BAFTA-winning Frida Torresblanco (Pan’s Labyrinth) and Frank Murray (First Reformed), have launched Hangtime, a new transatlantic production company headquartered in both London and New York.
Murray will be London-based with Torresblanco in NYC developing and producing US and regional content with global appeal.
This indie will focus on “high-end, specialist and mainstream content” across film, television and documentaries in both English and Spanish language, capitalising on Torresblanco’s native Spanish background and experience in the market.
The team is backed by an eight-figure investment out of New York and are in the late stages of securing an additional development fund.
Murray was most recently Scripted Head of Production in the UK at Amazon MGM Studios from 2020-2023. He oversaw production on several original series including thriller The Devil’s Hour with Peter Capaldi and Jessica Raine which is currently filming its third season, and science fiction thriller The Power starring Toni Colette and John Leguizamo.
Previously, Murray was an independent producer, producing Paul Schrader’s critically acclaimed First Reformed starring Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried, which world premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival and garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He also worked in production management across studio blockbusters and independent feature films including The Wrestler, Young Adult, 22 Jump Street, Hope Springs and Sisters.
Torresblanco was most recently CEO of Braven Films, which she founded in 2010. Her credits whilst there included Disobedience, written and directed by Sebastian Lelio and starring Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Alessandro Nivola.
Prior to Braven Films, Torresblanco co-founded Esperanto with producing partner and four-time Oscar winning filmmaker, Alfonso Cuarón. During her tenure, she produced the critically acclaimed and three-time Oscar winning Pan’s Labyrinth, written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. Other productions included The Assassination of Richard Nixon with Sean Penn and Naomi Watts, Cronicas written/directed by Sebastián Cordero and Rudo y Cursi, produced alongside Alejandro Iñárritu.
Hangtime will be “talent and auteur-driven”, with its founders looking to develop projects that “leverage their existing relationships with established filmmakers.” The company will also have an emerging talent strategy and already have an “exciting and diverse slate in progression.”
The indie aims to work across film and television and will span all genres including drama, crime, thrillers, action/adventure, horror and sci-fi.
In addition to the US and Spain, the company will prioritise producing content in markets including UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada and LATAM.
“We are so very thankful to our backers for believing in our vision for Hangtime,” said Murray. “As a collective, we were quick to recognise the value of marrying Frida’s commitment to prestige auteur projects to my own devotion to hard and elevated genre. The global appetite for stories that excite, challenge and even play to the darker corners of our nature is what I am personally committed to satiating.”
Torresblanco added: “Blurring the lines between the seen and the unseen, our aim is to craft stories that resonate deeply, cross every border, and celebrate the unity of the human spirit. We aim to unveil not just in films and series, but windows into new realities—where every voice is heard, and where every story has a chance at making a universal impact.”
Pic credit: Tiffany Walling McGarity
Jon Creamer
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