Distributor Umbrella has dropped ‘Entertainment’ from its name and unveiled a new logo as part of rebrand signalling the company’s growth, including recent moves into production and international sales, expanded operations in New Zealand, and launch of AVOD platform Brollie and Foxtel channel Aussie Classics.
The refresh follows a COVID-era reassessment by managing director Jeff Harrison and general manager Ari Harrison, which reaffirmed company’s core focus was on original Australian film and theatrical-first distribution.
“We feel that, culturally, theatrical is the most important part of distribution,” Ari tells IF.
“It creates the long-tail opportunity that will ensure success [for a film] and filmmakers’ success for their future as well.”
Umbrella’s expansion into production under Sanctuary Pictures, along with the launch of Brollie, Aussie Classics and a sales arm for its archival catalogue, then form part of broader strategy to maximise the reach and value of Australian films – past and present – across the entire development to distribution cycle.
At the same time, Umbrella saw ample opportunity in the New Zealand market, hiring Jasmin McSweeney to head sales and acquisitions at the start of 2024, and more recently, Luke Murray as senior theatrical manager.
Ari highlights New Zealand’s cinematic legacy with filmmakers like Peter Jackson and Jane Campion and comedic sensibility, arguing it oftens travels better internationally than Aussie comedy. He points to NZFC’s support for P&A and distribution, and strong audience support for local content, as seen with the recent success of Madman’s Tinā.
“I believe the commission over there call them the ‘New Zealand Army’, because they will absolutely go out of their way to watch New Zealand films, which is quite different to Australian audiences,” Ari says.
“They are a small but mighty island… We have had success in New Zealand, but we were always set up in Australia and knew we had to have a team on the ground to dive into those next steps.”
While Umbrella’s roots are in genre and cult classics, Ari says that it is now casting the net far wider when it comes to local film; it has kids, family films, adventure and comedies in development. While many of its recent successes are in horror/thriller like Talk to Me, Late Night With the Devil and Talk to Me, Umbrella also recently distributed Sally Aitken’s Sundance-selected doco Every Little Thing, which follows a woman in Hollywood who cares for injured hummingbirds.
“For us, it’s about working with creatives that we love, can support and feel like there’s a growing opportunity for a long-term relationship with, and films that we feel have a theatrical audience at heart and a long-term viability,” he says.
Its upcoming slate includes Berlinale Teddy winner Lesbian Space Princess, Zac Hildlitch’s Daisy Ridley-led thriller We Bury The Dead, music doc Sweat It Out!, and NZ features I, Object and Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant.
Sanctuary Pictures’ debut, ’80s-set punk horror Penny Lane is Dead, will soon wrap production in Adelaide. Later this year, it plans a drag queen comedy from John Sheedy, starring Essie Davis, produced with KW Films’ Kate Whitebread. Other projects in development include co-productions with Ireland and Canada, while it is scouting for horror/thrillers through the $30,000 Wake in Fright initiative with AACTA.
On the library side, Umbrella will soon undertake a restoration and re-release program for New Zealand films from the New Zealand Film Commission archive.
Ari estimates Umbrella now represents around 500 classics across ANZ and it continues working with the National Film and Sound Archive to restore content and locate original materials. He feels there are major opportunities for its archival catalogue to find new audiences. Umbrella has moved into international sales to broaden these films’ reach, working on deals across the US, UK and Europe in Cannes earlier this month. In addition to theatrical re-releases for some restored titles – it recently re-released Wake in Fright in 4K and is currently restoring Looking for Alibrandi and BMX Bandits – it also plans physical collectors’ box sets.
Brollie and Aussie Classics are also designed to give classic films new homes. Many have been unseen for years; Brollie recently added 18 episodes of landmark ’70s series Number 96 – the handful of the 584 B&W episodes still in existence. Later this year Umbrella plans to look at licencing content from other distributors.
“Number 96 is just one of so many shows that have been hidden and are hard to find, usually because they’ve ended up being licensed to somebody, or left to the children of the original producers who have no idea they even represent the film and don’t know where the materials or contracts are, and they don’t know how to sign them off. A part of our team work on uncovering and doing research into where these films are and how we can help re-release them back, not just in Australia, but around the world,” Ari says.
“Most these filmmakers just want their film to be seen and easily accessible, for them to be able to point to somewhere, some link or some direction where people can enjoy their film.”
As for dropping “Entertainment” from its name, Ari jokes “I think everybody already calls us Umbrella.” The logo, designed by Studio Brave, was designed to be modern but classic at the same time.
“We love it. It’s quite simple, and doesn’t try to be too complicated, which is sort of like us; we don’t love to put our head too far up and shout. We just love making and working on Australian films and New Zealand films, and just want to keep pushing ahead in the direction that we’ve been going.”
Umbrella’s redesigned logo, website, and on-screen ident, will premiere publicly at the Sydney Film Festival.