(Variety) Los Angeles-based sales and distribution company Indie Rights has struck a 13-film licensing deal with China’s Huala New Media. Huala is a Beijing-based distribution and tech firm.
Titles under the deal include recent U.S. theatrical releases “Hello & Goodbye,” “Hidden Light,” “A Normal Life,” “All I Want,” and “Blur Circle,” as well as a further nine titles. The deal covers all rights in mainland China, though theatrical releases are not likely.
The remaining titles include “Color Me You,” “Tangerineland,” “Dance Baby Dance,” “Her Composition,” “20 to Life,” and “30-Love.” Indie Rights expects to give another of the films, “Love All You Have Left,” a limited U.S. theatrical release in June. “Angels On Tap,” starring Ed Asner and Jamie Farr, is to have a limited North American theatrical release in July.
“It’s a great way to start off the market for us. It was literally our first meeting when the Cannes Film Market opened,” Indie Rights CEO Linda Nelson told Variety.
Indie Rights struck a similar deal with Huala, for 13 films, during the American Film Market last November. It was the first AFM for Indie Rights since it became an IFTA member. Indie Rights maintains direct partnerships with the leading U.S. digital platforms including Google, Cinedigm, MGo and Adrise. That includes the ability to distribute globally on Amazon Prime in 35 countries.
China operates a frequently misunderstood import quota for films that enjoy revenue-sharing theatrical release through major state-owned distributors, However, there is another quota for films that are released on flat-fee terms. And China’s streaming giants enjoy some flexibility to import titles for direct-to-online releasing. All films to be shown in China, whether they are headed for theaters or online, still need to pass state censorship controls.
Indie Rights’ earlier package was headed by “The View From Here,” “Art Show Bingo,” and “Somebody’s Mother.”
Source: Variety By Patrick Frater
