Nord-Ouest Films, the French production house behind the cult classic Irreversible and more recent Berlinale title The Passengers Of The Night, has hired former mk2 films sales executive Ola Byszuk as a producer to expand its international footprint.
In her new role, Byszuk will focus on forging links with international talent and producers outside of France.
At mk2 films, Byszuk was responsible for Asia and sealed a number of deals that resulted in some of the biggest box office successes for French-language films in the region in recent years, such as Portrait Of A Lady On Fire to Korea and Maria By Callas in Japan.
Byszuk will focus on scouting for potential co-productions in Asia and Eastern Europe, which she also knows well due to her Polish roots.
”We will look for projects that stand out and directors whose storytelling has the ambition and capacity to cross borders,” said Byszuk. ”We’ll be open to projects from any part of the world, but Asia and Eastern Europe will be my starting point as that is where I know best.”
Byszuk is an alumnus of the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris, the production and distribution training programme run by France’s La Fémis film school and Germany’s Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, also studied at the Lodz Film School.
In her new role, she will be ramping up her presence on the international co-production and market circuit, kicking off with Cannes this year.
Nord-Ouest Films was created in 1999 by associate producers Christophe Rossignon and Philip Boëffard who were later joined by Pierre Guyard The company was in competition at the Berlinale this year with Mikhaël Hers’s The Passengers Of The Night and other recent credits include Stephane Brizé’s Another World which debuted in Venice last year.
Guyard is in production on Thomas Cailley’s new film The Animal Kingdom, starring Romain Duris and Adèle Exarchopoulos, while Rossignon and Boëffard are preparing Edouard Bergeon’s new film after his breakout French box office hit In The Name Of The Land.
“We’ve known Ola for a while, we have already had a chance to work together on several films during her years at mk2, and are proud to welcome her to our team. This strategic move will allow us to open up to even more international projects, we can’t wait to make it happen,” the three producers said in a statement.
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