Cassian Elwes is a force to be reckoned with in the world of independent filmmaking.

As Sr. Vice President and Co-Head of William Morris Independent, he is one of the leading agents in independent filmmaking. Cassian has helped independent films crossover from the art house to the main house – mainstreaming on thousands of screens across the country and generating hundreds of millions of dollars in grosses, domestically and internationally.

Elwes has worked on projects such as Oscar winning film, “The English Patient”, helping bring it to fruition before going on to gross over $75MM. The same can be said of the pet projects of Billy Bob Thornton (“Sling Blade”) and Robert Duvall(“The Apostle”). Thornton went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay that year while Duvall swept the Independent Spirit Awards.

William Morris Independent watched its clients represent the creative forces behind Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury winners such as 2003”s “Primer,” 2001’s “The Believer”, 2000’s “You Can Count on Me,” 1999’s “Three Seasons” and 1998’s “Hurricane Streets”.

At the recent Toronto Film Festival, Elwes was involved in the sale of two very high profile films, Jason Reitman’s “Thank You For Smoking” and David Ayer’s “Harsh Times.”

Elwes began his career producing the 1983 film “Oxford Blues” starring Rob Lowe and Ally Sheedy. In the 1980’s and early 1990’s, he became one of the foremost independent producers with 30 features to his credit including: John McTiernan's “Nomads,” Donald Cammell's “White Of The Eye,” “Jack's Back” starring James Spader, “Men At Work”starring Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen, “Leather Jackets” starring Cary Elwes and Bridget Fonda, “The Chase” with Charlie Sheen and “Frank and Jesse” with Rob Lowe and Bill Paxton.

In 1994, Mr. Elwes joined the William Morris Agency's motion picture division. His relationships within the talent, production, financial and distribution communities have become invaluable resources in helping to set up films.

William Morris Independent has become the leading agency in the independent film business. In 2007 alone, it was involved in the financing and distribution of over 30 films. The agency’s collection of independents includes such films as “Paranoid Park,” "Pulp Fiction", “Ballast”, “Frozen River,” "The English Patient", "Sling Blade," "Diary of A Mad Black Woman,” "Soul Food", "The Apostle", "Breakfast of Champions", “ The Whole Nine Yards”, “Happy, Texas”, “Saving Grace,” “The Woodsman” and “Monsters Ball” which won the Academy Award for Halle Berry.