EXCLUSIVE: A new outfit aiming to bridge the gap between brand-funded production and art-house filmmaking will be announced as MIPCOM and BrandStorytelling move the focus to brand-funded content on the first day of the market. Lief Entertainment Company is the brainchild of Margo Mars, who runs the Lief creative agency, and veteran film producer Raymond van der Kaaij ( The Occupant ).

Mars said the aim is to evolve the ad-funded content model and to use marketing budgets as cultural investments. She added that Lief’s roster for commercial representation includes Misan Harriman (Oscar-nominated short The After ), Haifaa Al Mansour (Unidentified) and Bertrand Bonello ( The Beast ).

“Today’s brands must forge genuine partnerships with their audiences,” says Mars, who brings ove

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