Berlin buyers have given the thumbs-up to Tricia Tuttle’s desire to boost big sales on festival titles but have acknowledged it will take time to shape a selection that combines critical acclaim with commercial appeal.
As of today, Sumerian Pictures’ seven-figure acquisition of Beth de Araujo’s Competition title Josephine remained the sole on-site US deal, having premiered at Sundance.
”Most buyers have said they are heading home at the back end of the [first] weekend or early in the week,” said Spencer Pollard, CEO of UK seller Kaleidoscope Film Distribution.
Some have watched upcoming premieres at market screenings and await the critics’ responses, while others will watch links or assign viewing duties to team members who are staying on.
But although overnight bidding wars are rare, sentiment among buyers is hopeful.
“It’s great Tricia is as engaged as she is with the industry and encouraging this kind of activity,” noted Dylan Leiner of Sony Picture Classics. “It’s clear she’s aiming to put together a programme that has both artistic integrity as well as some commercial potential. Ultimately…it will be about what distributors feel they can make work in their markets.”
Quiver Distribution snapped up North American rights to Dara Van Dusen’s Perspectives entry A Prayer For The Dying prior to the festival. Co-president Berry Meyerowitz described the film as “a clear standout and exactly the kind of commercial, stylised film we respond to”. He added: “We remain active and are searching for other films with the same impact.”
Ketchup Entertainment CEO Gareth West said, “As a film lover, I welcome what Tricia’s doing to curate a competition selection that is representative of stories from around the world. We need to see if they will connect with US audiences, and we rely on market feedback and reviews to help guide us.”
”So far we have felt as though it’s a strong selection this year,” said Graham Fulton, co-director at UK-Ireland distributor Conic. “Especially as you dig into Panorama, which is really where we find what is right for us. Berlin is also really useful for us to catch Sundance titles in the market. Out of all this, there are definitely quite a few we are tracking, and some that we feel could work well for UK-Irish audiences.”
”It’s been an interesting programme so far, and we are here until Tuesday, so looking forward to seeing more,” said Julie Pearce, head of BFI Distribution. ”However, given our focus as a distributor, there are only a handful of titles that are of appeal to us. The early days of the festival have become increasingly important, particularly the meetings we were able to take, which make it invaluable.”
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