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.
Distribution Model
New Europe operates as a boutique international sales agent, licensing territory-by-territory distribution rights to local distributors worldwide. The company attends Cannes, Berlin (EFM), Toronto, AFM, and other major markets to present its slate to buyers. Its selective approach of approximately 8 features per year means each title receives focused sales effort rather than getting lost in a large catalog.
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.
Example Titles They've Released
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
- The Love That Remains (2025, Hlynur Palmason) - Iceland's Oscar entry, sold to Janus (North America), Curzon (UK), Elastica (Spain)
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.
Deal Structure Reputation
New Europe operates on a sales commission model standard for international sales agents. The company typically takes a 20% to 25% sales commission on territory deals, with advances against sales varying based on the project's market readiness and festival pedigree. The company boards films at the rough-cut stage when possible, as Naszewski has stated in interviews, to know exactly what the film is before committing to sales.
The company does not take submissions for co-production and development but scouts the market intensely, contacting teams and projects that align with its vision. For sales representation, filmmakers should approach through a festival premiere, market screening, or direct submission via the company's website.
New Europe's NEM Corp partnership with producers Ewa Puszczynska (Oscar-winning producer of Ida, Cold War, and Zone of Interest) and Klaudia Smieja (producer of High Life and Silent Twins) allows the company to participate in development and co-production, creating a pipeline of projects that may later move into sales representation.
Typical Acquisition Profile
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 means each title receives focused sales effort. The company's lower threshold for 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.
Naszewski has described the company as a "discovery label" that helps filmmakers' careers grow. The company follows short film directors into features, maintaining long-term relationships with emerging talent. Key acquisition criteria include artistic quality, audience potential, and festival premiere status at top-tier events.
Recent Slate and Acquisition Activity
New Europe's 2025 features include Joan of Arc (Hlynur Palmason, San Sebastian premiere), 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. Joan of Arc and The Love That Remains sold to Janus (North America), Curzon (UK), Elastica (Spain), Movies Inspired (Italy), and New Horizons (Poland).
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 (Hana Jusic, Locarno Best Performance Award), How to Divorce During the War, and Tales from the Magic Garden (an animated feature that world premiered at Berlinale Generation Kplus 2025). The animation slate also includes the Cattle Hill series from Norwegian studio Qvisten.
At the 2026 EFM, New Europe hosted the world market premiere screening of Patricia Ortega's 9 Moons, produced by Seville-based La Claqueta. Ortega's previous feature, Mamacruz, competed at Sundance 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 significant 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.
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.
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 means each title receives focused sales effort rather than getting lost in a large catalog. The company's interest in debut and second films from the region makes it more accessible to emerging directors than larger sales companies.
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 a 20% to 25% sales commission, with advances against sales varying based on the project's market readiness and festival pedigree.
The key trade-off: New Europe's boutique size means limited marketing budgets compared to larger sales agents like Wild Bunch or FilmNation. Filmmakers gain a dedicated, hands-on sales partner but may sacrifice the broad buyer network and promotional firepower of a larger company.
Watch: Trailers and Interviews
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.
