XYZ Films have launched a new label for low-budget international genre films, called New Visions.
The company will launch its first New Visions slate at the Cannes Film Market next month with In Flames, the feature debut of Pakistani-Canadian director Zarrar Kahn. The Urdu-language horror movie, which was just picked for the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight lineup, follows a young woman who is tormented by vivid hallucinations after the death of her boyfriend. Other titles in the New Visions slate include the Czech science fiction title Restore Point from director Robert Hloz, and Irish folk horror All You Need Is Death from Very Extremely Dangerous helmer Paul Duane.
XYZ Films has hired Manon Barat, formerly a sales and marketing executive with Barcelona-based Film Factory Entertainment, as a dedicated sales executive overseeing the new slate, working alongside XYZ head of international acquisitions Todd Brown.
Brown framed the new label as a return to the roots for XYZ, which was set up in 2008 by Nate Bolotin, Nick Spicer and Aram Tertzakian and has become one of the leading indie producers and sales companies for international genre movies.
“What we’re saying with the New Visions Slate is that no matter how XYZ may continue to grow and change we are never going to allow ourselves to lose our roots,” said Brown. “With this new initiative, we are very proactively creating a space for our next generation of talent to shine, a space for both new talent and established voices looking to challenge and redefine themselves.”
Added Barat: “I’ve always considered XYZ to have one of the most creative and bold slates and it is an honor to join the team. I am thrilled to be on board for this specialized slate which will be talent-driven and actively looking for bold filmmakers who I believe will be the leaders of their generation.”
While at Film Factory, Barat worked on such films as Jayro Bustamante’s Ixcanul, Tremors and La Llorona, the latter picking up a Golden Globe nomination for best foreign-language film. More recently, she worked on Carlos Vermut’s Toronto Film Festival entry Manticore and Laura Mora’s The Kings of The World, the winner of the Golden Shell at San Sebastian last year.
XYZ’s current projects include Matt Johnson’s BlackBerry, which screened in competition in Berlin this year, Daina Reid’s Sundance entry Run Rabbit Run and the upcoming horror title Ash from musician/director Flying Lotus starring Eiza González and Aaron Paul.