Dear Lara, a critically acclaimed doc feature directed by violinist Lara St. John, exploring sexual abuse within the world of classical music, has notched up several broadcast deals for Scorpion TV.
Patrick Hamm, the film has secured more than 20 licensing agreements around the world for Scorpion TV, including YLE in Finland, Sky Arts in New Zealand and RTÉ in Ireland. The film premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and has since been featured at the Berkshire International Film Festival, CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival, and Cinema d’iDEA in Rome, with more to follow.
The indie distributor, led by David Cornwall, has also unveiled a slew of other recent deals across Europe, the Asia-Pacific and LatAm. YLE also licensed 9/11: The Lost Tapes. Sky Arts, in addition to Dear Lara, secured For the Money: Three Spectacular Art Fraud Stories, Cutting the Curve, Theaters of War, and the arts series You, Myself and Art. RTÉ also took Cutting the Curve, while Mediawan opted for Just Hands: For the Love of Racing and RTVE in Spain licensed 9/11: The Lost Tapes. Deals were also closed with AMC Networks International in Spain and Portugal (Atomic Rocketeer and Oppenheimer), RTL GEO (Scary Tales of New York and New England’s Wildlife Wonders), SVT (A President, Europe and War), among others.
“We’ve seen continued demand from broadcasters looking for distinctive factual programming with strong storytelling and international appeal,” said Cornwall, MD at Scorpion TV. “Dear Lara is an important addition to that success, demonstrating that challenging documentaries can still find audiences with public broadcasters around the world. Alongside the film’s growing impact campaign, we’re delighted to be bringing it to television audiences internationally.”
David Cornwall was a recent guest on ScreenMDM Talks, discussing the indie distributor’s strategies for navigating the current climate, including promoting grassroots initiatives to support the rollout of impactful docs. Watch it here.
Patrick Hamm, producer of Dear Lara, added, “Our hope was always that Dear Lara would be more than a documentary. Every new audience creates opportunities for dialogue, accountability and institutional change. We’re thrilled that broadcasters are helping to bring these conversations to viewers internationally, while the film’s impact continues to grow through festivals, educational screenings and community partnerships.”
