Global talent agency, Creative Artists Agency has signed a non-exclusive strategic partnership agreement with United Media Asia, a Singapore and Indonesia-based content finance, production and distribution company.
The deal will see CAA help represent and arrange financing for local-language film and television content in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, as well as advise on the company’s overall entertainment strategy.
UMA, which was established in 2018, recently signed an exclusive first-look deal with Southeast Asia’s largest media conglomerate, Kompas Gramedia, which has interests ranging from print to retail and broadcasting. CAA Media Finance brokered the deal.
CAA Media Finance is also representing the global distribution rights to the UMA-produced feature “Memories of my Body,” directed by Garin Nugroho, which was Indonesia’s official selection for best international feature film at the 2020 Oscars.
Led by founder and CEO Michy Gustavia, UMA is backed by a $20 million investment fund and operates a partnership network in Southeast Asia that includes sovereign and private companies. Indonesia’s entertainment market is one of the fastest growing in the world. UMA’s film slate includes the upcoming releases “The Villa” and “The Betrayal.”
CAA has been involved in the Asian entertainment market, particularly in China, for more than 14 years. It claims to have directed over $780 million in Chinese capital into English-language content. In other international markets, CAA Media Finance is involved with Canada’s Elevation, France’s Wild Bunch International, Brazil’s RT TV and the U.K.’s Elysian Film Group Distribution.
Although Nugroho is highly regarded on the international festival circuit, his film “Memories of My Body” about a male dancer was a controversial choice to represent the country. The film proved deeply controversial with Islamic religious groups, which labeled it as “deviant” and “promoting LGBT values,” leading to it being banned in five provinces.