Viewpoints: sales strategies

Nadiya Zayonchkovska
Executive director
Aurora Distribution
Ukraine

Can you tell us about your sales strategies? What are your new titles for MIPTV 2008?

This spring, "Aurora Distribution" packed for MIPTV 2008 fully equipped with a solid package of feature films and TV movies ready to hit National networks across the CIS, Baltic States and Eastern Europe.

Illusion of Fear

The last market and fall sales season proved to be success with consistent deal with TV channel "Russia" for the slate of TV movies. The First Channel cherry-picked the premier of "The Big Difference" by Oxana Bayrak with following runs closed with "TV Center", together with a package of family TV titles. DTV inked the re-run catalog, leaving us completely sold-out for the territory of Russia until late 2008. The same situation exists in all actively-buying territories of the CIS, Baltic region, Russian-speaking channels worldwide, joined by Polish satellite channel TVNi. Three Russian companies divided the DVD rights package for the CIS and Baltic region, excluding the Ukraine covered by "Aurora Digital".

So what is our secret weapon? Ladies first, therefore we will start with love story and drama feature titles. "Red Pearl of Love" opens in theatres across the CIS on May 8 th, 2008, with "MGN/Paradise" covering Russia through its massive "5 stars" chain of theatres and working down the rest of the CIS through its set network of partners. In the Ukraine, the title is handled by "Aurora Film" with media support from 1+1.

"Aurora Distribution‘s" line up includes the new title produced by Elena Yatsura – "The Lights of the Brothel". If "Red Pearl of love" caught on film the mood of contemporary Kiev, the new title is the vivid dramatic portrait of unique Odessa dating back to 1958. This story revolves around the owner of a small brothel-apartment, played by Odessa-born Oxana Fandera, and her two subordinates, who live in perfect harmony of some sort of family with local men, young and old, lining to pay for the "services" and women plotting revenge. The male cast boasts Bogdan Stupka and Evgeniy Tsyganov. The theatrical release is planned for end of this summer.

The third feature title is the psychological thriller "Illusion of Fear", directed by Alexander Kirienko with breathtaking all-star cast of Andrei Panin, Alexei Petrenko, Alena Babenko, Sergey Garmash, Alexei Gorbunov. In this high budget screen version of Alexander Turchinov's book, we follow the philosophical story of successful businessman Igor Korob, who is forced to give in his business – skyscraper business center - in the rough environment of 1980-90‘s. Under the pressure of circumstances in order to survive, Igor needs to define the thin line between reality and illusion, between friends and enemies, between true life and visions. The title is the definite participant of the upcoming international festival season with the CIS commercial theatrical release in September 2008.

Our TV movie line up includes 12 brand new titles, including crime, comedies, dramas and love stories – therefore, we are open to wide audience product buyers at the new spacious location at Lerins level LR3.09 stand.