International correspondent

Italy's Leone Film Group takes the legacy of its founder, Spaghetti Western master Sergio Leone, to the next level.

As the Rome-based company, run by the maestro’s children Raffaella and Andrea, celebrates its 35th anniversary, it continues to consolidate its position as Italy’s preeminent supplier of American indie products. Leone’s film and TV production side has grown in recent years, with a robust slate of high-quality content for the international market.

Now that Leone Film Group has become the top distribution partner in Italy for American indies like Lionsgate, STX Entertainment, Voltage and Black Bear Pictures, it is now turning its attention to what Raffaella Leone calls the “more difficult task” of “laying the foundation for our production side in the international arena.” The group’s Lotus Production label, now run directly by Raffaella, has a slate of projects in various stages, including new films from James Gray, Isabel Coixet and Gabriele Muccino. As it ramps up its production arm, LFG is busy forging close ties with a host of production partners, from Spain’s Mediapro to Ridley Scott’s Scott Free to Rodrigo Teixeira’s Brazil-based RT Features and “The White Lotus” producer David Bernad.