What's in a name' A lot if it is misleading. That is why Lumina Films has this week rebranded as The Salt Company.

Lumina was originally founded in Spain to sell the Latin American films produced by Buena Onda Films. But since 2005, Lumina has been London-based with a more diverse slate and in 2006 the company split with Buena Onda producer Don Ranvaud. So the new name reflects a broader remit.

Samantha Horley, Salt's managing director, explains: 'We wanted to do more than small Latin films - we want to do international films. Our remit is far broader than the old name suggested. Also, we're not just sales but we do production financing as well.' Horley has been with Lumina since 2005, and has worked with a range of films as a veteran of Polygram, Summit and Myriad.

Her business partners in Lumina have been Robert Bevan and Cyril Megret, who also worked with the Buena Onda slate. Megret executive produced Oyster Farmer and Maldeamores, and is also a finance veteran who helped set up funding for Waking Ned Devine. Bevan has executive produced films including James Toback's When Will I Be Loved and Pablo Trapero's Familia Rodante.

Now all three will concentrate on the broader aims of Salt, in which Bevan and Megret are directors. 'Robert and Cyril are really brilliant at financial structuring,' Horley says. 'We want people to come to us much earlier and we can help them with financing and packaging. They can feel they've got a partner, not just a sales company.'

The new name is meant to evoke 'a simple ingredient that's also essential', Horley says.

A key project that underlines Salt's ambitions is Rebecca Miller's The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee, which Salt boarded at script stage. The film starts shooting on April 14 in Connecticut and stars Robin Wright Penn, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Monica Bellucci, Julianne Moore, Maria Bello and Alan Arkin. It was brought to the company by its LA-based representative Susan Wrubel.

'We want to work with more established directors and producers like Rebecca Miller,' Horley says. 'We think our slate will be mostly US and UK films with maybe one or two international films per year.'

Salt will concentrate on English-language fiction films but will handle the occasional theatrical documentary (such as current project Big River Man) or foreign-language project (another current film is City Of Men).

Lumina handled a number of genre films and Salt will continue to work 'on smart thrillers at the right budget level'. One example of that is Sundance hit Donkey Punch, which Lumina sold to Magnolia for the US.

Salt plans to work initially with six to eight films per year. The company will have new projects to announce for its Cannes market slate, and also has high hopes for the just-finished White Lightnin': The Jesco White Murders, a US-set drama/thriller starring Carrie Fisher.

Salt continues to be backed by Monaco-based private investing company International Film Collective. That company also backs sister music labels and Puerto Rico-based production outfit Buena Ondita, which can create synergies for Salt such as soundtrack work and accessing the Puerto Rican tax credit.

Summing up the kinds of films for which Salt will be known, Horley says: 'Our films have just got to have a flavour. We're a fresh, energetic company and we're having fun with it.'

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