The Works Media Group has announced that in late December it successfully closed a share placing through Seymour Pierce Ellis. The share placing, when combined with a loan facility, gives the UK-based company a further $4m in financing.

The Works' sales slate include Shane Meadows' This Is England and Sarah Gavron's Brick Lane. The Works UK Distribution's forthcoming releases include The Upside Of Anger, Ten Canoes and The Truth About Love. As announced yesterday, the company has taken UK and international rights excluding North America to The Killing Of John Lennon.

'We're delighted to have secured this prestigious and controversial film as part of our ongoing focus on building our UK distribution and international rights licensing businesses,' said group MD Chris Auty. 'This is one of several films where we shall be acting both as the UK distributor and as the international rights vendor.'