Sony Pictures Entertainment Launches Spanish-Language Production Entity In Madrid.

Sony Pictures Entertainment will launch a Spanish-language production entity, to be called Columbia Films Producciones Espanolas, S.A. The new entity will be located in Madrid and headed by Iona de Macedo.

The move marks an expanded realization of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s strategic business plan, which has already successfully established a local-language production presence in Asia, Germany and Brazil. Columbia TriStar Film Productions Asia, established in 1998, was responsible for the production of the Oscar-winning hit “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” Columbia Pictures’ other local-language successes include the German release “Anatomie,” the highest-grossing German-language film of last year; and Brazil’s “Me You Them,” which was shown to acclaim at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. In addition, SPE produced the British film “Snatch,” which was distributed in the U.S. by Screen Gems. Other Spanish-language films distributed in the U.S. by SPE’s Sony Pictures Classics include Fernando Trueba’s “Belle Epoque” (1993) and Pedro Almodovar’s 1999 success, “All About My Mother”; each of these was a recipient of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

International distribution of the titles from the new Spanish entity, including Spain and excluding North America, will be handled by Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (CTFDI). U.S. distribution rights will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

“Our commitment and ability to focus on local and regional opportunities is an important component of our success as a global company,” said John Calley. “It is thanks to this approach that SPE can be involved in projects such as ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,’ which fall outside of conventional Hollywood canons but nonetheless have a global impact, both artistically and commercially. International productions also give us the opportunity to be more fully integrated into the economy of a territory’s local film industry, and to help develop and support local talent.”

“Spain already boasts one of Europe’s most thriving local film production industries,” added Gareth Wigan, Vice Chairman, Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group. “Directors as different as Pedro Almodovar and Alejandro Amenabar, as well as stars like Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, have amply demonstrated that Spanish cinema speaks a universal language and is a force to be reckoned with. Its success at the international box office has not only been in Spanish-speaking territories, but across the globe.”

Calley also praised Iona de Macedo, the new head of Columbia Films Producciones Espanolas, S.A., saying “Iona was a wonderful asset in her previous position at Columbia TriStar International Television, where she also oversaw such feature productions as ‘Me You Them’ and ‘Bossa Nova.’ She has excellent working relationships with filmmakers, talent and distributors in Europe and Latin America and we welcome her here as a key element in the success of our new venture.”

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