Biografia
Paul Federbush is a media consultant with more than 25 years of experience in the US domestic market and expertise in established and emerging international markets. His work spans both commercial and non-profit sectors of the film industry, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the filmmaker’s artistic process, combined with insights into sales and distribution from his background as a production and acquisition executive.
As International Director at Sundance Institute, Federbush led efforts to bring the Institute’s renowned Screenwriters Lab to underserved countries and regions globally. Collaborating with local organizations, he and his team selected filmmakers for intensive five-day programs focused on advancing their screenwriting craft and developing current projects. Support extended beyond the Lab through personalized creative and strategic guidance, aiding script development and facilitating connections with producers, sales agents, and financiers. He also provided creative input during editing and advised on festival, distribution, and sales strategies. During his tenure, he mentored numerous emerging filmmakers across various stages of production, including four nominees for Best International Film at the 2015 Academy Awards®.
Midway through his time at Sundance, Federbush was tasked with developing and implementing an international strategy that covered all of the Institute’s artist development programs, including Documentary, Episodic, New Frontier (emerging media like AR/VR), and Film Music. Over eight years, he collaborated with colleagues and managed 25 regional partnerships to deliver more than 40 artist development programs across 16 countries, such as India, Cuba, Greece, Turkey, Mexico, and Lebanon.
Before Sundance, Federbush co-founded Red Flag Releasing (RFR), a boutique distribution company focused on pioneering day-and-date theatrical and digital releases. Leveraging a digital distribution deal with Warner Bros. and his acquisition expertise, he acquired, marketed, and distributed ten fiction and documentary films, including We Were Here (David Weisman, documentary shortlisted for the 2011 Academy Award®), The Green Wave (Ali Samadi Ahadi, documentary), and Norwegian Wood (Tran Anh Hung’s adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s novel). RFR also facilitated Fox and Warner Bros.’ experimentation in this new distribution model by managing marketing and theatrical distribution for the Duplass Brothers’ The Do-Deca Pentathalon and Reed Cowan’s documentary 8: The Mormon Proposition, respectively.
Prior to founding Red Flag Releasing, Federbush served as Senior Vice President of Production and Acquisitions at Warner Independent Pictures, Warner Bros’ specialized division. There, he supervised the development, production, and acquisition of films such as the Academy Award-winning Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle), March of the Penguins (Luc Jacquet), Good Night, and Good Luck (George Clooney), Before Sunset and A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater), and Paradise Now (Hany Abu-Assad). He also acted as production executive on the first official US/Chinese co-production, The Painted Veil (John Curran).
Earlier in his career, Federbush was Vice President of Acquisitions and Co-Production at Pandora, a foreign sales company where he worked on titles including Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko. He also held the role of Vice President of Acquisitions at New Line Cinema and Fine Line Features, acquiring over 15 films such as The Sweet Hereafter (Atom Egoyan), Dancer in the Dark (Lars Von Trier), Gummo (Harmony Korine), The Filth & the Fury (Julien Temple), and Crash (David Cronenberg). He began his career as a production executive on New Line Cinema’s Poison Ivy franchise.
