Phoenix Film Finance: New Hope for UK Indies

Rob Deacon, a seasoned movie marketing and publicity specialist, has established Phoenix Film Finance. This new entity aims to significantly impact the independent production landscape by leveraging Deacon's extensive industry expertise.

Phoenix Film Finance will primarily support British independent film production. It plans to achieve this by "cash flowing" the Independent Film Tax Credit at industry-leading, "filmmaker friendly" rates. The company will also investigate options for cash flowing VAT for U.K. productions and provide select equity and gap financing.

Working alongside experienced executive producer Ian Davies of Initialize Films, Phoenix has already secured three films for its slate. These include Carol Morley's fiction feature "7 Miles Out," Ari Matikainen's documentary "The Game of Chaos," and the sci-fi animation "Pale Pink," directed by Kuba Mikurda.

Deacon highlighted that Phoenix's unique selling proposition is its competitive loan rates for tax credits, particularly for loans under £500,000, but also for productions budgeted up to £3 million. Deacon, based in Edinburgh and London, has over 25 years of experience in the U.K. film industry.