Sava Films

What Sava Films does

Sava Films is a London-based independent documentary production company founded in 2013 by filmmaker Matthew Somerville. The company produces feature documentaries and commissioned films for corporate, nonprofit, and institutional clients, with a stated focus on authenticity, visual aesthetics, and stories exploring people, culture, and societal themes. Its portfolio includes the award-winning feature 'SAVA' (which screened at 21 international festivals and received 5 awards), 'A Year of the King' (in production), 'FOTIA (Fire)', '110 Houses' (in production), and short documentaries including 'Imagine the ecstasy of the Moths' and 'HIGH FLYING RATS'. Sava Films also produces commissioned promotional and awareness films for clients including Mind, Warner Brothers, Woolmark, Eurostar, Sense, Camden Carers, Blast Design, and Hatrick Design.

The company monetizes through two primary revenue streams: professional services fees from commissioned client work, and one-time licensing revenue from documentary distribution across international film festivals (IDFA, Sarajevo, DokMunich, London Short Film Festival, Beldocs, Dokufest, Makedox, Naturale, Arcia Nativa), cinema theatrical screenings (The Garden Cinema), traveling cinema, international television broadcast (TF1's Ushuaïa Le Mag), academic distribution (Goldsmiths University, University of Prague), and online platforms (YouTube). Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer in the sense that the company operates its own website (savafilms.com) for inbound commission inquiries via contact form, phone, and email.

The business is privately held with no institutional investors, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. No headcount, revenue, or detailed pricing information is publicly disclosed. The operating footprint is headquartered at 38 Astbury Road, London, SE15 2NJ, with subject matter and distribution extending across the UK, France, Southeastern Europe, Greece, and East Africa based on film subject and festival reach.

Name

Sava Films

Legal name

Sava Films

Website

https://savafilms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sava Films is a London-based independent documentary production company founded in 2013 that produces feature documentaries and commissioned films for corporate, nonprofit, and institutional clients, distributing content through international festivals, TV, cinema, and online platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Feature-Length Documentaries (MPADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Short-Form Documentaries (MPADADAC), Arts & Culture Documentaries (MPADADAI), Historical, Biographical & Archival Documentaries (MPADADAE)

Keywords

• Documentary film production
• Feature documentary
• Commissioned films
• Short documentary
• Branded documentary content

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Commissions and Client Work: Producing commissioned films for clients including Mind, Warner Brothers, Woolmark, Eurostar, Sense, and others. This includes promotional films, awareness campaigns, and branded content.
2. Feature Documentary Distribution: Feature documentary films distributed through festivals (21 festivals), cinema screenings, traveling cinema, TV broadcasts, and online release platforms. Revenue from film distribution, screenings, and potential licensing.
3. Short Documentary Content: Short documentary productions including works broadcast on international television (TF1's Ushuaïa Le Mag in France). Additional revenue through festival screenings and online distribution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sava Films is a London-based documentary production company that produces self-funded feature documentaries and short documentary films, and accepts commissioned documentary and promotional film projects from corporate and nonprofit clients. Its commissioned work includes branded films, awareness campaigns, and promotional content for clients such as Mind, Warner Brothers, Woolmark, Eurostar, and Sense. Finished films are released through international film festivals, cinema screenings, traveling cinema, television broadcast, and online platforms.

Product overview

Sava Films is a London-based production company founded in 2013 that operates as a single unified offering focused on feature documentaries and commissioned films. The portfolio consists primarily of documentary films spanning various subjects including royalty and British tradition (A Year of the King), environmental and cultural identity themes (SAVA, FOTIA), public health research (110 Houses), urban philosophy (Imagine the ecstasy of the Moths), and social commentary (HIGH FLYING RATS). The company produces both independent documentary projects and commissioned works for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• A Year of the King A feature documentary presenting a journey through British ritual during the first year of King Charles III's reign, featuring interviews with pagans, lords, fox hunters, ravers, activists, monarchists and folklorists. Aimed at documentary audiences via festival and online release.
• SAVA

Quantifiable outcome

• 21 international film festival screenings for flagship documentary 'SAVA'
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• London Short Film FestivalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFilm festival partnership for screening and distribution of documentary productions. Sava Films participates in this festival as part of their distribution strategy.
• Sarajevo Film FestivalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor regional film festival partnership for documentary distribution in Southeast Europe.
• DokMunichcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman documentary film festival partnership for screening and distribution of documentary works.
• IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremier international documentary festival partnership for exhibition and distribution of documentary films.
• BeldocsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSerbian documentary film festival partnership for screening documentary productions.
• DokufestminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKosovo documentary film festival partnership for documentary distribution.
• MakedoxminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMacedonian documentary film festival partnership.
• NaturaleminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNature-themed documentary film festival partnership.
• Arcia NativaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDocumentary film festival partnership.
• The Garden CinemaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent cinema partner for theatrical screenings of documentary films.
• Goldsmiths UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAcademic institution partnership for documentary distribution and screening.
• University of PragueminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAcademic institution partnership for documentary distribution.
• The GuardianminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedia partner for documentary content distribution.
• KinodokminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDocumentary distribution platform partnership.
• TF1 Ushuaïa Le MagcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench television partnership for broadcasting sustainability documentary content on TF1's Ushuaïa Le Mag program.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Dogwoof: UK-based specialist distributor and co-producer of award-winning documentaries with strong festival pedigree (Sundance, IDFA). Comparable to Sava Films as a UK documentary specialist operating at the intersection of festivals, broadcast, and international sales.
• Kartemquin Films: Chicago-based nonprofit production house producing award-winning social-issue documentaries. Comparable to Sava Films in producing mission-driven feature and short documentaries for festivals and broadcast distribution.
• Pulse Films: London-headquartered independent production house producing feature documentaries, branded content, and music-led films. Closely comparable to Sava Films in city, model (commissioned + original IP), and genre mix spanning documentary and branded work.
• Roast Beef Productions: London-based independent production company producing feature documentaries and commissioned films for brands and broadcasters. Shares Sava Films' boutique scale, London base, and hybrid commission-plus-IP business model.
• Final Cut for Real: Copenhagen-based independent documentary production company with international festival traction (IDFA, Sundance). Comparable to Sava Films as a European boutique doc producer focused on artistic, festival-circuit documentaries and co-productions.

Broad incumbents

• Participant Media: Los Angeles-based global media company producing narrative and documentary content around social impact. Comparable to Sava Films in the purpose-driven documentary genre, though operating at significantly greater scale and capital base.
• Vice Studios: Global branded content and documentary production arm producing films for brands, broadcasters, and platforms. Shares Sava Films' commission-plus-original-documentary mix, though at substantially larger scale.

Emerging players

• Submarine Entertainment: New York-based sales, distribution, and production company specializing in documentaries. Comparable as a mid-sized peer operating at the intersection of documentary production and global sales/distribution.
• Cat&Docs: Paris-based international documentary sales agent representing boutique documentary producers globally. Operates as a comparably-sized peer in the European indie documentary distribution ecosystem that overlaps with Sava Films' festival and broadcast channels.

Others

• The Guardian Documentaries: Editorial documentary unit at The Guardian media partner. Listed as a media-distribution partner of Sava Films and represents an adjacent distribution channel for independent documentary work rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sava-films-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sava Films