While Alliance Atlantis Communications continues to shed personnel who came from the Alliance side of the merger, it also continues to ink first-look deals that secure some of Canada’s most noted filmmaking talent.

Andras Hamori, president of Alliance Atlantis Pictures, is the latest Alliance veteran jumping ship to form his own production company, which he has yet to name.

‘I’ve always been a filmmaker. I want to enjoy them and produce them. I want to be in love with them. I’ve had enough of board meetings and staff meetings,’ says Hamori in an empassioned explanation for his departure.

Hamori really won’t be straying too far from the fray as Seaton McLean, president of Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Production, has negotiated a deal with Hamori to continue to develop and produce the slate of about a dozen films he has already brought to aac, including Marlowe directed by John Maybury (Love is the Devil) and coproduced with u.k.-based Natural Nylon and Morvern Callar by Scottish director Lynne Ramsay (Ratcatcher) and coproduced with Company Pictures.

Additionally, Hamori has signed a non-exclusive first-look agreement on projects to be produced under the banner of his new unnamed company, which he so far plans to operate from aac’s Toronto and l.a. offices.

The first-look agreement runs, contractually, until the end of 2001 and allows Hamori full use of aac’s infrastructure and financing, assuming the company picks up the projects.

Hamori’s first project in development is People Who Knock on the Door, a feature film he’s coproducing with Lynne Stopkewich. Two others are Third Lie by Thomas Winterberg and an untitled feature by Shane Meadows.

‘I’m continuing with what I started with Robert (Lantos) 10 years ago and with Seaton in the last year. It was a brilliant deal these guys gave me,’ says Hamori.

The Natural Nylon and Company Pictures deal was initially struck by Robert Lantos before the aac merger. Since then, however, Lantos spun off his own first-look agreement that has aac distributing and financing Serendipity Point properties.

Meanwhile, Genie Award-winning director Jeremy Podeswa (The Five Senses) also recently negotiated a first-look agreement with McLean.

The deal will encompass feature film and tv projects, which Podeswa plans to write and/or cowrite and potentially direct and/or produce, either from original sources or based upon literary properties.

Podeswa is no stranger to aac as Charlotte Mickie, senior vp acquisitions and development, and Ted East, senior vp motion picture production and acquisition, were exec producers on The Five Senses.