New Studio Launches

The LA Times reports that despite the current recession a new studio, called DF Indie Studios (DFIS), has just opened its doors in New York.

The two women behind the company are Mary Dickinson and Charlene Fisher, financial consultants with a background in entertainment and sports, who say they have already raised more than $50 million from investors and secured an additional $150 million in "output" deals. Their goal is to raise $100 million by the autumn, and plan to create and distribute 10 -12 low-budget films a year.

The company has a staff of 20 and expects to double it over the next several months. Amy Slotnick, a former Miramax production executive, will serve as executive vice president of production, and Rita Chiappetta-Thibault, a former New Line executive, will be DFIS' chief financial officer.

Producers Hope and Carey -- whose This Is That Productions was behind the critical successes "In the Bedroom," "The Ice Storm" and "The Savages" -- said there is a shortage of places to go to make movies in the $10-million-budget range. "It's not rocket science, but it is an effort that has been neglected, so it ends up being truly innovative by default," Hope said.