Wizart Animation features will be released in China, Latin America, Poland, Israel, French-speaking Canada, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
CANNES -- Wizart Animation, one of the representatives at the Russian Cinema stand, has wasted no time in signing several important contracts for major countries in the first four days of the Marché du Film in Cannes.
The Snow Queen 2 will be released in Poland (by Kino Swiat) and in Israel (by Film House) in December 2014 day-and-date with Russia and CIS, the UK, South Korea and the Middle East. The Snow Queen has been a great success in Poland and Israel since its theatrical release in 2013, so the expectations of both companies are very high.
“After the great success of The Snow Queen in Poland we are very happy to be working with Wizart Animation on their two new projects, hoping to build a long term relationship, as they deliver product of excellent quality,” said Marcin Piasecki from Kino Swiat.
Sheep and Wolves feature will be released in Latin America countries -- Peru, Columbia, Bolivia and Ecuador. Theatrical rights were acquired by Star Films. “We have seen the amazing quality of animation in Russia and we are excited to be able to show it in Latin America,” said Aman Kumar Kapur, from Star Films.
MT Entertainment has acquired the distribution rights to Sheep and Wolves for Indonesia.
Chinese company Flame Node Entertainment has acquired the theatrical distribution rights for The Snow Queen, which will be shown in cinemas at the end of 2014, and The Snow Queen 2, which is set to premiere in 2015.
“We see great potential for these two films of the franchise on the Chinese market”, said Feng Yi, General Director of Flame Node Entertainment. “We cannot resist the beautiful scenery, the classic story and the great animation quality, which all appeal to an international audience.”
“This deal is significant for both Wizart Animation and the Russian film industry as a whole, since distribution of a Russian animated film in China is an unusual event,” said Diana Yurinova, the company’s Director of International Distribution. “China is currently one of the largest markets for animated content, both in terms of its production potential and its audience. Its strict quota system makes releasing foreign content difficult. That’s why we are particularly happy that both films of the franchise will go into theatrical distribution in China in 2014 and 2015.”
Films produced by Wizart Animation will also go into distribution in other Asian countries. The company Suraya has acquired the rights to the theatrical release of The Snow Queen (2012) in Malaysia and the Philippines.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia are amongst the European countries for which theatrical release agreements have been signed (for The Snow Queen, with ITAFILM).
In addition, television rights for The Snow Queen in French-speaking Canada have been sold to Phase 4 Films.
“Hans Christian Andersen´s classic tale The Snow Queen is known by every single child in Slovakia and the Czech Republic,” said Juraj Brocko, Head of Distribution of ITAFILM. “Recently, the growing film market in these territories has been lacking Russian films for children, especially animated titles. This is in spite of the fact that they were highly popular in the past. We believe that The Snow Queen will open new horizons and possibilities for children’s projects in Central Europe.”
Source: Wizart Animation
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
