Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Tarantella Pictures, a Malaysian entertainment film company for TV programmes and feature films in Southeast Asia, is set to develop and distribute their Asian content worldwide; which has led to a joint venture agreement between Tarantella and U.S. based Medient Studios.

Tarantella Pictures

This five year deal is set to jointly develop, finance, produce and distribute content for China and the Far East Asian markets. Tarantella together with Medient will aim at producing Pan Asian international quality feature films for worldwide distribution both in Malaysia and at Medient’s new production facility in Effingham Country, Georgia. This 1,550 acre property is the largest production facility of its kind in the United States and is fully equipped in the latest technology for production.

As part of the deal Tarantella will also act as the Southeast Asian distribution arm for Atlas International Films. Atlas was recently acquired by Medient in 2014 and remains one of the oldest film distribution companies in the world, representing more than 100 producers and 12,000 license agreements in Europe and the world. Tarantella will seek to bring high quality international ready content from Southeast Asia to be distributed worldwide.

Medient Studios is responsible for the production and/or financing of over 250 movies and has a strong regional presence in North America, Europe and India. As part of the company’s strategy to develop a worldwide distribution and content pipeline they have entered together in this joint venture with Tarantella. Tarantella already has an established repertoire of feature films for the Southeast Asian region and is famous for the Malaysian romantic drama films Ombak Rindu and Lagenda Budak Setan; Tarantella has topped the Malaysian box office time and time again.

Medient Studios’ Chairman of the Board Manu Kumaran said: “Over the last 20 years Tarantella has built a formidable reputation in the region and we are excited by the possibilities that this deal has to offer.”

The joint venture with Medient Studios already has a number of projects in the pipeline with the first title to be announced at this year’s Marche Du Film. Managing Director Sharad Sharan and Director Renu Sharan are excited about the developments in progress: “This venture together with Medient Studios is set to take Malaysian production and Southeast Asian culture to an all new international platform.”

Sharad Sharan