At Zurich Summit, CAA's Roeg Sutherland said more film funding is available than ever; U.S. audiences watch international films. CAA sold La Bola Negra for more than it gets for an American movie, he said; European films need equity beyond subsidies, and pre-sales are harder.
Sutherland said private equity is coming from the Middle East, Asia and Europe, and CAA sees new opportunities in local films. He described the chance to finance Jacques Audiard's Emilia Pérez and Cristian Mungiu's Fjord as an opportunity CAA would not previously have had.
Sutherland said traditional studios no longer invest in development and that the creator economy will be a leading source of ideas, not just successful horror films. He said CAA prioritizes filmmakers over intellectual property or genre; the agency did not expect Curry Barker's Obsession to become a box-office phenomenon when a colleague sold it.
