Slow Horses, Heartstopper and Sweetpea indie, See-Saw Films and Paris-based investment firm Entourage Ventures have announced a multi-year strategic slate production financing partnership.
Under the arrangement, Entourage Ventures will invest up to US$50 million in equity across a slate of future See-Saw feature films over the next three years.
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 Ventures’ structured slate equity commitment is “expected to enhance flexibility around financing structures, allowing the partnership to reduce reliance on traditional pre-sales and respond dynamically to evolving market opportunities.”
See-Saw’s Joint Managing Director Simon Gillis said: “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. 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.”
Julien Delajoux, Co-founder and President of Entourage Ventures, added: “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.”
The partnership will build on the momentum of See-Saw’s first year as part of the Paris-based Mediawan Group, alongside which Entourage Ventures already operates as a strategic partner. The slate will focus on English-language filmmaker-led cinema with strong international appeal.
For Entourage Ventures, the partnership will extend its strategy of structured slate co-investment alongside leading European and international producers, building on a large, diversified portfolio of internationally acclaimed productions across film and television.
The negotiation was led by Simon Gillis on behalf of See-Saw, Hubert Caillard (Intervista) on behalf of Entourage Ventures, Vincent Lebègue on behalf of Mediawan.
See-Saw’s shows include: Slow Horses for Apple TV+; Heartstopper for Netflix; Sweetpea for Sky Atlantic and Starz; Apple Cider Vinegar for Netflix, alongside feature films: The Power Of The Dog; Lion; and The King’s Speech. Upcoming projects include Grown Ups for Netflix, Tenzing for Apple Original Films. See-Saw is also developing live action films adapted from Michael Ende’s novel The Neverending Story in partnership with Michael Ende Productions.
Jon Creamer
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