(Cannes,
France) Independent film distributor Hannover House, Inc. (OTC: HHSE) reports
heavy traffic to its Cannes Film Festival / Marche du Film exhibition booth,
with sales activities on many of the 32 titles being showcased, including
distribution ventures for the U.K., France, Spain, Italy and the Czech
Republic. Additional sales negotiations
are continuing post-market for anticipated sales into Germany, South Africa,
South Korea, China and Poland which the company hopes to finalize in the next
few weeks. The Cannes Film Festival Marche Du Film is widely regarded as the
most important international film licensing market of the year. In respect of the number of program suppliers
being represented, Hannover House elected to brand its international sales
activities at Cannes under its Medallion Releasing, Inc. sales venture as
Medallion International.
“The market
was extremely lively at most times, with meetings often overlapping or being
forced to reschedule,” said Eric Parkinson, C.E.O. “Most of what we were presenting at the
market were new releases that required a lengthier presentation for buyers. But
the response was strong, and we expect to exceed our target goals as the
licenses for the higher-budgeted new productions close in the post-market
weeks.”
Principal
new productions for Hannover House / Medallion include: the dramatic thriller “AJA”
(commences principal photography July 18, Savannah, GA); the live-action family
fantasy adventure “MOTHER GOOSE: JOURNEY TO UTOPIA” (commences principal
photography Sept. 12, Atlanta, GA); and the supernatural-thriller “DELIRIUM”
(commences principal photography Oct. 3, Greensboro, NC). Buyers were also shown a promo reel from the
first week of principal photography for the science-fiction musical feature, “KRAFTROC”,
now filming. Financing for “AJA” and “MOTHER
GOOSE” is being provided by Silver Line Films, Inc. Financing for “DELIRIUM” and “KRAFTROC” is
being provided by Atlantic Studios, Inc., a recently formed entity for the
specific purpose of producing feature films in partnership with Hannover House
as distributor. While Hannover House has
no equity ownership in Atlantic Studios, Inc., the company is the beneficiary
of the distribution rights to these, and prospectively other, feature films to
be produced under this venture.
Hannover
House / Medallion also had four films as Official Cannes Market
Screenings: “THE ALGERIAN”, “THE DOLL”, “VALLEY
INN” and “THE HOMELESS BILLIONAIRE.” Hannover
House released “THE ALGERIAN” to theatres in the USA market last summer, and
the title will debut on DVD and BluRay in July.
“THE DOLL” is a new production from director Susannah O’Brien, whose
first feature, “ENCOUNTER” was also represented by Hannover House for all
media. “VALLEY INN” is a family feature
starring Joey Lauren Adams and Mary Steenbergen. Hannover House / Medallion are representing this
film for International, Video-On-Demand and Television sales. “THE HOMELESS BILLIONAIRE” is a
romantic-comedy that Hannover House will launch to theatres beginning June 17
at the Regal E-Walk (New York City) before expanding nationwide on Labor Day
Weekend.
“Our
hands-on experience with these titles as the USA Distributor has carried a lot
of weight with the international buyers,” Parkinson continued. “Unlike most of the exhibitors at Cannes,
Hannover House is a full-service distributor in our own territory, so we
understand the needs of the licensors and can help them with marketing
materials and strategies from our own experiences with these titles,” he
concluded.
“We have
surprised and shocked a lot of industry members here at Cannes,” said
Parkinson. “Although we have attended
the market for many years as buyers for U.S. rights – and two years ago, we
shared a seller’s booth with Odyssey Pictures – this was our first true
presence as a seller. It’s unprecedented
for a first time exhibitor to have four major productions, four films in screenings
and 32 total titles on offer. We
literally had some major territory buyers come by our booth and ask ‘who are
you guys and how do you have so many good titles?’ It was a great way to start a new
relationship.”