Sobini Films was formed in early 2001 to independently finance and produce specialized and mainstream theatrical motion pictures. Best known for THE PRINCE AND ME, and the new age classic PEACEFUL WARRIOR, we continue to move forward with a solid slate of films heading to production.

Spearheading the company with Mark Amin, founder of Trimark Pictures, are Cami Winikoff; who serves as company President; David Higgings, who is President of Production; and Todd Olsson is Vice President International.

Sobini Films’ expansion into the international market is a natural progression as the company continues to grow and develop. They will also add select additional finished films, acquired specifically for international, which will amend their own slate of pictures.

With a plan to produce two to four projects a year with budgets varied between $10 and $40M; and as diverse as commercial action, thriller, and broad comedy, to Oscar contenders with award-winning directors; Sobini continues to grow and make a name in the independent film world.

The company still maintains a first-look deal with Lionsgate Entertainment, of which Mark Amin is Vice Chairman on the Board of Directors.


The Company

Sobini Films is a Los Angeles based independent motion picture distribution and production company. In addition to handling world-wide sales, for a careful selection, Sobini is an investor in features. We can contribute production financing, either in the form of minimum guarantees, sales advances, and/or as an equity investor.

Sobini has a top management team in place, which has substantial and comprehensive experience in the entertainment industry. There is a strong balance between creative thinking, production expertise, and an ever-changing marketplace sales application.

In regard to acquisitions, Sobini serves as the Producer’s conduit to distribution; bringing their films to the worldwide market, creating marketing campaigns and sales materials, screening the film for distributors, and handling all licensing and collection of funds for the Producers.

Acquisitions

While a viable production entity, Sobini Films still acquires select motion pictures for distribution from third party Producers. The film business around the world is in constant flux and demand for different types of films increase and decrease, but there is a constant in the trends, and that is the demand for a quality movie.

Sobini hand selects each and every film it handles, based on its own quality, merit and market value. It is a fact that some films perform better than others, but Sobini Films will do more to sell each and every film for each and every Producer.

Creating a professional and alluring marketing campaign is the key to unlocking the distribution puzzle. Sobini has relationships with the best agencies in town (receiving independent prices), who in turn develop and design ad campaigns, trailers, and marketing concepts that pull the potential success of a film into the realm of reality.

Partly due to the fact that the owner and CEO of the company has produced some 70 feature films and has built an independent company which became so successful it merged with Lionsgate; Sobini has an independent and entrepreneurial spirit that is unique to our company. Sobini works with Producers in a very different manner than any other international sales company by simplifying the details and the process, and helping producers understand how it all works, while also making their film reach its full potential.

Management

MARK AMIN - C.E.O.

Mr.Amin serves Lions Gate Entertainment as Vice Chairman, a member of the Board of Directors and the company’s largest shareholder. Amin first founded Trimark Holdings, Inc. and served as the company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer after its inception as Vidmark. Under Amin’s leadership, Trimark Holding, Inc. cornered the home video market in the mid-1980s and soon developed into one of the entertainment industry’s leading publicly traded, independent production and distribution companies. They managed production and domestic and international distribution through Trimark Pictures, licensed superior product to the broadcast industry through Trimark Television and maintained the company’s stronghold in the home video market through Trimark Home Video.

During Amin’s tenure at Trimark his film credits as executive producer included Kasi Lemmons’ critically acclaimed, award-winning directorial debut, ”Eve’s Bayou,” starring Samuel L. Jackson, Lynn Whitfield and Debbi Morgan; director Noah Baumbach’s “ Kicking and Screaming” and the hit urban comedy ”Held Up,” starring Jamie Foxx and Nia Long and directed by Steve Rash. With Amin’s leadership, Trimark Pictures aggressively competed in the specialized and genre film arenas. Amin spearheaded the acquisition and distribution of the company’s diverse films including George Huang’s “ Swimming with Sharks,” starring Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley; Larry Clark’s “Another Day in Paradise,” starring Melanie Griffith and James Woods in their critically acclaimed performances; and Catherine Breillat’s controversial ”Romance”, which struck a chord with critics and audiences alike; Amin also served a pivotal role in Trimark’s high profile acquisitions including Gurinder Chadha’s “What’s Cooking?”, starring Joan Chen, Julianna Margulies, Mercedes Ruehl, Kyra Sedgwick and Alfre Woodard, and Maggie Greenwald’s “Songcatcher,” starring Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Janet McTeer. In 2002, Amin executive produced “Frida” with Miramax Films, which has garnered six Academy Award nominations.

CAMI WINIKOFF – PRESIDENT & C.O.O.

Cami Winikoff is President and co-founder of Sobini Films. She was recently chosen by HBO to produce their first contemporary American Girl film, which was conceived as the foundation of an invaluable franchise for the studio. Winikoff shepherded “The Prince and Me,” starring Julia Stiles for Paramount Studios, another franchise film which has now spawned two successful sequels. She also produced “Peaceful Warrior,” starring Nick Nolte, in which she orchestrated an unprecedented second theatrical release of the film with Universal Studios. Most recently, Winikoff successfully completed a deal with Sony Pictures to acquire the rights to the highly commercial “Zorro” franchise for an upcoming motion picture.

Previously, as Executive Vice President of Lionsgate, Winikoff was at the forefront of building the company’s executive team and facilitating its profitable business plan. Winikoff was a key player in negotiating the merger with Trimark Pictures, which was the genesis of Lionsgate’s position as the most powerful independent company in the film industry.

As Chief Operating Officer for Trimark Pictures, Winikoff oversaw all of the company’s finance and operations, business and legal affairs, theatrical distribution, home entertainment, international and television distribution, and headed the production of over seventy-five films. At the end of her tenure, with her crucial role in building the mini-major into a valuable acquisition target, Winikoff consummated her work at Trimark in the company’s merger with Lionsgate Entertainment.

Winikoff’s production credits while at Trimark include Kasi Lemmon’s award winning directorial debut, ”Eve’s Bayou,” starring Samuel L. Jackson; “Frida” starring Selma Hayek; “Kicking and Screaming”, Noah Baumbach’s cult classic debut; and Mira Nair’s “Kama Sutra.” On the genre side of the company, she was at the helm of numerous films, many of which became lucrative franchises, including the notorious “Leprechaun” films.

Winikoff is most proud of having hired and nurtured many of the most outstanding executives in the movie business today. It is not an accident that most of the senior managers who ran Trimark day-to-day in the late 1990’s are now succeeding in top-level positions all over Hollywood. These include the President of Marketing and Distribution for Universal Studios, Co-President of the Weinstein Company, President of Paramount Vantage, Senior Vice-President of New Line Acquisition, Senior Vice-President of Acquisitions and Production of HBO Video, and the General Counsel and C.F.O of Lionsgate Entertainment.

DAVID W. HIGGINGS – PRESIDENT OF PRODUCTION

David W. Higgings was President of the feature film production company, LAUNCHPAD PRODUCTIONS. His most recent film, HARD CANDY, premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Lionsgate Films in April 2006. Under his Launchpad banner, Higgings has MUSKRAT LOVE set up at The Weinstein Company; is currently packaging the indie comedy STACKED – based on the true story of a male gambler who got breast implants on a bet; and is in post-production on the indie drama DISFIGURED about two women dealing with body issues. In addition, he has partnered with Mark Johnson for a David Hollander project set-up at Columbia Pictures.

Higgings is also a Co-Producer on both the $200 million grossing BIG MOMMA’s HOUSE and its recent sequel.

As an executive, Higgings was most recently President of Latham Entertainment which produced the KINGS OF COMEDY concert movie. Prior to that, as a Senior Production executive at Beverly Hills-based DEEP RIVER PRODUCTIONS, Higgings was involved in packaging LAWS OF ATTRACTION and served as an Executive Producer on the 20th Century Fox comedy DON’T SEND HELP.

Before working at Deep River Productions, Higgings served as Senior Exec for Development at Friendly Productions on the 20th Century Fox lot. He also worked as VP of Development with Mark Gordon at Mutual Film Company, where he worked on such projects as LOONY RADIO, HARD RAIN and CAPTAIN AMERICA. Prior to that, he worked with Dan Jinks at Bregman-Baer Productions as a CE.

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Higgings worked as an assistant at Imagine Films and Writers & Artists Agency before becoming an executive.

TODD OLSSON – VICE PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL

Joining the company in 2007 he brings a wealth of both indie and studio experience, and has a unique perspective; having been on both the buying and selling sides of distribution.

Prior to joining Sobini, Olsson spent two years with Bauer Martinez Studios, developing, licensing, and financing such films as THE FLOCK(Richard Gere, Claire Danes), I COULD NEVER BE YOUR WOMAN(Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd), THE GROOMSMEN(Ed Burns, Brittany Murphy) and acquiring HARSH TIMES(Christian Bale) for US distribution.

Ahead of Bauer, he headed up international for Promark / Zenpix for a couple of years and a before that at American World Pictures; handling both acquisitions and worldwide distribution. At both companies he pushed the stock and perception of the companies upward by bringing in profile films like Adam Rifkin’s NIGHT AT THE GOLDEN EAGLE and Sundance player TULLY among others. Prior to those positions, Olsson had moved from acquisitions only, to the "sales side" at Mark Damon’s MDP (Behaviour Worldwide, [now Media 8]) asVP international Sales. He handled such films as THE MUSKETEER, EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, FEAR.COM, and EXTREME OPS along with the sizeable library.

Olsson began at The Walt Disney Company with Marty Katz Productions on films like MAN OF THE HOUSE, THE WRONG GUY, REINDEER GAMES and many others. He then moved to distribution at Buena Vista Home Entertainment in acquisitions; which he did for more than 5 years. As Director of Acquisitions, he acquired more than 80 titles for international distribution during his tenure. Olsson also managed the Miyazaki deal for the studio, valued at more than $150M, and co-produced two English versions of the animation master’s films; working with the talents of Kirsten Dunst, Anna Paquin, Cloris Leachman, Andy Dick, James Van Der Beek and many others. He was also integral in the dubbing and release of PRINCESS MONONOKE.

Olsson has a Fine Arts degree in Cinema from Brigham Young University and has three children.

Corporate

Sobini Films is a California corporation. In terms of legal documents for licensing films, Sobini uses industry deal memo and long form agreement basics, standardized and accepted by the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA).