British-Australian indie powerhouse See-Saw Films has signed a multi-year strategic slate production financing partnership with Paris-based investment firm Entourage Ventures.
Under the deal, Entourage will invest up to $50 million in equity over the next three years across a slate of features for See-Saw, recently acquired by Mediawan. See-Saw is behind hit TV shows such as “Slow Horses” and “Heartstopper” and award-winning films including “The Power of the Dog,” “The Son” and “The King’s Speech.”
The structured equity commitment is expected to reduce See-Saw’s reliance on the traditional pre-sales model and offer it more flexibility over financing structures.
“At a moment of major change in the independent film market, this partnership gives us the freedom and firepower to be more ambitious and entrepreneurial in how we bring singular filmmaker-led stories to audiences around the world,” said See-Saw’s joint managing director Simon Gillis. “Beyond advancing our own slate, it also gives us the flexibility to partner with talented external producers and filmmakers on projects that feel at home at See-Saw.”
Added Julien Delajoux, co-founder and president of Entourage Ventures: “See-Saw stands among the most distinctive voices in international filmmaker-driven cinema, with a track record few producers can match. We share their conviction that ambitious, singular storytelling for global audiences remains a powerful long-term proposition and we are delighted to extend our slate strategy into English-language international cinema through this partnership.”
See-Saw will continue to lead creative development, packaging, production and sales across the slate, working alongside its in-house sales arm Cross City Films, as well as filmmakers, cast, distribution and platform partners. See-Saw’s upcoming film releases include “Tenzing” for Apple Original Films and “Heartstopper Forever” for Netflix.
Entourage recently signed a similar strategic agreement with Italy’s Mediawan-owned Our Films — which is at Cannes as producer of Paweł Pawlikowski’s “Fatherland” — to invest in films that they produce in partnership with global streamer Mubi.
The deal between Entourage Ventures and See-Saw was signed by Gillis on behalf of See-Saw, Hubert Caillard (Intervista) on behalf of Entourage Ventures and Vincent Lebègue on behalf of Mediawan.
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