Nesim Hason and New Films International

New Films International
8484 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 510 Beverly Hills, CA 90211 T: (323) 655-1050
http://www.newfilmsint.com

Nesim Hason, President nesim@newfilmsint.com
Ron Gell, EVP ron@newfilmsint.com
Sezin Sonar, VP sezin@newfilmsint.com
Mark Clark, Production mark@newfilmsint.com

New Films International was formed in 1996 by a highly successful foreign markets distributor Nesim Hason, President and founder. Intent on bridging the distance between the United States and the rest of the world, Nesim Hason with New Films endeavors to consistently blend both foreign and American cultures by introducing American films to the foreign marketplace. With NFI’s own productions, Hason strives to introduce foreign talent to American audiences as well as introduce American actors to working abroad.

New Films is currently headquartered in Beverly Hills and also has distribution offices throughout Eastern Europe.

NFI acquires 8 - 10 titles per year through attendance at major domestic and international festivals and markets. Since 2002, the company has acquired 29 feature films for its international library, including “Game 6”, starring Michael Keaton and Robert Downey Jr.; “The Thing About My Folks”, starring Peter Falk and Paul Reiser; and “Missing In America”. With Academy Award-nominated David Strathairn, Danny Glover and Ron Perlman.

Following the similar successful plan Hason implemented in foreign markets in the mid-90’s, New Films has strengthen its strategic distribution partnerships by recently signing an All TV rights output deal with MGM for Latin America and 40-title Pay TV deal for Latin America, along with a US video deal with HBO. The company plans to continue to leverage these strong relationships to further their exposure and outlets in North America as well.

NFI’s 2-picture co-production deal with Holedigger Studios has added the highly acclaimed festival favorites ”Off The Map”, starring Joan Allen and Sam Elliott; and “Marie & Bruce” starring Julianne Moore and Matthew Broderick. Adding to these great films is “The Dying Gaul” starring Peter Sarsgaard, Patricia Clarkson and Campbell Scott; which NFI aquired through a distribution deal from Holedigger.

EXCERPT

"New Films first entered Eastern Europe in 1993 and now offers 50,000 hours of TV programs in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and other nations commonly bypassed by companies on the path to global expansion. Last month Hason opened an office in Kazakhstan. That country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is dropping at an average annual rate of 7.9 percent, but New Films expects to show a profit this year. Hason also envisions offices in India and China, which he describes as "big, undeveloped markets, where it is very hard to do business but where there are fewer restrictions [on content and program timing] and more products can be sold."

Romania, Hason says, is the most difficult business environment he has experienced, primarily because of the high levels of political instability and runaway inflation. "It makes me nervous," he admits, "but then I grew up in Turkey, so I may be more risk tolerant than most." Hason advises executives at U.S. companies considering expansion into less-developed markets to partner with other U.S. businesses in the emerging country and to start with a small project. "We go in with one manageable project and offer partnerships or sole-supplier agreements to local television stations. We have a price advantage because there are fewer competitors and fewer restrictions on what we can sell. We’ve never lost money on a deal."

Originally printed in the April 2000 issue of Business Finance