Causeway Films, the Australian film production house behind recent breakout “Talk to Me,” has opened a U.K. operation.
The company has hired Daniel Negret, formerly of Head Gear Films, as its CEO.
Causeway Films was established by producers Kristina Ceyton and Samantha Jennings in 2014, launching with Jennifer Kent’s Sundance hit “The Babadook.” It followed that by producing Kent’s follow up feature “The Nightingale,” which won the special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2019.
Innovative horror film, “Talk to Me,” from filmmaking duo Danny and Michael Philippouscreened in Sundance, Berlin and SXSW 2023and was acquired by A24. It became A24’s top genre release in North America with a box office of $48.1 million to date, taking the film’s global box office to over $89 million.
In 2020-21 Causeway completed four other features. These included “You Won’t Be Alone,” by the Serbian Australian director Goran Stolevski and Stolevski’s second film “Of an Age,” which was the opening title at the Melbourne International Film Festival and won the 2022 MIFF@CinefestOz film prize. The film was picked up by Focus Features.
In the same stretch, the company produced “Blaze,” by prize-winning artist Del Kathryn Barton, starring Simon Baker (Tribeca 2022,) and South African psychological horror “Good Madam” by Jenna Cato Bass, which played at the Toronto festival in 2021 and on streamer Shudder.
Colombian-born Negret was Head Gear’s chief operating officer, overseeing operations including production finance, strategy, business development, legal & business affairs and marketing. While at the company Negret oversaw financier and producer Head Gear’s involvement in over 60 productions, including “Talk to Me,” “How to Have Sex,” and “Bandit.” Negret also helped create the company’s financial packaging and executive producing arm. He previously worked at Ingenious, Olsberg SPI and Merrill Lynch, and recently wrote and produced his own horror feature film “Shaman” in Ecuador.
“Having worked with Daniel for years in his role at Head Gear, we know he has the business and financial acumen, the understanding of our creative process and the integrity to help grow Causeway while staying true to what we’ve built with great passion: producing entertaining, socially relevant and ground-breaking stories that allow original voices to achieve international success,” said Ceyton and Jennings.
Negret said: “It’s an honor to be joining Sam, Kristina and the Causeway team. I’ve long admired them, their films and the company they’ve built. I look forward to adding to their tremendous success and helping the company navigate through this exciting new chapter.”
