Washington Square Films, which is active in commercials through two separate divisions, has launched a New York-headquartered independent film sales division. Named to head the new WSF venture is film sales agent Christopher Pizzo, who comes over from the former Carmichael Films.
Pizzo brings with him a roster of films that will be represented under the WSF banner, including Play, which gained recognition at the World Film Festival Montreal and at the Tribeca Film Fest, and Satellite, a selection at Tribeca and at the Starz Denver International Film Festival.
Furthermore, the new sales unit has signed on as the exclusive North American agency for a contemporary love story titled Flannel Pajamas. This is the first major film acquisition for Pizzo at WSF.
At the aforementioned Carmichael Films, Pizzo had recent sales/licensing deals for such films as Unknown Soldier, The Forest for the Trees, Love, Ludlow and Coney Island Baby.
The formation of the film sales division comes on the heels of Washington Square launching the WSF Independent Film Production and WSF International divisions. The latter specializes in handling up-and-coming directors internationally for commercials, with a roster of helmers consisting of Steven Fong, Leandro Sanchez and Nick Santana. This operation complements the mainstay, longstanding commercialmaking shop Washington Square Films, which represents directors Bob Balaban (The Exonerated), Jeff Feuerzeig (The Devil and Daniel Johnston), Randy Hackett, Braden King (Dutch Harbor) and Peter Sillen (Smoke).
Among WSF’s film production endeavors are Love, Ludlow (which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival), Life Interrupted, a picture about the late Spalding Gray (directed by Steven Soderbergh) and Lush Life–The Billy Strayhorn Story.