The Movie Agency
About Us
The Movie Agency (TMA) represents Feature Film Producers and is a Film Sales Agency created by Philippe Louis Galliano.
Working in this industry for over 20 years after film studies in Australia, Philippe has helped filmmakers from all around the world in selling their independent feature films to worldwide distributors.
The difference between TMA's services and those of other sales agents is clear and simple:
Other Sales Agents may charge upfront fees and will surely deduct a high commission on your sales.
TMA's commission is 15%.
When other Sales Agents might as well deduct their expenses, TMA doesn't.
TMA will never promise you fame & fortune because nobody in this business can.
TMA started in 2017 but Philippe started in the distribution business in 2009 trying to bring Asian films to Australia at the time. 2018, TMA relocated to Japan.
In 2018 and 2019, Philippe worked with Brazilian production company O2 Filmes (City of God - Blindness) to rescue the last feature film of the Academy Award and multiple times Cannes' "Palme d'Or" nominee director Hector Babenco "Meu Amigo Hindu". Mr Babenco died in 2016 and the release of his last movie was put on hold.
Over a couple of months, Philippe was able to secure Worldwide distribution with Tricoast Worldwide - RockSalt Releasing including a Theatrical release in the US, and screening at the Cannes Film Market. The movie stars Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe and is now entitled "My Last Friend". Philippe also co-produced US Thriller Reversion, and Ukrainian biopic Her Name Was Fanny and released the Brazilian Horror Thriller My Dead Ones
Other members of TMA:
Artegg Yumi joined the sales team. She will be in charge of selling our titles in Japan.
Lily Huynh joined the company in 2021 and is in charge of sales and acquisition for TMA Releasing.
To name a few, we also represented films from
-
Artémis (Belgium) is known for Gaspar Noé's "Climax" and Hooper's "The Danish Girl". We sold their movie Cavale in North America. The movie was theatrically released and received excellent reviews.
-
director Megan Griffiths SADIE.
-
Canadian director Sophie Dupuis for her debut feature "Family First" which was Canadian submission to the 2018's Academy Awards. The movie stars Théodore Pellerin.
-
British director Edward Palmer for his debut feature "Hippopotamus". Ed had struggled for a couple of years before finding the right agency and distributor. The Movie Agency got the film sold in North America and in Japan where it was also theatrically released.
-
East Europe such as the biopic of Michael Curtiz now on Netflix.
-
Most recently we brought to North America the work of Japanese talented director Shugo Fujii by releasing the gorefest "Mimicry Freaks" and meta cinema grandiosity "Frantic" which theatrically opened in LA in October 2022.
So how does it work?
Submit your film. TMA will contact you back within 48 hours to let you know whether
TMA is in or not.
TMA will contact distributors looking for titles similar to yours. When an offer comes around, TMA let you know all about it. TMA will advise you but the decision is only yours.
If you do accept the offer, TMA will get you in touch with the distributor.
TMA can also negotiate the offer for you.
No upfront cost to you.
TMA gets paid when you get paid.
Can you guarantee that my movie will sell if we work together?
Nobody can guarantee you a sale however TMA will work hard to get your movie sold and distributed.
What are the territories you can sell to and do you attend film markets?
TMA often starts by finding you a distributor in North America before pitching to other territories. TMA is represented at film markets including but not limited to EFM, AFM, Hong Kong Film Mart, Cannes, NAPTE Budapest.
Do you deduct anything, any fees I should be aware of?
TMA's commission is deducted from your Net receipts. There are no fees.
In most cases, the distributor pays you and you are then paying TMA's commission.
Why would I need you when I can find a distributor by myself or self-distribute my movie?
TMA's work isn't just about pitching and finding you a distributor. TMA is also on your
side to assist you in reviewing and negotiating contracts. You will find TMA's experience in laws and entertainment to be very handy if a disagreement with your distributor is occurring.
TMA also has tons of connections in the business and may assist you in many ways and all of it for free!
Regarding self-distribution, the idea to be independent is attractive but do you think that you will be able to compete with a distributor
who has been in the business for decades?
who has sold multiple movies to multiple buyers over the years or months?
who has developed over the years precious relationships with film buyers of all sorts
and countries?
who has a team of experienced salesmen and marketers?
who is attending film markets several times a year all over the world?
The answer is no!
Getting your film on Amazon for example without a marketing budget, without film marketing knowledge is a complete waste of time and very often will lead
in a loss of money if you had the bad idea to use an aggregator. If you have a large following, self-distribution might work for you but a distributor may also use this same large following to your advantage. Getting your followers to do more than what you were expecting is also your distributor's job.
Do you assist with funding and pre-sales?
TMA may come on board a film project depending on the cast. TMA has contacts with financiers but they are not interested in films with no bankable names attached.
If you have raised a part of the budget if you have a reputable distributor attached
and you have the paperwork to prove it, TMA may consider helping you out.
Pre-sales have become very rare but are still possible if you have a successful track record as a director or producer, or if your film has bankable elements officially
attached such as actors and/or directors.
Do you pay anything upfront for completed feature films?
For some titles, we may pay a small minimum guarantee (MG) that is then recoupable from sales. Films that may attract an MG are likely titles with very well-known actors in the cast and/or English-speaking films with high production values.
![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
---|---|---|
![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |