Alex Walton has left HanWay Films to join Paramount Vantage as vice president of international sales and will relocate from London to Los Angeles.

The specialty division will launch its foreign sales operation in Cannes, a move that has been widely predicted since Nick Meyer joined the studio as co-president following his lengthy long tenure as head of Lionsgate International. Walton will report directly to Meyer.

Paramount Vantage will continue to distribute the majority of its international releases through Paramount Pictures International and will develop the sales arm to broaden its distribution channels and offer tailored releases for specific titles.

'We look forward to continuing our work with Andrew Cripps, Roger Pollock and their team at PPI,' explained Meyer. 'Having come from the independent film world, I can appreciate the contrast and the invaluable strength that the studio system offers.

'In this move, we will create a hybrid facility for our film-makers, offering both the studio and independent distribution systems, so we can individually tailor our efforts to the needs of each film in every individual market.'

A Paramount Vantage spokesperson declined to elaborate until further details emerged in Cannes.

As director of international sales at HanWay, Walton handled Woody Allen's Match Point, Julian Jarrold's Becoming Jane, Richard Linklater's Fast Food Nation and Noah Baumbach's Squid And The Whale, among others.

Prior to that, he worked as a sales executive at IN-motion Pictures and Myriad Pictures. He started his career at J & M Entertainment.