Montreal: Equinox Entertainment, the filmed entertainment division of La Compagnie France Film, has unveiled a wide-ranging production and development slate with an aggregate budget of $83 million, including a five-picture, $25-million package destined for Atlantic Canada and a multipicture deal with Italian coproducers.

‘There are three types of productions,’ says Michael Mosca, Equinox VP and COO. ‘[There are] the service deals we normally do for the Americans, and also some service deals we might do for the Italians; for instance, we have one for Dino de Laurentiis’ company which we plan to shoot (in September mostly in Toronto) called Christmas in New York. Then we have coproductions, specifically with Italy at this point, but it could be elsewhere, where we have equity. The fourth category is our own [proprietary] productions, which at this time is our development slate.’

The company’s production arm is managed by veteran Toronto producer Carlo Liconti (Brown Bread Sandwiches), head of Leader Media and Equinox’s exec VP for production. Former Famous Players exec John Xinos is general manager, distribution.

Recently completed Equinox/ Leader service productions include Allan Moyle’s Say Nothing, a $4.5-million TV thriller produced in association with Film Bridge International in the U.S. for HBO and exec producer Ellen Wander; Matia Karrell’s The Red Door, a $5-million feature drama starring Kiefer Sutherland and Kyra Sedgwick, produced in association with Blue Rider of L.A. and Rink Rat Productions of St. John’s for exec producers Walter Josten and Jeff Geoffray; and the just-completed, $2.4-million Phase IV, an action thriller for American Cinema International exec producer George Shemieh, starring Dean Cain, Brian Bosworth and Mimi Kuzyk.

The Red Door was shot in St. John’s while Phase IV had its principal photography in Halifax. Equinox has Canadian rights on both films.

Equinox/ Leader also serviced Tangled, starring Rachel Cook and shot in Toronto for Myriad Pictures of L.A. Miramax Films has acquired the film for video release.

Another service shoot slated to go in the Maritimes this fall is Cliff’s Notes, a $4.5-million youth comedy to be produced in association with Key Entertainment of Beverly Hills.

Mosca says Equinox has approached location authorities in Newfoundland with a $25-million, five-picture package (to be shot over one year), but is still waiting for an answer. ‘That’s why we went to Halifax for Phase IV, but we showed good faith by going to St. John’s with Red Door. And we should probably go down and talk again with New Brunswick,’ he says.

Equinox’s Canada/Italy coproduction slate includes Invidia (Envy) and Home Sweet Home (working title), both of which are slated to shoot this fall.

Invidia is a $4.5-million psychological drama and majority Canadian coproduction between Equinox and Mauro Cappelloni’s Video Lucky of Italy. Cappelloni and Liconti are the producers. Principal photography is scheduled for Italy and Canada, with Equinox Films holding world rights except for Italy.

Home Sweet Home, ‘a modern version of The Odyssey,’ is the first of an eight-picture, three-year deal with Rome-based producer Pan 3.1 srl. It’s scheduled to shoot in Italy, Canada and Latin America this fall. One of Pan 3.1’s principals is Mario Squillante of the Squillante Agency, Euro rep for actors like Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken and Giancarlo Giannini.

The package is budgeted at $32 million, with TV rights in Italy picked up by Media Trade. The shoots will have Canadian and international locations. ‘Most of the post-production will be done in Canada, as well, probably at Deluxe Laboratories. We have a relationship with them,’ says Mosca. World distribution rights are shared by Equinox and Pan 3.1.

Development slate

Equinox is in development on eight feature films and a TV series, Le Club, a 13-hour, behind-the-scenes drama about strippers who work in a seedy nightclub frequented by underworld types. The series bible and one-hour pilot have been scripted by Jim Purdy (Concrete Angels, Home Fires).

Features include the $5-million thriller Clive Boomer’s Success, to be produced in association with Leader Media; Un Chip, un putt, a $3.5-million French-language comedy from writer/producer Christian Fournier (Chop Suey) with actor Patrick Huard attached; and Chatiment, a $4-million psychological thriller written by director Jean Beaudry to be produced in association with Daniel Morin of Boreal Films.

Equinox recently reduced its film acquisition budget to $2.1 million from $4.2 million. English TV and video sales are managed out of the company’s Toronto office. Equinox’s distribution envelope with Telefilm Canada is $500,000.

‘We changed our approach because the market for B titles for video is very difficult,’ says Mosca. ‘The video stores are changing their approach and so are the majors. And what we were getting is a lot of art films. We stopped the French and European acquisitions. We used to buy packages. We don’t anymore. Now we’re taking a look at pictures that at least have a chance, something like Between Strangers.’

Mosca says Equinox also has a shot at acquiring more commercial theatrical films from the U.S.

Equinox Films has acquired Canadian rights to the Canada/Italy coproduction Between Strangers, which has an all-star cast and was shot in Toronto this summer under director Edoardo Ponti (Sophia Loren’s and Carlo Ponti’s son).

Upcoming theatrical releases include Leslie Nielsen’s sci-fi comedy 2001: A Space Travesty (producer Danny Rossner), The Third Wheel, starring Ben Affleck (from Tomorrow Films, L.A., with Miramax distributing), and Jean Claude Lord’s holiday fantasy Station Nord (Bloom Films).

Equinox has subdistribution deals for the Quebec theatrical market with Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (including Touchstone and Spy Glass) for titles such as The Princess Diaries, Corky Romano and Monster Inc., and with Paramount Classics (in English and French) for upcoming films such as American Rhapsody and Ed Burns’ The Sidewalks of New York.

Equinox Entertainment is headed by president and CEO Pierre Rene. La Compagnie France Film is part of the J.A. DeSeve Trust Fund. France Film’s real estate division owns the Theatre St-Denis and built and leases cinema multiplexes to Cineplex Odeon (Quarter Latin) and Famous Players (Star Cite). *