Mister Smith comes to London

by Naman Ramachandran

02/05/2012 - David Garrett, co-founder of Summit Entertainment, and former President of Summit International, will launch a new company, Mister Smith Entertainment, at the upcoming 2012 Cannes Film Market. The London-based business will deal with the financing, co-financing and licensing of films. It’s a joint venture between Garrett and Constantin Film, which is also providing funding capital. Garrett (pictured) will be the CEO. Summit alumnus Ralpho Borgos joins as Executive Vice President, International Licensing and Distribution. Annasivia Britt serves as Vice President, Marketing and Publicity.

Mister Smith Entertainment will launch in Cannes with two Constantin productions: Cassandra Clare’s best-selling book series adaptation The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones; and the true story 3,096 Days based on the autobiography of Natascha Kampusch.

Garrett said, “Mister Smith Entertainment is a natural next step for me after a wonderful 19 year partnership at Summit Entertainment. I am also proud to have been in business with Constantin Films since the early 1990s and their partnership is the cornerstone of this new venture. Our goal is to recreate the successful distribution structure we forged in the early days of Summit Entertainment, building upon core strategic partnerships with the very best producers, filmmakers and distributors around the world.”

While at Summit, Garrett served as international supervisor on Guy Ritchie’s Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels and Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky [trailer] as well as on several American franchises.