Originally in Variety
Twelve-year-old international sales agent and U.K. distributor Dogwoof is expanding production investment with the launch of TDog Productions, Variety has learned exclusively.
Dogwoof, which primarily handles prestige documentaries, made the announcement Thursday following the opening of the 15th annual Tribeca Film Festival. It’s selling the documentaries “LoveTrue,” executive produced by Shia LaBeouf, and “Burden” at the festival.
“This a natural evolution for us to grow the company and move toward making our own content,” said CEO Anna Godas, who’s managing the fund. “Talent has been approaching us to start packaging films so we began exploring this last year.”
Dogwoof has handled international sales and U.K. theatrical distribution on “Blackfish,” “Cartel Land,” “Dior and I,” and “Weiner” and the UK theatrical distribution for “The Look of Silence,” “The Act of Killing,” “The Queen of Versailles,” and “Heart of a Dog.”
The fund is 50% owned by Dogwoof and 50% owned by a private investor. It will back feature film documentaries at any stage, and the development of other format spinoffs that may arise from those docs, with a particular emphasis in episodic series.
“We are looking for partnerships,” Godas added. “We want to work with people more than once.”
The first three titles backed by TDog Productions focused on fashion designers Halston and Vivienne Westwood, and free-diving world champion Natalia Molchanova.
“Halston” isdirected by Frederic Tcheng (“Dior and I”) and produced by Rolaball Enterprises. It will chronicle the designer’s life, and how he defined the 70s and minimalism in fashion.
“Natalya, Queen of Seas” is being executive produced byMatthew Heineman (“Cartel Land”), produced by RoastBeef Productions (“The Square,” “Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer”) and directed by Gaya Petrosyan and Martin Herring. It’s in pre-production and tells the story of free-diving world champion Molchanova who disappeared last summer in the Mediterranean Sea. She could hold her breath for over nine minutes and broke 41 world records.
“Vivienne Westwood: Get a Life” is directed by Lorna Tucker, and produced by Passion Pictures and We Are Finished Films. The doc will explore the never-seen-before world of the fashion designer with access into both her atelier and her personal life. Confirmed contributors include Emilia Clarke, Naomi Campbell, Christina Hendricks and Kate Moss.