Michael Winterbottom’s Revolution Films to Open Italian Outpost (EXCLUSIVE)

Michael Winterbottom’s production company Revolution Films is opening an Italian outpost, Variety can exclusively confirm.

The production outfit, known for films and TV series including the Boris Johnson-inspired “This England” and the upcoming TIFF contender “Shoshana,” is in the process of setting up an office in the country, say sources with knowledge of the expansion. Longtime Revolution exec Melissa Parmenter will be running the new branch.

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Revolution has increasingly been working in Italy in recent years and a source tells Variety the company is looking to make more films there. “Shoshana” (which was previously titled “Promised Land”) is set in Israel but was entirely shot in Italy. The film, which will premiere at TIFF on Friday, is set during the British Mandate of Palestine in the 1930s, when the daughter of an Israeli revolutionary (Irina Starshenbaum) falls in love with a British soldier (played by Douglas Booth).

“Shoshana” is a co-production with Italy’s Bartleby Film and is repped by Italian company Vision Distribution.

Revolution Films was set up by writer and director Winterbottom alongside producer Andrew Eaton. Its last big project was Sky drama “This England,” about Boris Johnson’s handling of the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic with Kenneth Branagh starring as the British Prime Minister.

The company also has a first-look deal with global production and distribution company Fremantle.

A rep for Revolution Films declined to comment.

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