Team

Maya Amsellem
Founder, Managing Director
 
Maya Amsellem graduated from the Law University of Nice in 1995 and was called to the Israeli bar in 1996, later qualifying as a solicitor in England. Maya practiced five years as a corporate lawyer in a well-established law firm in Israel. In 2000 Maya moved to London, joining Capitol Films as a head of Legal and Business affairs working on the financing of such films as Robert Altman’s The Company, David Cronenberg’s Spider, Robert Town’s Ask the Dust. She left Capitol in 2007 to start WestEnd Films with partners Sharon Harel and Eve Schoukroun in 2008.
Sharon Harel-Cohen
Founder
 
Sharon Harel has been involved in producing and financing more than 50 films, personally and through Capitol Films, the company she co-founded in 1989 and sold in 2006. She is executive producer of many films including; Robert Altman’s Gosford Park and The Company, David Cronenberg’s Spider, Roman Polanski’s Death & The Maiden, Sylvia starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Dancing at Lughnasa, starring Meryl Streep, Lucky Number Slevin, starring Bruce Willis and Josh Hartnett, Bruce Beresford's A Good Man in Africa, Merchant Ivory’s A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries, Stephen Frears’ Tamara Drewe, Oscar-Nominated Albert Nobbs, Ralph Fiennes' The Invisible Woman and Neil Jordan's Byzantium. In 2008, Sharon launched WestEnd Films in partnership with Eve Schoukroun and Maya Amsellem. Sharon started her career as a producer with the award-winning Israeli classic Halahaka, which she co-wrote. After producing other Israeli feature films, including Dizengoff 99, she produced two films for Tri- Star pictures: Every Time You Say Good Bye starring Tom Hanks, and Iron Eagle II, starring Louis Gossett Jr. Sharon was awarded the Olswang Business Award by the Carlton Women in Film & Television in 2002. She is a graduate in Chinese Studies and Western Philosophy from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is married to Sir Ronald Cohen and they have a daughter and a son.
Sofia Neves
Head of Sales
Email me
Born in Lisbon, Sofia graduated in 2001 from Universidade Nova de Lisboa with a major in Film. She did a Masters in European Audiovisual Management at the Media Business School (2004) and was a full participant in the Inside Pictures programme (2012). After a couple of years working in Portugal in production and distribution, Sofia moved to London in 2005 to work for Capitol Films where she became Sales Director and worked on Nick Cassavette’s Alpha Dog, Paul McGuigan’s Lucky Number Slevin, Robert Altman’s Prairie Home Companion and Sidney Lumet’s Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, to name a few. In 2008 she went to work at Hanway Films as Director of Sales and Distribution working on David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method, Sam Taylor-Wood’s Nowhere Boy, Nigel Cole’s Made in Dagenham, Lone Scherfig’s An Education,Steve McQueen’s Shame, among many others. Sofia then moved into film financing in 2011 where she worked for the Portuguese Film Fund FICA as Business Development Director and then for the BFI’s Film Fund in Production Finance. In 2016, she joined WestEnd Films as Head of Sales.
Daisy Allsop
Head of Development & Production
Email me
Daisy has worked across development and production for 25 years, and produced four theatrically released films; most recently “The Puppet Asylum” by the first filmmaker with Down Syndrome commissioned by a British broadcaster; and “Otto Baxter: Not a F**king Horror Story” about Otto’s cathartic filmmaking process; for which she and the team won an EMMY, a BAFTA, an RTS, Banff Rockie, and a Rose D’Or. Daisy produced the first film through the UKGlobal Fund, “My Happy Ending”, starring Andie Macdowell; BFI funded “Tell It To The Bees” which premiered in Special Presentation at TIFF; and Screen Star of Tomorrow David Leon’s “Orthodox” starring Stephen Graham which was longlisted for a BIFA. In 2024 Daisy was awarded Women In Film & TV Envy Producer of the Year. As a writer she is represented at Casarotto.
Toby Hill
Head of Acquisitions
Email me
Toby began his film career at Icon acquiring titles for UK distribution including Academy Award-nominee Drive, Paranormal Activity, Buried, Academy Award-winner Precious, Academy Award-nominee A Single Man, The Road, Once and Academy Award-winner Man on Wire. In 2012, Toby joined AI Film, the film-financing arm of Access Industries as Head of Global Acquisitions, building a slate including Academy Award-winner I, Tonya and the forthcoming American Animals (serving as Exec Producer on both), Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Mr Holmes, Academy Award-nominee Silence and Academy Award-winner Hacksaw Ridge. Toby joined WestEnd Films as the Head of Acquisitions & Development in April 2018.
Noémie BÉCACHE
Sales & Acquisitions Executive
Email me
Noemie began her career in the International Distribution Strategy department at StudioCanal and worked as a Content Development Manager at The Content House. She also owns her production company in Paris, Salted Honey. After a couple of years managing the European Acquisitions for Trinity Media Financing, a film financing company, Noémie joined WestEnd Films in 2022.
Luca Miano
Marketing & Festivals Executive
Email me
Luca Miano is the Marketing & Festivals Executive at WestEnd Films, managing marketing strategies and festival engagements for the company's projects. With a Law Degree from the University of Bologna and an MFA in Producing from the American Film Institute Conservatory, Luca combines creative insight with industry expertise. His experience spans leading companies like Bankside Films, Embankment Films, and Pathé, equipping him to navigate international sales and distribution. Luca's global perspective and passion for storytelling drive successful promotions and festival appearances, advancing WestEnd Films' mission to deliver compelling narratives to audiences worldwide.