An annual fixture at the Toronto International Film Festival, New York-based Fox Lorber (a division of WinStar New Media) is not distributing anything at this year’s fest but is always in the market to acquire new material.

As David Koh, director of acquisitions, explains: ‘Mostly we are interested in finished film acquisitions. We are also looking to get involved in coproductions. We buy a lot of home video rights from some of the other distributors, so we’re also tracking films that somebody else might release theatrically.’

It was only last year that Fox Lorber launched its theatrical division, Fox Lorber Features. Films picked up by the company at past Toronto fests include Grey’s Anatomy and Schizopolis, both by director Steven Soderbergh, to which Fox Lorber bought worldwide rights; and Tim McCann’s independent American feature Desolation Angels, to which the company also bought worldwide rights.

Art house features are the types of films that Fox Lorber is most interested in acquiring for its theatrical division. Other than that, the formula is quite simple. ‘We’re open to [acquiring] anything, as long as it’s solid and good,’ Koh explains. ‘It’s a balance between that and a movie that works in the marketplace.’

Fox Lorber’s investment in any picture depends on the film and its merits, according to Johanna Samuel, vp of international sales and coproductions. ‘The financing really depends on what is already in place, and if nothing’s in place but it’s something very promising, then we’ll try to put that financing in place through presales, and then we’ll deficit finance the project.’

Samuel stresses that there is a ‘psychological limit’ in terms of how much money Fox Lorber is prepared to spend, with $60,000 to $90,000 an easy deficit to carry. Fox Lorber does, however, pick up the cost of 35mm prints for projects released theatrically and it pays for the marketing of all projects.

According to Samuels, a film must possess definite criteria for Fox Lorber to become a coproducer. ‘[The film’s] got to be fluent worldwide, something that isn’t just going to appeal to five people,’ she says. ‘It’s got to be a topical issue or historical enough that it hasn’t been beaten to death. And it should have a home broadcaster attached. It would also be great if there were some small presales attached so that there would be some indication of credibility and interest.’

Presales are a crucial component to the package. ‘They are done based on a treatment or a demo or some footage, with the help of a producer selling it, with a budget, with a schedule, with proof of the determination to finish a project and to give a sense of what it is.’

Completed films, even those with no previous distribution, are welcomed by the company.

Home video falls into the same category as theatrical releases in terms of when Fox Lorber is likely to show interest.

‘Every single project that’s brought in is analyzed by the video department from the early stages on,’ says Samuels. ‘The video life to a project is very crucial, especially when we’re going out and risking money on something that we’ve fallen in love with. It really does help if there is a potential for video.’

It also helps if the film is a coproduction with a broadcaster involved, not a straight acquisition. ‘If a broadcaster comes in as a coproducer, then from an earlier stage of the project there’s more of a shared equation of talent,’ she explains.

Documentary and TV

Even in an era wherein documentary producers bemoan the lack of theatrical opportunities, Fox Lorber Associates is still involved in that business. The 18-year-old company finances, cofinances and distributes documentaries and acquires foreign-language films. It also recently launched a home video label and has, according to the company, ‘one of the most prestigious and prolific libraries of foreign films for home video.’

Fox Lorber splits its time between home video and theatrical releasing. As Samuel explains: ‘We are very aggressive in tv for documentaries and series.’

Samuel, formerly an exec specializing in theatrical acquisitions and coproductions at Warner Bros. International, says Fox Lorber covers the whole spectrum when it comes to the projects it finances and cofinances.

‘We do a lot of social-issue docs,’ she says. ‘We’re distributors of Classified x, which has won a lot of awards and is directed by Melvin Van Peebles. We’re also working with Arnie Gelbart [president of Montreal’s Galafilm] doing a doc series [After Darwin], which is pretty much strictly science, but it’s got a morality tale involved in it.’

Examples of recent projects that have been either wholly or partially financed by Fox Lorber include: Amazons (produced by Toronto-based Pyewackitt Films and the bbc), Treacherous Places (produced by New York’s David Adler of Humble Productions for The Learning Channel), and a boxing version of Hoop Dreams called On the Ropes (produced by New York-based Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgan for Discovery u.s.).

A version of this article also appears in RealScreen.