Ahead of the Pre-Cannes Screenings, which run in advance of the 2021 Marché du Film, worldwide sales arthouse genre outfit Yellow Veil Pictures announces the launch of a new North American distribution arm. The company will continue to focus on boundary-pushing genre cinema and will inaugurate the new venture with Frida Kempff’s Sundance hit KNOCKING with a planned theatrical and digital release this fall.
KNOCKING marks the feature debut for Kempff who, in 2010, saw her short BATHING MICKEY take home the Prix du Jury at Cannes. The film stars Cecilia Milocco (INVOLUNTARY) as Molly, who after suffering a traumatic incident moves into a new apartment to begin her path to recovery. It’s not long after her arrival that a series of persistent knocks and screams begin to wake her up at night. Molly’s new life begins to unravel as the screams intensify and no one else in the building believes or is willing to help her.
Founded in 2018 and launched out of the Frontières Market at the Fantasia International Film Festival, Yellow Veil Pictures as a boutique sales company has facilitated the releases of Tilman Singer’s celebrated feature debut LUZ by Screen Media, horror maverick Larry Fessenden’s return to directing DEPRAVED by IFC Midnight, and most recently repped Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King’s SXSW adult fantasy animation THE SPINE OF NIGHT, which will see release from RLJE and Shudder, along with the lost George Romero film THE AMUSEMENT PARK, which premiered theatrically in the US last month and on the genre streaming platform Shudder on June 8th.
Director Frida Kempff said “I’m so happy that we are partnering with Yellow Veil Pictures to get Knocking in front of the audience in North America. The team at Yellow Veil has been so supportive and enthusiastic about Knocking and to be the first film out of their distribution arm is really something special.”
Knocking is written by Emma Broström and produced by Erik Andersson for Läsk in collaboration with SVT and the Swedish Film Institute through the initiative Moving Sweden with support from Norrköpings Filmfond. Federico Ambrosini served as executive producer on the film adapted from a novel written by Johan Theorin.
Hugues Barbier, Co-Founder of Yellow Veil Pictures says “Distribution felt like the natural extension of Yellow Veil Pictures, as our long time goal has been to be part of the success and visibility of the movies and creators we love. Having the chance to kick off this endeavor with Frida’s dazzling and timely debut is the perfect way to convey the company’s aspirations, as well as bringing to the North American audience an audacious and necessary experience.”
The deal was negotiated by Yellow Veil Pictures Co-Founders Justin Timms, Joe Yanick, and Hugues Barbier with Bankside’s Yana Georgieva on behalf of the filmmakers.
ABOUT YELLOW VEIL PICTURES
Formed in 2018 by Hugues Barbier, Justin Timms, and Joe Yanick, Yellow Veil Pictures is a New York City and Los Angeles-based worldwide film sales and distribution company. Focusing exclusively on boundary pushing genre cinema, Yellow Veil seeks to highlight emerging filmmakers who exist on the cusp of commercial, arthouse cinema, while maintaining a unique focus on festival strategy and production and packaging.
Launching out of the 2018 Frontières Market at the Fantasia International Film Festival, with Tilman Singer’s debut LUZ. Yellow Veil have since worked on debuts from Josh Lobo (I TRAPPED THE DEVIL), A.T. White (STARFISH), Matthew Pope (BLOOD ON HER NAME), Jack Henry Robbins (VHYES), as well as boarding films by Larry Fessenden (DEPRAVED), Rob Grant (HARPOON), Joel Potrykus (RELAXER), George Romero (THE AMUSEMENT PARK) and Philip Gelatt & Morgan Galen King (THE SPINE OF NIGHT). In addition, Yellow Veil Pictures acts as the festival agent for Shudder’s LA LLORONA, BLOOD QUANTUM, HORROR NOIRE, HOST, and THE RANGER.
ABOUT BANKSIDE FILMS
Founded in London in 2007, Bankside Films is a leading international sales company providing worldwide distribution, executive producing and financing services to independent producers globally. The company also manages an in-house development and production slate, originating its own projects as well as partnering with filmmakers to commission and develop new material. Bankside Films also enjoys a close relationship with its sister company, Head Gear Films, a leading financier of global content whilst maintaining relationships with a broad range of international financiers. The company is driven by a passion for storytelling which challenges the status quo.
Bankside Films prides itself on working with unique and distinctive cinematic voices capable of delivering exciting new stories for worldwide audiences. Emerging filmmakers are intrinsic to the company’s ethos and we continue to champion them whilst remaining a key partner for more established directors and producers.
Recent successes include BELLE by Amma Asante, sold globally to Searchlight Pictures, CARGO by Yolanda Ramke and Ben Howling, sold globally to Netflix, Sundance title THE HOLE IN THE GROUND by first time director Lee Cronin, which has been acquired by A24 in the US, ORDINARY LOVE by Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa, sold internationally to Focus Features and domestically to Bleecker Street, IN FABRIC by Peter Strickland, sold domestically to A24, ETERNAL BEAUTY written and directed by Craig Roberts and starring Sally Hawkins and WOLF written and directed by Nathalie Biancheri and starring George MacKay and Lily Rose Depp which sold to Focus Features globally.
In the documentary space, the company is drawn to broad appeal, human stories which can perform in the traditional theatrical space as well as on worldwide streaming services. Our approach to selling documentaries mirror that of fictional features and our relationships with buyers of documentary films are second to none.
