UK Jewish Film

Emerging Filmmakers Workshops at the UKJFF: HOW TO MAKE AN EFFECTIVE PITCH TO FILM FINANCIERS

Learn about how to better present your project to media financiers in this session led by Guillaume de Chalendar, who has many years experience at a senior level in film and media finance. The other members of the panel all have a vast amount of experience covering the full range of film financing opportunities. This is a unique chance for aspiring producers to meet some established names in film finance, and to discover how they can be working to get their projects funded, and crucially how to get face to face with people that fund feature films. 

Guillaume de Chalendar (Chair), Head of Media Finance, Bank Leumi (UK) plc, based in London. Guillaume has been involved in providing senior debt to the entertainment industry (film, television and music) for over a decade, working for various key players such as Societe Generale, Ingenious Media and Allied Irish Banks. Over a year ago, Guillaume relaunched the Media Finance business with Bank Leumi in London focussing on film, television and music publishing. The bank is primarily active in the UK, the US, France and Germany and can provide loan facilities in excess of $5m. In the film space, Bank Leumi (UK) plc can lend to producers and distributors.

Estelle Overs, General Counsel and Acting COO at Icon Entertainment International, who has recently overseen the international sale of the Ralph Fiennes' directorial debut Coriolanus.

Nick Bower, Managing Director of Media, Ingenious Media, is responsible for Ingenious' investment fund offerings focused on the media sector, spanning film, television, music and general entertainment. Nik was previously in charge of Ingenious's film activities, where his responsibilities included sourcing, evaluating and negotiating film production opportunities. He joined Ingenious in 2005, after many years working in acquisition and project finance for Allen and Overy and Goldman Sachs. Ingenious have been involved in the funding of many well known titles, including Avatar and X Men: First Class.

Jackie Hurt, Patner at Olswang, Partner in the Media, Communications and Technology Group at Olswang in London, specialising in the production, financing and distribution of films and television programmes, with a particular expertise in the structuring of multi-party financings of independent films including co-productions and bringing together various sources of finance such as government subsidies, co-production funds, distribution pre sales, bank financing and equity and tax-driven funds.  In recent years, Jackie has advised a number of US studios including Sony, Relativity, Lions Gate and Inferno; banks and equity financiers including, Bank Leumi, The UK Film Council (now BFI), Ingenious Media Investments and Reliance Big Entertainment; and UK and European producers and distributors including Pathé, Ealing Studios and Gurinder Chadha's company, Bend It Films Limited.

Parminder Vir, former producer at Carlton TV, has over 20 years experience in the media, creative and cultural industries, bringing considerable expertise in film and television production, media finance, business development in emerging markets and developing high level strategy and policy, and has been very active with funds and investors. She brings a “producers view” of the finance world to this panel event.