Jim Sherry and Tony Cianciotta are back in the distribution game. In advance of TIFF, the industry veterans are launching D Films, a boutique releasing company that will acquire and distribute feature films in Canada across all platforms. Sherry will be the president while Cianciotta will head up acquisitions. The investors in the privately held company were not disclosed.

‘Here we go again,’ Cianciotta enthused, nodding to his long and peripatetic career.

Cianciotta has held senior positions in exhibition and distribution, including Cineplex Odeon, Alliance Communications, Twentieth Century Fox Canada, Red Sky Releasing and Capri Releasing, and has been a consultant to many established companies and start-ups, including Maximum Films and Maple Pictures.

Cianciotta said D Films is well-financed and will be acquiring what he terms ‘sizeable’ titles. He expects to have a first release in Canadian cinemas in February or March of next year.

Asked if there was room in the market for a new distributor, Cianciotta replied, ‘We would not be putting our names on this project unless it had a chance of success.’ He said he expects D Films to be a ‘significant’ player in the marketplace within two years. He added, ‘There have been so many mergers that there are opportunities for independents. There’s always room for one more.’

Sherry recently departed Maple Pictures where he was co-president, after scoring the coup of establishing a long-term output pact with Miramax Pictures. Previously, he was the managing director of Alliance Atlantis’ Motion Picture Distribuiton following the departure of Victor Loewy. Sherry left MDP following Loewy’s return.

Cianciotta had consulted to Sherry during the Alliance Atlantis days, and later at Maple. ‘Now it’s a natural progression,’ says Cianciotta. ‘No matter where Jim goes, he says come with me.’