PalmStar Finances “Celeste & Jesse” Deal with Sierra/Affinity Selling

BERLIN  February 9, 2012 – Sierra / Affinity is launching sales of the rights to CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER outside of North America at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival where the company will be screening the film. The deal was financed by PalmStar Media Capital. The comedy recently premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival where Sony Pictures Classics acquired domestic distribution rights to the film.

CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER is directed by Lee Toland Krieger from a screenplay written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack.  Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, Elijah Woods, Emma Roberts, Chris Messina and Ari Graynor star in the comedy financed by Envision Media Arts.  The picture was produced by Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd, and Lee Nelson, executive produced by PalmStar’s Kevin Frakes and co-executive produced by PalmStar’s Michael Bassick.

The film follows Celeste (Jones) and Jesse (Samberg) who met in high school, married young, and divorced young.  While dating other people and moving on with their lives, they try to stay best friends.

Sierra / Affinity CEO Nick Meyer described Celeste and Jesse Forever as “a perceptive and amusing film that bucks the romantic comedy formula while still being charming and romantic.”

UTA represented the filmmakers in securing the services of Sierra / Affinity.  PalmStar Media Capital’s financing for the picture was negotiated by Kevin Frakes of PalmStar and Jonathan Gardner of Cohen Gardner llp.

ABOUT SIERRA / AFFINITY LLC

Sierra / Affinity is a leading independent film finance, production, and foreign sales company with the mandate of consistently delivering high-quality, commercially viable feature films for a global audience.  Led by Nick Meyer and Marc Schaberg, Sierra/Affinity capitalizes on the ever-evolving global film marketplace representing sales of third party films and commercial films designed to appeal to both the North American marketplace as well as top markets around the globe.  In addition to representing sales of third party films, the company acts as the exclusive sales agent for films developed and produced by Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, OddLot Entertainment, Bold Films and Sierra Pictures and its partner, Incentive Filmed Entertainment.

ABOUT PALMSTAR MEDIA CAPITAL

PalmStar Media Capital is a specialty financial services group focused on motion picture and other media investments. PalmStar  Media Capital  provides financial services to producers and distributors of film and television and other media content. The company also manages a fund that invests senior and mezzanine debt, production equity and distribution funding in motion pictures.