'Restoration' (Photo credit: Jeff Paine).
Rockzeline, the Paris-based sales agent which reps the likes of The Wizards of Aus, Airlock and Wastelander Panda, has picked up two Aussie titles: multiplatform sci-fi thriller Restoration and web series Jade of Death.
Rockzeline has offices in Paris, Los Angeles, Montreal and Sydney, and specialises in digital short-form projects.
They also produce original content in Australia through their production subsidiary Deadrock, a partnership between Enzo Tedeschi’s Deadhouse Films and Rockzeline.
Directed by Stuart Willis and produced by Midnight Snack Productions, Restoration is set in a near-future world where humans have their memories downloaded for backup via a new and dangerous technology.
The one-hour film, which stars Craig McLachlan, premiered on Nine in August last year, and in New Zealand on Sky TV’s sci-fi channel THE ZONE in December. It also secured a berth on Stan, where it’s currently available to stream.
Rockzeline will sell Restoration in its original 50-minute single episode broadcast format, in addition to 2 x 25 min and 5 x 10 min episodes. The company is also looking at the possibility of a remake.
“Rockzeline is proud to include Restoration in the top bracket of shows we represent,” said co-founder Antoine Disle. “Along with sales in its current format, we hope to develop the show internationally as a premium long form series in the future – such is the impression it left on us.”
The deal, negotiated by Midnight Snack producer Toby Gibson, assisted by the film’s co-producer Simon de Bruyn, is for all territories worldwide except for Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, where the film has already secured distribution.
Gibson described Rockzeline as having a “keen eye for commercial, innovative and bold content.”
“They clearly understand the value of producing a portfolio of formats and lengths in order to maximise audience potential by providing broadcasters and platforms with greater flexibility as to how they release, particularly for SVOD and digital.”
'Jade of Death' (Photo credit: Grégoire Lière).
Rockzeline has also nabbed supernatural series Jade of Death, starring Nicholas Hope and Susan Prior.
The six-episode series, written and directed by AFTRS grad Erin Good and produced by Taylor Litton-Strain, was developed through the Berlinale Project Lab, and was recently awarded post-production funding through Queer Screen’s Completion Fund.
Litton-Strain retains the Australian and New Zealand rights and plans to launch the series in its home territory with a premiere cinema-screening event in conjunction with Queer Screen.
“Erin and I really aware that a strong distribution plan is key to the success of an online series,” she said.
“Attracting Rockzeline’s interest is amazing because they are the perfect fit as a distributor and it’s so encouraging that they can see the quality of project and it’s strong market potential even while we’re still in post-production.”
The series follows a small-town girl, Jade, with a psychic ability: she can see when and how people are going to die. Jade runs away from her hometown only to begin working at a seedy freak show carnival, where her past begins to catch up with her.