FEATURE
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future, I want to keep establishing and
implementing innovative strategies, what- ever that may be a few years from now.”
Bianca Obermaier International acquisitions StudioCanal (Ger)
■ Studied film theory in Frankfurt and Paris
from 2003-07. ■ Intern at Starhaus Filmproduktion (formerly
Kinowelt) from 2007. ■ Working in acquisitions for StudioCanal (then Kinowelt) since July 2008. “I started out as an intern at Starhaus and there discovered the world of acquisitions. I was hooked from the start. Thanks to my mentor Daniel Guckau as well as the team at Kinowelt/StudioCanal, I had the chance of being 100% immersed in the business. Being able to experience the conversion from a German independent to part of a European studio at StudioCanal is great luck and very rewarding as it’s representative of the challenges the business nowadays faces as well as the new opportunities it offers eve- ryone involved.”
Ann Phillips Head of acquisitions WestEnd Films
■ Graduated with a BA in philosophy from
University College, London. ■ Interned in development with independent producer Norma Heyman, and began working in development and acquisitions at Capitol Films in 2006, working with WestEnd partners
Eve Schoukroun and Maya Amsellem. ■ Joined sales and financing company WestEnd in 2008 as the company launched, heading acquisitions and development. The company’s slate includes the Oscar- nominated Footnote by Joseph Cedar, Neil Jordan’s upcoming Byzantium, Ralph Fiennes’ upcoming The Invisible Woman and Gabriele Salvatores’ upcoming Siberian Education. “I owe a lot to producer Daisy Allsop for helping me get a foothold in the industry — with her help and advice I was able to gain development experience with Norma Hey- man and then Capitol Films. I now relish working for a company as dynamic as West- End, and watching it grow has been a won-
■ 62 Screen International at Cannes May 18, 2012 3 S1
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derfully rewarding, exciting experience. Working on projects ranging from Tamara Drewe and The Invisible Woman to Footnote and Siberian Education has meant interact- ing with some of the industry’s most stimu- lating creative talent and key producers and financiers. The sales sector is an exciting place with more companies fi nancing fi lms and working vertically. Responding to the market while preserving our company iden- tity is a key challenge, and one that I enjoy. Eve Schoukroun, Sharon Harel and Maya Amsellem bring a real wealth of experience, business acumen and creativity. I continue to learn so much from working with them.”
Ingrid Pittana Head of acquisitions SquareOne Entertainment (Ger)
■ Graduated in economics and international
relations from McGill University, Montreal. ■ Career started in TV production and co-ordination with Rome-based TV production
company Sitcom SpA. ■ Worked for five years supporting the London-based financial team of Grosvenor Park while co-ordinating production for Fernando Ghia’s Pixit and foreign film distribution in Italy for Solo Entertainment
Group. ■ In 2007, joined the international sales team for Ancona-based animation company Rainbow to launch its first feature film, Winx
Club: The Secret Of The Lost Kingdom. ■ In 2008, joined the acquisitions team of SquareOne Entertainment. “Having worked for companies located in Italy, Germany and the UK across film fi nancing, theatrical and TV sales, acquisi-
tions and distribution, I’m still amazed that I feel the same excitement now reading a script, discussing casting, arguing over mar- keting plans and campaigns as in my first day on the job. “I have been very fortunate to have worked
with some great professionals. My fi rst men- tor was Christian Solomon, at Grosvenor Park, who really showed me the industry ropes. I learnt some invaluable lessons about the mechanisms of the industry from him and most importantly he taught me to listen, listen and, when you think you have under- stood everything, listen even harder! “My experience working for Al Munteanu
of Square One Entertainment has really opened my eyes to sales, acquisitions and dis- tribution and it’s been a rewarding, ongoing learning curve. The ever-changing market- place both in Europe and internationally has really put distribution and its prior models to the test. Currently we are starting to see how VoD is and will continue to shape those changes. How the audience watches, as opposed to just what an audience chooses to watch, is becoming more and more relevant.”
Mila Rozanova Vice-president, acquisitions and co-productions Carmen Film Group (Rus)
■ Graduated with a masters in literature from the Russian State University in Moscow and
later with a JD from USC Law School. ■ Co founded
kinoIzm.ru, one of the first Russian websites about cinema, in the late
1990s. ■ In 2001, joined Carmen Film as PR manager, later working in international acquisitions.
■ Co-produced Russian feature films including Playing The Victim (International Rome Film Festival winner), Yuri’s Day (Locarno competition selection), My Father Is Baryshnikov (Busan selection), Land Of Good Children (in production). “I studied literature and the basics of story- telling in college, but was always interested in the combination of art and creativity with business, strategic planning and negotia- tions. The fi lm distribution business that I got into is a perfect mix of both. “I love our industry because, in the very
end of this long profi t-oriented buyer-seller- fi nancier chain, the core of what we deal with is people and their emotions. When you see a film released, read people’s opinions, see them laugh or cry in the movie theatre — this is when you truly get rewarded for your long work hours. “This industry is full of amazing and
inspiring stories and people. Our own Rus- sian industry that has jumped from 84 screens in 2000 to 2000-plus in 2011 is an inspiring and dynamic market.”
Tunc Sahin Head of acquisitions and sales Bir Film (Tur)
■ Studied electrical engineering and attained MBA. ■ Started working at Bir Film in 2002 in the marketing department. ■ Moved to acquisitions in 2004 and was named head of acquisitions and sales in 2008. ■ He has produced one feature and three shorts. “Ten years ago, while studying engineering, I came across a bunch of fi lm buffs. This
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Antonio Salas
John Short
Christopher Seidelin
©Molly Cranna
Sophie Seifried
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