK production community, as Future transitions its business fromsale-and-leaseback financing (being phased out in the UK) to becoming a morevertically integrated production company.

"Andrew will be able to help create moreconnections with the UK film production community," Margolis told ScreenDaily.com.

Hildebrandadded: "I am excited to be joining Stephen and the team and helpingtobuild the company at a time whenit is entering a new phase initsgrowth."

Since itsfounding in 2000, Future has raised more than £2bn in financing for projectsranging including Bend It Like Beckham and Waking Ned Divine and is currently working with Spanish production Manolete starring Penelope Cruz and Adrien Brody,Michael Radford's Flawless and Anand Tucker's And When Did You Last See Your Father.