http://www.screendaily.com/story.asp?storyid=21353
Kisk launches P&A fund for limited releases titles in US


Jeremy Kay in Los Angeles 14 March 2005 04:00



New York-based entertainment business company Kisk Media Group International, which has satellite offices in the UK and New Zealand, has launched the Kisk Media Group Prints & Advertising Fund I.

The Fund is open to qualified independent producers with completed films budgeted at up to $8m that have a distribution contract in place or one pending. If selected, the Fund will provide the P&A portion of the releasing costs needed for a film to have a limited release in five to 20 North American theatres.

"Ideally, we'd like to have 70% of the P&A funds go to foreign filmmakers looking to have a North American release that otherwise would have trouble getting one," Crystal Adjani, Kisk Media Group Internationals president and the P&A Fund I director said in a statement.

"This allows the American public to have a greater opportunity to see great foreign films. I go to a lot of these film festivals and there's just some great stuff out there that I think is marketable enough to warrant a theatrical release beyond just New York and Los Angeles as a starting point. We of course are looking to offer the opportunity to qualified North American filmmakers as well."

The Fund negotiates a portion of box office receipts and certain other ancillary markets with producers. "This is not a grant," Adjani added. "The Fund has to sustain itself. But I feel that our terms and conditions are clear and quite fair.

"And because theatrical exhibition, even a limited engagement release, can be essential in securing lucrative contracts in the coveted home video and pay-TV markets, it makes sense that independent producers of modestly budgeted films especially have sought out private P&A funding sources."

=D> That sounds good to me! Some countries, especially ones that don't have a flushed out domestic advantage really sturrgle internationally. I know over here New Yorker films (small company) picked up almost everything made in the African continent. But its so tough for a small distributer that they haven't even released African classics (like Sembene's stuff) into DVD yet! No dvd yet! These smalled guys need all the help they can get. 5 to 20 isn't much, its basically going to rotate through with film festivals and be shown once a week, but that's better than nothing. Its a start, and could help launch some careers. It'll be interesting to see if their is a scramble and they pick up bad movies, or if they'll take the time to find people they can really mobilize nascent film industries around? More money is always good, lets see if they look to film festivals from regions or what?