Heretic
Heretic is an Athens-based boutique film house that produces, co-produces, and sells international arthouse and auteur cinema, representing its catalog to global distributors and streaming platforms via major film festivals and markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersAthens, Greece
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Heretic does
Heretic is a privately held boutique film house headquartered in Athens, Greece, operating as both an international film sales agent and a co-producer of independent cinema. The company runs two integrated service lines: Film Production (covering completed titles, in-production projects, and in-development works across features, documentaries, and shorts) and Film Sales (a current Line Up of available titles plus an extensive Film Catalogue of completed works). Its commercial focus is exclusively on story-driven auteur and arthouse cinema, with the company explicitly rejecting volume-based or trend-driven production.
Heretic monetizes primarily through territorial rights sales to international distributors and streaming platforms (one-time licenses and transaction fees), supplemented by co-production equity participation. Distribution is anchored by an active presence at all major international film festivals and markets — Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, Venice, Toronto, Rotterdam, Karlovy Vary, and Rome — where it acquires titles, conducts pre-sales, and launches completed films. The buyer base spans tier-one streaming platforms (most notably Netflix, which acquired U.S. rights to 'Sacrifice'), theatrical distributors, and an extensive network of international co-production partners across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
The company has built a consistent awards record (Locarno Golden Leopard, Karlovy Vary Crystal Globe, Cannes Un Certain Regard, Berlin Silver Bear, BAFTA Rising Star) and supports its pipeline with financing from public sources including the Greek Film Centre and ERT. Its operating model is curatorial rather than scale-driven: the team selects projects individually, co-produces with established international partners, and relies on festival pedigree to drive per-title sales value. Pricing is negotiated individually per territory and is not publicly disclosed.
Heretic firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Heretic
- Legal name
- Heretic
- Website
- https://heretic.gr
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Heretic is an Athens-based boutique film house that produces, co-produces, and sells international arthouse and auteur cinema, representing its catalog to global distributors and streaming platforms via major film festivals and markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Heretic industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Film Production & International Sales
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sales Agency Representation & Deal Structuring (MPADAAAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Live-Action International/Co-Production & Service Production (MPADABAG)
Keywords
Where Heretic is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Athens
- HQ country
- Greece
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Heretic business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Film Production & Co-production: Heretic produces and co-produces feature films, documentaries, and shorts, working with international filmmakers and securing funding from various sources including Greek Film Centre, ERT, and European creative funds.
- International Sales & Distribution: Heretic acts as international sales agent, handling worldwide distribution rights for acquired and co-produced films, selling to platforms like Netflix and theatrical distributors.
- Festival Participation & Awards: Revenue generated through festival participation, awards recognition, and subsequent distribution deals driven by festival visibility.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Heretic product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Heretic is a boutique international film sales agent and co-producer that produces, acquires, and sells independent arthouse films worldwide. The company offers two core service lines: Film Production (completed titles, in-production projects, and in-development works, frequently as international co-productions) and Film Sales (a current Line Up of available titles and an extensive Film Catalogue of completed works available for licensing). The company sells worldwide distribution rights to streaming platforms such as Netflix and to theatrical distributors, with a strong festival-driven strategy.
Product overview
Heretic is a boutique film house operating as an international sales agent and production company based in Athens, Greece. The company offers two core service lines: Film Production (encompassing completed titles, in-production projects, and in-development works) and Film Sales (comprising a current Line Up of available titles and an extensive Film Catalogue of completed works). Heretic focuses on independent cinema with international co-productions across Europe, Latin America, Asia, and beyond.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Film Production Development and production of independent feature films, documentaries, and shorts, including international co-productions with European and global filmmakers, with a focus on arthouse and auteur cinema.
- International Film Sales International film sales and distribution services, representing Heretic's owned, acquired, and co-produced films to festivals, distributors, and buyers worldwide, handling worldwide or territorial rights.
- Sales Line Up Current slate of films available for international sales and distribution, featuring upcoming releases and recent acquisitions presented at major film markets and festivals.
- Sales Catalogue Comprehensive archive of completed Heretic films available for licensing and distribution, spanning multiple years and international co-productions.
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple films won major festival awards including Locarno Golden Leopard and Karlovy Vary Crystal Globe
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Heretic
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Heretic technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Heretic partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NetflixcoreNetflix acquired U.S. rights to Romain Gavras' 'Sacrifice' starring Chris Evans, Anya Taylor-Joy, Vincent Cassel, Salma Hayek Pinault, and Charli XCX. This represents a major streaming platform distribution partnership for Heretic-produced content.
- Bankside FilmscoreHeretic partnered with Bankside Films for UK distribution, releasing trailers together for films like 'The Birthday Party'.
- Apellaniz & De SosacoreSpanish production company that co-produced multiple Heretic films including 'The Sacred Spirit' and 'Feathers'.
- Still Moving (France)coreFrench production company that produced 'Feathers' with Heretic as Greek co-producer.
- Film Clinic (Egypt)coreEgyptian production company co-producer of 'Feathers'.
- Kepler Film (Netherlands)coreDutch production company co-producer of 'Feathers'.
- ERT (Greek Public Broadcasting)coreGreek public broadcaster co-produces and supports numerous Heretic productions.
- Dark Entries RecordsminorCo-production partner on 'LP' documentary about Lena Platonos.
- Paradise City FilmscoreUK production company that co-produced 'Drift' with Anthony Chen directing and Cynthia Erivo starring.
- Forty Nine Sixty FilmscoreCo-producer of 'Drift' starring Cynthia Erivo.
- PARA-DOXAcoreIranian production company that produced 'The Great Yawn of History'.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Heretic competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Coproduction Office: Paris-based international sales and co-production company with a strong auteur-focused catalog and festival presence. Comparable in combining international sales with co-production activities — a model that closely mirrors Heretic's hybrid sales/production positioning.
- Memento Films International: Paris-based international sales and production company focused on independent arthouse cinema. Comparable boutique model with festival-driven acquisition and territorial sales similar to Heretic's approach.
- Bankside Films: UK-based international sales agent focused on arthouse and independent cinema. Directly comparable as a boutique sales agent of comparable scale, and notably an active co-distribution partner of Heretic on films like 'The Birthday Party'.
- Films Boutique: Berlin-based boutique international sales agent focused on arthouse cinema with strong festival presence. Closely comparable to Heretic in scale, auteur focus, and reliance on European festival markets for deal-making.
- HanWay Films: London-based international sales company handling arthouse, documentary, and select commercial titles. Comparable in boutique scale and festival-led deal-making, with similar reliance on Cannes, Berlin, and Toronto markets.
- Playtime: Paris-based international sales and distribution company focused on arthouse and quality independent cinema. Directly comparable in festival-driven acquisition strategy and territorial rights management.
- Celluloid Dreams: Paris-based international sales agent specializing in arthouse and auteur cinema with strong festival track record. Closely comparable in catalog composition, auteur curation thesis, and territorial sales approach.
Broad incumbents
- Wild Bunch: One of Europe's leading international sales agents and distributors based in Paris, representing a large catalog of auteur and arthouse films. Comparable business model to Heretic but at significantly larger scale and broader portfolio breadth.
- mk2 Films: Paris-based international sales agent and distributor with a strong arthouse and auteur catalog, including heritage titles and contemporary festival winners. Comparable to Heretic in arthouse curation and festival-driven acquisition/sales cycle.
- The Match Factory: Germany-based international sales agent and distributor focused on arthouse cinema with strong festival pedigree (Cannes, Berlin, Venice). Directly comparable in auteur/arthouse focus and festival-driven GTM, though operating at larger scale than Heretic.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Heretic social profiles
Digital presenceHeretic financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Heretic leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Heretic funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Heretic M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Heretic
What does Heretic do?
Heretic is a boutique international film sales agent and co-producer that produces, acquires, and sells independent arthouse films worldwide. The company offers two core service lines: Film Production (completed titles, in-production projects, and in-development works, frequently as international co-productions) and Film Sales (a current Line Up of available titles and an extensive Film Catalogue of completed works available for licensing). The company sells worldwide distribution rights to streaming platforms such as Netflix and to theatrical distributors, with a strong festival-driven strategy.
Is Heretic a public or private company?
Heretic is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Heretic founded?
Heretic was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Heretic based?
Heretic is headquartered in Athens, Greece, in the Europe region.
How does Heretic make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Film Production & Co-production is the primary driver. The others are international Sales & Distribution and festival Participation & Awards.
Who are Heretic's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Coproduction Office, Memento Films International, Bankside Films, Films Boutique, HanWay Films, Playtime and Celluloid Dreams. Broad incumbents are Wild Bunch, mk2 Films and The Match Factory.
Does Heretic have an API?
No public API is recorded for Heretic.
What industry is Heretic in?
Heretic's product category is Film Production & International Sales. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAAAK, Sales Agency Representation & Deal Structuring, with a secondary code of MPADABAG, Live-Action International/Co-Production & Service Production. Its NAICS code is 51211 and its SIC code is 7822.