Antonia Nava, producer and sales chief on Brad Anderson’s “The Machinist” and “Transsiberian” when she headed up Filmax Intl. for over 10 years, is returning to the sales arena, joining forces with Spain-based sales agent Liliana Bravo to launch Neo Art Intl., a new division of Nava’s Barcelona-based Neo Arte Producciones.
Nava and Bravo, a specialist in film festivals, will serve as co-presidents of sales.
The move comes as Nava has also opened a production services operation at Neo Art. They look to leverage Spain’s muscular shoot incentives inaugurated in 2023, which offer an up-to-70% deduction rate in Bizkaia and €18 million ($19.2 million) rebates per TV episode shot in the Canary Islands.
The Swedish-born Natalia Villalon has also joined Neo Arte to lead advertising and branding, services and co-productions for Scandinavia.
Titles set for Neo Art’s first sales slate take in gay romantic drama “If Walls Had Ears,” from Ceres Machado, and “Ràbia. Neo Art also picked up “El nuevo Novio de Lucia” and “Animal Humano” before Berlin.
Further titles the partners are working on, including TV series, will be announced shortly
“Our strategy is to diversify our business and create a structure that will allow in-house production, service when helping with the tax incentives and co-productions in our key territories, with international sales being our new focus,” the partners said in a written statement.
“In a market constantly changing and bringing new challenges and opportunities, being back in sales is a premium to my career. I feel as much motivated as excited in our new venture. I love selling as much as I love producing,” Nava added.
The three executives are attending the European Film Market. They plan to announce the entrance of an investment fund and another production company, as well as the acquisition of new films.
“We will continue co-producing from our key territories Spain, Italy, Latin America and Scandinavia. We feel there is need for more international distributors in our countries,” Nava told Variety.
“We will be active in the main markets with the aim of positioning and selling our films and TV series and acquiring and backing up new films and TV series,” Bravo added.
