Entertainment One Films International (eOne) today announced that it has established a $100 million acquisition fund to bolster the coffers of new president Harold van Lier and his team.

According to the company, the division’s new integrated financing structure will see it “secure worldwide rights on a series of premium commercial films in the coming years” and “offer producers a substantial investment in their films.”

eOne also recently negotiated production financing from City National Bank and OneWest Bank for projects into which eOne Films International significantly invests.

Former StudioCanal executive Van Lier is also overseeing the launch of Séville International later this year. Longtime Montreal-based vice president of international sales Anick Poirier will run the new division from eOne’s Québec-based Les Films Séville offices.

She will focus on exploiting high-quality independent films from Québec and Canada. Charlotte van Weede, senior vice president, international sales, will oversee international distribution of eOne Films International’s slate.

Leading the eOne Films International team at the Sundance Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival in the coming weeks, van Lier will commute between eOne’s London, Toronto and Los Angeles offices.

The company is expected to announce additional staff hires in the coming months.

“I’m incredibly excited to join the eOne team and lead the charge as we enhance our international offering to include wide-appeal feature films from across the globe,” said van Lier. “The acquisition fund is a game-changing resource for our division and will support our new strategy to get our hands on the most sought-after films in the earliest stages. eOne’s amassed ability to offer content creators a major financial contribution towards their projects, broad international expertise and access to the most robust international infrastructure is absolutely unmatched.”