Altitude Acquires Handmade Films Library Ahead of Maiden Mipcom Outing (EXCLUSIVE)

By Stewart Clarke

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Altitude Film Entertainment has landed the rights to a raft of classic movies, including Terry Gilliam’s “Time Bandits,” after acquiring the library of Handmade Films, the British banner co-founded by former Beatle George Harrison. Altitude, a seasoned seller at the major film markets, will add the Handmade titles to its Mipcom lineup as it heads to Cannes for the biggest TV market of the year for the first time.

The Handmade deal hands Altitude about 100 pictures. Choice titles include Oscar-nominated “Mona Lisa,” Richard E. Grant-starrer “Withnail and I” and British gangster pic “The Long Good Friday.”

Altitude will be based inside the Palais des Festivals at . Sales managing director Mike Runagall will lead the charge at the market alongside Mark A. Kirkpatrick, a former distribution VP at ITV Studios who has been brought on as a consultant to aid the TV sales effort.

The Handmade movies will sit alongside those from Altitude’s own catalogue, including “47 Meters Down” and “Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans,” as well as buzzy Toronto titles such as Sarah Gavron’s “Rocks.” It will also have feature docs “Diego Maradona,” “Liam Gallagher: As It Was” and “The Capote Tapes,” upon which Altitude recently boarded sales.

While there has been a drop-off in attendance at MipTV in April, Mipcom, with about 4,000 buyers in town, remains the biggest event on the international TV calendar. Talent in town this year includes RuPaul and Patrick Dempsey, and on the executive side, WarnerMedia’s Bob Greenblatt and ProSiebenSat.1 boss Max Conze.