The London-based Genesius Pictures, the producers of the Emma Thompson starrer Good Luck to You Leo Grande, and Cornerstone Films have partnered to form GenStone, a new content management company.
GenStone will work with an “integrated approach to the development and production and distribution of independent films,” the two companies said in a statement.
The first title from the new company will be the comedy road movie Libby and Joan Hit the Road, written by Katy Brand (Good Luck to you Leo Grande). The film is a UK-Australian co-production with The Reset Collective in Sydney.
Overall, GenStone will focus on three areas of content management: development and acquisition of IP; second-stage support to fast-track projects into finance and production and thirdly, international co-productions. GenStone has said the focus will be on “cinematic content for a broad spectrum of audiences.” Films will be produced or co-produced by Genesius and Cornerstone will oversee global distribution.
Cornerstone and Genesius have had a longstanding relationship. The two companies mostly recently teamed on Good Luck to You Leo Grande, and The Iceman, with Joseph Fiennes starring as the Dutch motivational speaker Wim Hof, and The Radley, which launched at the American Film Market. The companies are also partners in The Reset Collective, the Australian production, and distribution company that launched in 2020.
Genesius Pictures founder Debbie Gray said: “I’m extremely pleased to be embarking on this new venture with the team from Cornerstone. To develop content together which ensures it can be produced and sold internationally is very exciting. We are committed to the independent film market and hope this partnership brings great opportunities for writers and filmmakers.”
Cornerstone’s Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder added: “We believe with our combined expertise, Genesius with its strong creative producer skillset and talent relationships, and Cornerstone with its extensive knowledge of financing and the international marketplace, will ensure our projects have a clear path to production and global distribution impacting as wide an audience as possible. In other words, the stories we nurture and turn into films will fulfill a distinct set of criteria, including the ability to attract talent, a commercial eye to the market, and with an identifiable route to finance.”
