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EMIL ELMÉR JOINS FOCUS FEATURES AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL SALES

Posted Monday, March 19th, 2012 - Comments Off on EMIL ELMÉR JOINS FOCUS FEATURES AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL SALES
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LONDON, March 19, 2012 – Emil Elmér is joining Focus Features as senior vice president, international sales. Focus Features International (FFI) co-president Alison Thompson made the announcement today.

Mr. Elmér will report to Ms. Thompson at the FFI offices in London, where he will be based beginning this week. FFI is readying for the Cannes International Film Festival world premiere, as the opening-night film, of Moonrise Kingdom, the new feature from Wes Anderson, starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Jason Schwartzman; as well as overseas sales at the Festival for several new movies, including the untitled international suspense thriller starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall for director John Crowley, which begins production in the U.K. next month.

Ms. Thompson said, “Having first-hand experience of working with Emil, I’ve long been impressed by his outstanding knowledge and thorough approach to the international business. He has the wealth of experience that is an absolute necessity in our business, and his expertise and valuable relationships will bolster the company as we celebrate Focus’s 10-year anniversary and field a particularly exciting slate of movies this year.”

Mr. Elmér added, “Over the last decade, Focus has built an outstanding reputation as one of the world leaders in independent global cinema. They continue to be at the cutting edge of the creative and financial evolution of the business, and I’m proud to be joining the team to work with their incredible roster of films and filmmakers.”

The executive began his career at Miramax Films, where he spent over eight years and was variously part of the company’s acquisitions, production, and marketing and publicity departments. Long based in the U.K., he was involved in the company’s acquisitions of the multi-Academy Award-nominated Amélie andLes Choristes (The Chorus) and the Oscar-winning The Barbarian Invasions, among other titles.

More recently, he was for three years head of acquisitions for Pathé Distribution, where he tracked projects worldwide for distribution in the U.K.; and was a full-time consultant for a film financing company, working on projects from the production phase through the world sales process. A native of Sweden, Mr. Elmér holds a BA in Social Science from Lund University.

Focus Features and Focus Features International (www.focusfeatures.com) comprise a singular global company. This worldwide studio makes original and daring films that challenge the mainstream to embrace and enjoy voices and visions from around the world that deliver global commercial success. The company operates as Focus Features in North America, and as Focus Features International (FFI) in the rest of the world.

One of the world’s leading international sales agents, FFI also encompasses international distribution, marketing and publicity. FFI has the special ability to tailor international distribution to suit each film, whether licensing distribution rights to independent companies, or securing distribution through Universal Pictures International.

FFI distributes up to 10 titles annually, approximately half of which are from Focus’ considerable domestic production/release slate and half of which come from partners across the globe. In addition to those previously mentioned titles, the FFI slate includes Woody Allen’s Nero Fiddled, starring Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, and Ellen Page;Arthur Newman, Golf Pro, starring Colin Firth and Emily Blunt for director Dante Ariola; Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Ruairi Robinson’s thriller The Last Days on Mars; Andrew Adamson’s drama Mr. Pip, based on the celebrated novel and starring Hugh Laurie; the historical tale Hyde Park on Hudson, directed by Roger Michell and starring Academy Award nominees Bill Murray and Laura Linney; and the epic fantasy Cloud Atlas, starring two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks for writer-directors Tom Tykwer and Andy and Lana Wachowski.

Focus Features, Focus Features International, and Universal Pictures International are part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

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