‘Diego Maradona,’ ‘Rooney’ Producer Lorton Launches Content Fund

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran Lorton Entertainment, whose credits include documentaries, Asif Kapadia’s Cannes title “Diego Maradona” and Matt Smith’s Amazon Prime Video film “Rooney,” has launched a content fund.The Lorton Media Fund, which will invest in drama and documentary across film and television, is a Jersey-based vehicle, which is administered by Oakbridge Fund Services (Jersey) Limited.

It will be one of the largest private investment funds focused on U.K. content.The company said that it has been able to “raise significant capital after a run of 17 hit films in the last six years alone.” Lordon’s credits also include a Boris Becker documentary that’s headed to the Cannes market, “Oasis: Supersonic” and “Bros: After the Screaming Stops.” Lorton Entertainment was founded by CEO Julian Bird and a consortium of private financiers in 2016 with the abiding principle of bringing the strict discipline of the financial world into the film and television content sector.Bird said: “The new fund is the realisation of our vision that has been six years in the making.

We have steadfastly proved our caliber during this time with a range of diverse productions that we’re incredibly proud of. Just as importantly, our films have given us the track record to demonstrate to the investors in the Lorton Media Fund that this new business model will present incredible opportunities for upcoming filmmakers alongside established award-winning talent.

No longer will we have to adhere to the much slower film-by-film funding model.”“Our track record shows that we have consistently backed iconic and profitable independent documentaries and narrative features – with the promise of many more to come,” Bird added.