22/06/2005

The London-based international sales arm of HBO Films, the film production arm of US cable giant HBO, is shutting down after two and a half years of activity. This follows the re-organisation of HBO’s US operations and the re-focusing on its production and distribution activities in the US since the creation last May of Picturehouse, a US theatrical distribution company for specialised films set up by HBO Films and New Line.

"With greater focus from HBO Films on producing theatrical films, we feel our new international theatrical distribution activities will be most effectively handled if headquartered out of Los Angeles and New York rather than London," said HBO Films.
The London office was run since March 2003 by Penny Wolf, a veteran sales executive who previously worked with Capitol Films and Senator Film International. She had overseen for HBO Films the international sales and festival platform of many of their critically-acclaimed films such as Gus van Sant’s Palme d’or winner in Cannes 2003 Elephant and his Last Days which screened in competition in Cannes last May. The film was released in France on May 13 through MK2 and sold around the world by Penny Wolf including Spain (Vertigo Films) and the UK (Optimum Releasing).
Having a London office for HBO also meant that the company was able to be involved in Uk co-productions such as Stephen Hopkins’ The Life And Death of Peter Sellers [+see also:
trailer
film profile] co-produced with BBC Films. HBO Films international in London comprised four other employees apart from Penny Wolf.

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