EXCLUSIVE: Molly Conners, producer on movies including Butcher’s Crossing and Turbulence and executive producer on Birdman, is teaming up with Abu Dhabi-based company Mondevo Group to launch Piphen International.
The label is an overseas extension of Conners’ U.S. label Piphen and is intended to act as “an international co-production platform and media fund operating across EMEA and APAC”. The partnership also aims to expand Conners’ Phiphen Games into EMEA and APAC markets. Conners will serve as CEO.
The partnership is Mondevo Group’s first in the international film and media space, having previously focused on AI-native technology, wealth management, and venture capital for high-net-worth families. The group’s cultural and creative subdivision MondeVita previously invested in Raffaele Caruso, the Parma-based tailoring house.
Piphen’s upcoming U.S. slate of film projects includes Midge, WTF: What the F**k Is My Password, Mattress Mack, The Stalemate, and Somedays.
Phiphen has produced more than 30 film and TV projects. Conners is co-founder of Harpoon Media, a social media marketing agency, and she operates Phiphen Games, a division of the company which publishes independent video games including Blue Fire and Ruffy and the Riverside.
Fabio Brambilla, co-founder and Group CEO of Mondevo Group, said: “Film and media are among the most powerful forms of expression a group like ours can engage with seriously. Phiphen brings a track record of genuine creative excellence and courage – exactly the standard Mondevo Group holds for every partnership it builds across its MondeVita platform. It is the beginning of something we intend to build seriously, over time, together.”
Conners added: “This partnership allows us to take what we’ve built and expand our global footprint by finding and working with talented filmmakers, developing content across all genres and at all budget levels and providing funding to make their vision a reality that can be shared with the international audience. Mondevo’s network and infrastructure give us the reach to support the auteurs and storytellers across the regions that are producing some of the best new content. I’m looking forward to providing our expertise on a global scale.”