New Europe Film Sales

Overview

New Europe Film Sales is a Warsaw-based boutique international sales agent founded in 2010 by Jan Naszewski, who previously organized industry events at Poland's New Horizons Film Festival in Wroclaw. The company selects approximately 8 feature films per year at various stages of production, alongside 1 to 2 animations and roughly 5 short films annually. Its catalog includes international arthouse hits that have premiered at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, and Toronto, with several earning Academy Award nominations and major festival prizes. For filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe, New Europe offers a home-territory sales partner with deep relationships in the region's production and funding ecosystems.

The company is run by a board comprising Jan Naszewski, Marcin Luczaj, and Katarzyna Siniarska, with 15+ years of experience in sales, acquisitions, festival programming, and production. Naszewski studied languages and EU studies in Edinburgh and worked in film sales from 2008 before founding New Europe in early 2010. The company operates from its office at Slowicza 12/2 in Warsaw.

Notable Catalog and Track Record

New Europe's catalog includes some of the most internationally successful arthouse films of the past decade:

• Lamb (2021, Valdimar Johannsson) - Cannes Un Certain Regard, A24 release in the US, starring Noomi Rapace
• Corpus Christi (2019, Jan Komasa) - Venice/TIFF, Academy Award nominee for Best International Feature Film 2020
• Rams (2015, Grimur Hakonarsson) - Prix Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2015
• Summer 1993 (2017, Carla Simon) - Berlinale Best First Feature Award 2017
• Godland (2022, Hlynur Palmason) - Cannes, Telluride, TIFF 2022
• Housekeeping for Beginners (2023, Goran Stolevski) - Venice 2023, Focus Features and Universal release
• The Peasants (2023, DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman) - TIFF 2023, Sony Pictures Classics release, from the makers of the Oscar-nominated Loving Vincent
• Sometimes I Think About Dying (2023) - Sundance competition

The company's short films catalog includes 15+ Oscar shortlisters, including the 2017 Oscar winner Sing and the 2019 Academy Award nominee Weekends. Short film directors represented include Ruben Ostlund, Magnus von Horn, Niki Lindroth von Bahr, and Tomasz Baginski.

Current Slate (2025-2026)

New Europe's 2025 features include Joan of Arc, Orphan (directed by Laszlo Nemes, director of the Oscar-winning Son of Saul), The Love That Remains, and The Good Sister. The company acquired Orphan in partnership with Charades sales company, marking its first collaboration with that outfit. 2024 titles include Frewaka, Julie Keeps Quiet, Eternal, and Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust.

Upcoming 2026 titles include A Prayer for the Dying, God Will Not Help, How to Divorce During the War, and Tales from the Magic Garden (an animated feature that had its world premiere at Berlinale Generation Kplus 2025). The animation slate also includes the Cattle Hill series from Norwegian studio Qvisten, with Mystery on the Cattle Hill Express released in 2023.

NEM Corp and Production Activity

In late 2018, New Europe established NEM Corp, a creative collaboration hub and production outlet, with two leading Polish producers: Ewa Puszczynska (Oscar-winning producer of Ida, Cold War, and Zone of Interest) and Klaudia Smieja (producer of High Life and Silent Twins). NEM Corp attracts prestigious international film projects to Poland through co-production and service work, and develops new projects with Polish talent. New Europe takes on co-producing or sales work on NEM Corp projects on a case-by-case basis.

The company also runs New Europe Warsaw Sessions, an annual exclusive meeting place for new talents and top film executives, held at a secret location outside Warsaw. This event connects emerging filmmakers with international industry decision-makers in an intimate setting.

New Europe is active in development and financing through its sister company, New Europe Productions, and as a seed-funding development partner for other producers' projects. The company regularly follows its short filmmakers into the feature film world, both as sales agents and as seed funders.

Polish Film Ecosystem and Regional Advantage

Poland's film industry has grown significantly in international visibility. Polish films premiere regularly at Cannes, Berlin, and Venice, alongside SXSW and Sundance. The Polish Film Institute (PISF) supports development, production, distribution, and promotion, creating a pipeline of Polish productions that New Europe can represent internationally. Poland's 30% cash rebate system (introduced in 2019) has attracted international co-productions to the country, expanding the pool of projects New Europe can access.

For Polish and Eastern European filmmakers, New Europe offers a home-territory sales representation advantage. The company understands the Polish production ecosystem, has relationships with Polish funding bodies, and can navigate the specific characteristics of Polish and regional co-production structures in its international sales activity. The company's buyer relationships in France, Germany, the UK, the US, and Asia provide coverage of the full arthouse international distribution ecosystem.

What Filmmakers Should Know

New Europe is a realistic representation target for filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe whose work has the festival credentials and international appeal to attract sales attention. The company's selective approach (approximately 8 features per year) means each title receives focused sales effort rather than getting lost in a large catalog. The company's lower-threshold interest in debut and second films from the region makes it more accessible to emerging directors than larger sales companies focused exclusively on established talent.

For international filmmakers outside Eastern Europe, New Europe occasionally represents projects with genuine international co-production involvement from the region or strong thematic connections to Central and Eastern European subjects. The company's animation slate is also open to international productions, particularly family and adult animation titles.

Filmmakers should approach New Europe through a sales agent relationship, festival premiere, or direct submission via the company's website. The company attends Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, AFM, and other major markets. Deal structures typically involve worldwide sales representation with the company taking a 20% to 25% sales commission, with advances against sales varying based on the project's market readiness and festival pedigree.

See Also

For how Eastern European co-production financing works through PISF and equivalent national funding bodies, see Film Grants and Funding. To model international territory sales for a Central European arthouse film, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For understanding how international sales agents structure deals with territory distributors, see Distribution Deals Explained.