The Film Works, a Toronto-based production house, has set up a new company in partnership with Cori Film Distributors. Film Works/Cori International will deal in international sales of film and tv productions as well as film financing and packaging of coproductions.

Victor Solnicki, president of the new venture, says the strategy behind the move is to compete as a medium-sized company with the increasingly dominant public companies in Canada. ‘We’re providing what we feel is a very strong alternative to the public companies for independent producers.’

In addition to taking on independent projects in Canada and abroad, the new enterprise will handle foreign sales for Film Works productions such as The Arrow, originally a feature film project produced by Paul Stephens that is now being revamped as a miniseries.

Headquartered in Toronto, Film Works/Cori International has the capacity in its first year to handle foreign sales for between five and 10 projects in addition to executive producing a few projects. Solnicki says they are looking to do $1 million to $2 million worth of business in the first year through investments of 15% to 25% of budgets, and up to 35% in exceptional cases.

‘An experienced producer with a strong project may come to us with all the pieces in place except a foreign sales guarantee and we could complete the financing. As executive producers, we can bring in foreign sales as well as other elementsÉsuch as a Canadian sale, credibility with the agencies, private financing. We may also be able to help in adding a strong director or actor to the production.’

As it stands now, Film Works averages three to five films a year as well as some series development, and has established relationships with such Canadian production companies as Vancouver’s Pacific Motion Pictures, Halifax-based Salter Street Films and Minds Eye Pictures of Regina.

Marie Hoy, president of the 18-year-old Cori and executive vice-president of the new partnership, has offices in London and Los Angeles and specializes in foreign film sales. A recent title in the distributor’s catalogue is All Men Are Mortal, a u.k. feature starring Stephen Rea and Irene Jacob. Cori attends a minimum of seven markets each year including the three mips, natpe and the afm.

Solnicki says the deal evolved over the last year as the number of Film Works projects represented internationally by Cori increased.

Following a merger with Solnicki’s company, Jillian Entertainment, last fall, the next big step for Film Works was getting into international sales to increase cash injection, coproductions, overall stability and marketing control, says Solnicki. ‘Production and sales are really two aspects of the same business.’

In addition to Solnicki, Film Works principals are Stephens, Eric Jordan and Pam Davenport.