Broadside Capital CEO Sets Up Indie Film Outfit

LOS ANGELES: The Aura Film Partnership, formed by Christopher Petzel, the CEO of investment-banking and private-equity firm Broadside Capital, will focus on the production, acquisition and worldwide distribution of independent feature films.

 The Aura Film Partnership has established an initial fund of $50 million, and will target film projects in the range of $5 million to $20 million each. The company will also take on completed films that are seeking distribution. The Aura Film Partnership is represented by Fierce Entertainment in Los Angeles and Invicta Capital in London. The first production released from the new outfit will be Tundra, a post-apocalyptic action-adventure film. Tundra is being produced with Kim Todd (Leaving Metropolis, A Bear Named Winnie) of Original Pictures and Lindsay Moffat. Nicholas Powell (Bourne Identity, 28 Days Later) directs from a script written by Michael Thoma (The Wrong Man, The Set Up). The film will begin production in February or March, 2010, in Manitoba, Canada.

Clandestine Service, an international feature film sales agency and a portfolio company of Broadside Capital, will bring Aura’s productions to the global market.

Petzel said, “We are confident that Aura Films will be a successful venture for us, and Tundra, which is an exciting, epic story, is representative of the scripts that we are seeking for Aura Films. Working with Original Pictures and Lindsay Moffat is an ideal combination of their production expertise with our strong management team and marketing prowess.”

Todd added, “Tundra is one of the most exciting scripts we have seen. Nicholas Powell has the expertise to turn it into a major commercial and critical success.”