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Highland Film Group
Highland Film Group is a specialist international sales and distribution company focused on action, thriller, and crime films with recognizable star talent for global audiences.
Current mandate
Highland Film Group occupies a well-defined lane in the independent film marketplace as an international sales agent and distributor specializing in commercially driven genre fare, with a particular emphasis on action, thriller, and crime films anchored by recognizable star talent. The company's current activity centers on Not Without Hope, a survival thriller based on a true story, for which Highland is handling international sales. The project was launched at the European Film Market, underscoring Highland's consistent strategy of using major market events to position its slate for global buyers. The film's creative framing, honoring victims and the U.S. Coast Guard while foregrounding hope, perseverance, and moral responsibility, signals Highland's appetite for prestige-leaning genre material that carries real-world narrative weight.\n\nHighland's acquisition and packaging pattern reflects a preference for independently financed features built around co-financing structures. Not Without Hope is co-financed by Gramercy Park, while domestic rights are handled separately by CAA Media Finance, illustrating Highland's typical model: securing international rights while leaving domestic distribution to a separate partner. Production on the film was set to begin in Louisiana, indicating Highland regularly attaches to projects at the late packaging or pre-production stage rather than acquiring finished films exclusively. Across its tracked activity, the company's mandate remains consistent: action, thriller, and crime titles with the star power and narrative substance to travel across international territories.\n\nMaterial reaches Highland primarily through established industry relationships, packaging partnerships, and market-facing sales launches. Every tracked deal in the available data involves co-financing partners, domestic sales agents such as CAA Media Finance, and production entities, suggesting that projects arrive via producer and agent relationships rather than through any documented open submission pathway. Highland's regular presence at major film markets, including the European Film Market, is the most consistently observed route by which new projects enter its orbit.
Signature peaks
- Action, Thriller, Crime Core Genre Focus — Highland's stated mandate centers on star-driven genre films with substantial narrative experiences for global audiences.
- Not Without Hope International Sales Role — Highland is handling international sales for this true-story survival thriller, launched at the European Film Market.
- Multi-Partner Structure Co-Financing Model — Not Without Hope is co-financed by Gramercy Park, with domestic rights handled separately by CAA Media Finance.
Mandate dimensions
- Genre focus
- Not disclosed
- Territory focus
- Not disclosed
- Budget tier (observed)
- Not disclosed
- Access pattern
- Every tracked deal in Highland's pipeline has involved co-financing partners and established sales agents, with Not Without Hope arriving packaged alongside Gramercy Park and CAA Media Finance. Highland's consistent presence at the European Film Market is the most clearly documented route by which new projects enter its international sales slate; no unsolicited submission pathway is documented.
- Deal structure
- Highland Film Group operates as an international sales agent, acquiring and selling international distribution rights to independently financed features, typically within co-financing structures that pair Highland's international sales role with a separate domestic rights partner.
Market context
Highland Film Group is packaging prestige-leaning survival thrillers for international markets, most recently launching sales for Not Without Hope at the European Film Market.
Highland Film Group occupies a well-defined lane in the independent film marketplace as an international sales agent and distributor specializing in commercially driven genre fare, with a particular emphasis on action, thriller, and crime films anchored by recognizable star talent. The company's current activity centers on Not Without Hope, a survival thriller based on a true story, for which Highland is handling international sales. The project was launched at the European Film Market, underscoring Highland's consistent strategy of using major market events to position its slate for global buyers. The film's creative framing, honoring victims and the U.S. Coast Guard while foregrounding hope, perseverance, and moral responsibility, signals Highland's appetite for prestige-leaning genre material that carries real-world narrative weight.\n\nHighland's acquisition and packaging pattern reflects a preference for independently financed features built around co-financing structures. Not Without Hope is co-financed by Gramercy Park, while domestic rights are handled separately by CAA Media Finance, illustrating Highland's typical model: securing international rights while leaving domestic distribution to a separate partner. Production on the film was set to begin in Louisiana, indicating Highland regularly attaches to projects at the late packaging or pre-production stage rather than acquiring finished films exclusively. Across its tracked activity, the company's mandate remains consistent: action, thriller, and crime titles with the star power and narrative substance to travel across international territories.\n\nMaterial reaches Highland primarily through established industry relationships, packaging partnerships, and market-facing sales launches. Every tracked deal in the available data involves co-financing partners, domestic sales agents such as CAA Media Finance, and production entities, suggesting that projects arrive via producer and agent relationships rather than through any documented open submission pathway. Highland's regular presence at major film markets, including the European Film Market, is the most consistently observed route by which new projects enter its orbit.
Common questions about Highland Film Group
Does Highland Film Group accept unsolicited scripts?
No unsolicited submission pathway is documented in available trade data for Highland Film Group. Every tracked project in Highland's pipeline has arrived through established producer relationships, co-financing partners, or sales agent collaborations, such as the CAA Media Finance partnership on Not Without Hope. Writers and producers seeking Highland's attention are best served by securing representation or attaching a producing partner with existing industry relationships before approaching the company.
What budgets does Highland Film Group typically work with?
Highland Film Group operates in the independently financed feature space, working on projects with co-financing structures involving multiple partners. Not Without Hope, for example, is co-financed by Gramercy Park alongside Highland's international sales role. While specific budget figures are not publicly confirmed in available data, the company's focus on star-driven action, thriller, and crime films suggests a mid-to-upper-range independent budget tier consistent with attracting recognizable talent.
What festivals and markets does Highland Film Group source from?
Highland Film Group is an active participant at major international film markets, most notably the European Film Market, where it launched international sales for Not Without Hope. Market-based sales launches are a primary mechanism by which Highland positions its slate for global buyers. The company's deal activity suggests it sources and packages projects ahead of major markets rather than acquiring primarily from festival competition screenings.
How do I get my script in front of Highland Film Group?
Based on tracked deal activity, material reaches Highland Film Group through producer attachments, co-financing partnerships, and sales agent relationships. The Not Without Hope project, for instance, came packaged with co-financier Gramercy Park and a separate domestic sales partner in CAA Media Finance. No open call or direct submission portal is documented. Attaching a producer or sales agent with existing Highland relationships is the most clearly observed route into their pipeline.
What genres is Highland Film Group currently acquiring?
Highland Film Group's stated mandate focuses on action, thriller, and crime films featuring recognizable star talent. The company emphasizes what it describes as real storytelling for audiences seeking substantial narrative experiences. Current activity reinforces this: Not Without Hope is a prestige-leaning survival thriller based on a true story, shaped around themes of hope, perseverance, and moral responsibility. Projects that blend genre commercial appeal with grounded, character-driven narratives appear to be the clearest fit.
Is Highland Film Group currently active in the market?
Yes. Highland Film Group's most recent tracked signal dates to September 2026, and the company is actively handling international sales for Not Without Hope, a survival thriller launched at the European Film Market with production set in Louisiana. With 24 total records tracked over the past 12 months and 44 decision makers monitored, Highland remains an active presence in the international independent film marketplace, particularly for genre projects in the action, thriller, and crime space.
Adjacent buyers in this lane
- New Line Cinema — New Line Cinema is Warner Bros.' genre-focused label driving franchise horror and animated IP, curre
- Neon — Neon is a prestige-leaning U.S. distributor with a documented run of Palme d'Or acquisitions, a grow
- Greenwich Entertainment — Greenwich Entertainment is a New York-based specialty distributor championing music documentaries, c
- ITV Studios — ITV Studios is a global content powerhouse distributing scripted drama, returnable formats, and unsc
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