Film Finance for Independent Productions

Built from film experience, structured with finance discipline

Jala Pictures was created by people who have produced, financed and worked alongside independent films. We know that the problem is not always the absence of value. Often, it is timing.

Committed financing may exist, but the cash is not yet available. Our role is to look at that gap with the discipline required by lenders, lawyers, collection agents and other professional counterparties.

The team brings together producer-side experience, project origination and structured finance judgment: Alex Tate has worked across production and international co-production; Alexander Akoka has worked across independent film production, financing and post-production; Jacques Leuger brings senior banking, credit and structured finance experience, having served as Managing Director at a bank with a dedicated film finance practice and worked on the financing of a significant number of films.

That mix matters. Jala looks at each project as a real production, but also as a financing structure that must be documented, credible and repayable.

Film finance built around real production cashflow

Jala Pictures is a London-based film finance company working with independent producers across the UK, the US, Canada, Europe and selected international markets.

Most of the projects we look at have the same practical issue: money is contracted, expected or identifiable, but the production needs cash before it actually arrives.

We look at each project through the lens of how independent films are actually put together: the finance plan, the production timetable, the counterparties, the paperwork and the timing of cash coming in.

Each project is reviewed case by case, based on its documentation, finance plan, counterparties, timetable and repayment sources.

Start here

For producers who want to understand whether Jala may be relevant to their project, their finance plan and their timing gap.

Financing routes

The right route depends on what sits behind the repayment: a tax credit, a rebate, VAT, a pre-sale, a minimum guarantee, a distribution agreement or another identifiable receivable.

Prepare the review

For a broader overview of how Jala looks at finance structures, see Film Finance Structuring.

The Partners

Alex Tate

Managing Director

Alex Tate brings producer-side experience across film production and international co-production.

He helps Jala assess projects from the perspective of how independent films are put together, financed and brought to completion.

Alexander Akoka

Partner — Film Finance & Project Origination

Alexander Akoka has worked across independent film production, financing and post-production.

He brings a practical view of how producers manage timing gaps, confirmed receivables and the pressure of getting a film made.

Jacques Leuger

Partner — Credit & Structured Film Finance

Former Managing Director at Neuflize OBC, with senior banking, credit and structured finance experience.

He has worked on the financing of a significant number of films and brings lender-side discipline to Jala’s review process.