MIPCOM NEWS 2023 NEWS 3

NEWS 3 October 18 2023

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Unlocking AI Summit

FAST & Global Summit

Laura Fernández Espeso

Seaview Producers Hub

Mo Abudu

The first MIPCOM CANNES Unlocking AI Summit heard from industry experts including Google Cloud’s Anshul Kapoor

The second MIPCOM CANNES FAST & Global Summit kicked off with a series of packed roundtable sessions

The MediaPro Studio CEO Laura Fernández Espeso gave a Media Mastermind Keynote

Amazon Prime Video’s Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu features in today’s Prime Video - Spotlight On Africa session in the Seaview Producers Hub

EbonyLife CEO Mo Abudu gave a MIPCOM CANNES Media Mastermind Keynote

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CONTENTS

NEWS 3 October 18, 2023 www.mipcom.com

DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS Michel Filzi MANAGEMENT TEAM Managing Director: Morgane Morice; Director, MIPCOM CANNES: Lucy Smith; SVP Sales & Business Development: Robert Marking; Director UK Sales: Vanessa Van Santen Smith; Marketing Director: Debora Atala; Conference Director: Tania Dugaro EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Editor in Chief: Julian Newby; Deputy Editor: Debbie Lincoln; Contributors: Stuart Braun, Clive Bull, Neil Churchman, Ben Cooper, Stuart Dredge, Andy Fry, Max Leonard, Gary Smith, Jo Stephens; Editorial Management: Boutique Media International; Photography: 360Medias: Photographers: Yann Coatsaliou, Fred Dides, Patrick Frega, Phyrass Haidar, Olivier Houeix; Graphic Studio: studioA Design; Graphic Designers: Sunnie Newby, Harriet Palmer PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Publishing Director: Martin Screpel; Publishing Manager: Amrane Lamiri; Printer: CMPC, Le Muy (France). RX France, a French joint stock company with a capital of 90,000,000 euros, having its registered offices at 52 Quai de Dion Bouton 92800 Puteaux, France, registered with the Nanterre Trade and Companies register under n°410 219 364 - VAT number: FR92 410 219 364.

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DIVERSIFY TV AWARDS P8

FAST AND GLOBAL SUMMIT

MIPCOM CANNES delegates celebrated the winners of the seventh MIPCOM CANNES Diversify TV Excellence Awards at a gala ceremony KEYNOTES P9 MIPCOM CANNES Personality Of The Year Bob Bakish; EbonyLife’s Mo Abudu; and The MediaPro Studio’s Laura Fernández Espeso MARKET NEWS P13

THE FAST & Global Summit kicked off with a series of packed roundtable sessions where delegates mixed with experts to learn about the FAST phenomenon and how it’s developing around the world. Sessions continue today with two Talk Series (08.30-11.30) and two MIP Talks: FAST & AVOD Leaning Into Originals (14.30-15.00); and Leveraging The Power Of Data (15.15-15.45).

Unlocking AI Summit; Fast & Furious star Sung Kang launches a new highspeed series; Alice & Jack star Andrea Riseborough; and more...

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MIPCOM stand P3.C10 @all3media_int all3mediainternational.com

Genre-busting content from pioneering producers

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AT Booth R8. B18

MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

‘Spectacular work’ celebrated at Diversify TV awards

Ellie Simmonds and Bilal Baig

THE SEVENTH MIPCOM CANNES Diversify TV Excellence Awards celebrated the best new TV shows representing diversity in all its forms.

“When we truly commit to elevatig these new authentic voices, we get spectacular work like the projects we’re honouring today,” said Mark Garner, executive vice-president and head of global FAST channels at the awards’ founding partner A+E Networks, as he introduced the event.

Nine awards were presented, starting with Representation of Disability – Non-Scripted, which went to Inside Our Autistic Minds (distributed by BBC Studios). About

Antoine (Amuz Distribution) won the Representation of Disability – Scripted award.

Nights In Tefía (Buendia Estudios Canarias) won the award for Representation of LGBTQIA+ Scripted, while the prize for Representation of LGBTQIA+ Non-Scripted went to Lotus Sports Club (Dutch CORE).

The award for Representation of Race and Ethnicity – Scripted was won by Little Bird (Fremantle), and the award for Representation of Race and Ethnicity – Non-Scripted went to The Swap (Southern Pictures).

There were two awards for Representation of Diversity in Kids Pro-

The assembled winners and presenters of the MIPCOM CANNES Diversify TV Excellence Awards 2023

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gramming. The Pre-School category was won by Reu & Harper’s Wonder World (Channel 5 / Doc Hearts Ltd) and the Older Children award went to Phoenix Rise (Sinking Ship).

Finally, Deborah Williams, CEO of the UK-based Creative Diversity Network, won a Behind the Scenes Impact award for her work advising on the rights of disabled people, and drawing up diversity standards for the television industry.

Guest presenters at the awards included sports star, activist and TV personality Ellie Simmonds, and the creator and lead actor of acclaimed drama Sort Of, Bilal Baig.

“TV is so, so powerful,” Simmonds

said. “I was a kid and I got inspired. I realised seeing someone like me on the TV changed my life. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t see that.”

“It’s important for us to find artists and give them the specific kind of support they need in order to do their jobs. I hope we keep taking chances and keep being unafraid,” Baig added.

Awards host Femi Oke summed up the collective mood: “It never gets old celebrating diversity,” she said. “We are showing the TV industry what creatives can do when they tell everyone’s story: when they include the underrepresented on the screen.”

MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

Personality Of The Year Bakish is bullish on content licensing PARAMOUNT Global president and CEO Bob Bakish is MIPCOM CANNES Personality Of The Year. After collecting his award on the Palais des Festivals Grand Auditorium stage, Bakish delivered a Media Mastermind Keynote in which he discussed the state of the company’s streaming business and the critical importance of content licensing to the firm’s business model.

Bakish recalled how he gave a keynote speech at MIPCOM 2011 when he was CEO of Viacom International Media Networks. “The focus of that talk was how our business was changing, with new demographics, new distribution models and new metrics. I talked about the need to be ready for change or risk irrelevancy. That message was true then and it is true now.”

Looking at the current landscape, he said this thesis is particularly relevant to major media companies as they work out how to balance their vast investments in streaming with their commitment to distribution as a business model. Speaking to a packed MIPCOM CANNES crowd, Bakish said: “Content licensing is a business that has strategic and financial value for Paramount. While our peers were pulling back content and putting up walled gardens, we never left.”

While having a robust direct-to-consumer streaming business is central to Paramount Global’s vision, Bakish said content licensing “is a fundamental part of our economic model. It is an incremental platform for the development of our global franchises, which helps get our content in front of as many consumers as possible. It’s a profitable, multi-billion dollar business that is a critical driver of our strategy to make and distribute content with massive appeal.”

Bakish acknowledged that the media industry was currently in an economic trough that has been deeper than expected because of the downturn in ad revenues. But he expressed optimism about the company’s performance. He cited a major new content deal in Greece and the continued strong growth of the company’s free streaming platform, Pluto TV. Asked why Paramount Global doesn’t just merge the Pluto TV brand into its Paramount+ subscription business, he said: “I’m often asked why Pluto TV is a separate brand. And the reason is that we feel it’s very important to distinguish our free programming offering from our paid offering. For us, it feels like Branding 101 to differentiate the two.”

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MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

‘Never give up’ EBONYLIFE CEO Mo Abudu has not built her company or reputation by being shy and retiring. So it was no surprise to hear Africa’s leading TV executive deliver a scathing critique of the global industry’s lacklustre progress on diversity — especially as it pertains to African voices.

Speaking to an engaged audience, she castigated the industry’s gatekeepers for failing to bring African stories to the global stage. “I continue to see very little on television that speaks to me as a woman of colour. You think over the years there would be change. Probably every company has a D&I officer.

And one wonders why? Because representation just isn’t there.”

Abudu took particular issue with the level of budgets allocated to Africa-originated stories. “We have worked with Netflix on local scripted content for Africa, but budgets for African content still sit at the bottom of the global-content pyramid. How many black or African global shows

‘By 2050 one in four people in the world will be African’

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have there been? And when I say global, I’m referring to budgets. To compete effectively with stories from the rest of the world, we need the same level of budgets.”

EbonyLife has forged heavyweight partnerships with the likes of Sony, the BBC, Lionsgate, Westbook Studios and Idris Elba’s Green Door. But Abudu said the issue lies with the industry’s gatekeepers. “We can spend a lot of time and effort developing great stories with talented scriptwriters, but then we meet resistance at the commissioning stage.”

Abudu insisted it is not a shortage of African stories that is the problem.

And she said failure to tap into this pool of creativity is bad strategy.

“There’s a business case here. Some 1.4 billion people live in Africa right now; by 2050 one in four people in the world will be African. There’s a lot of comfort dealing with the status quo, but Africa is an emerging market.”

Abudu, who received a MIPTV Medaille d’honneur in 2019, first came to Cannes just over a decade ago. Offering advice to young African female talent, she said: “Get ready for rejections. As an African women, you need to work three times harder. So never give up.”

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MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

‘We have to pay attention to the stories we tell’ PRODUCTION powerhouse The MediaPro Studio is home to more than 30 production companies, making up to 75 non-scripted shows and 20 scripted shows a year. Yet CEO Laura Fernández Espeso is focused on more growth ahead.

“The most important goal we have now is the Anglo markets,” she said during her MIPCOM CANNES Media Mastermind Keynote.

“We have a very specific 10-year plan to grow in the United States…

We are growing the teams that we have there, and we are going to co-produce because it is a very complex market, and we are going to need local partners there.”

Fernández Espeso said content acquisitions will also be key to The MediaPro Studio’s stateside strategy, while her company also intends to maintain its leading position in productions for the Spanish-language audience in the US. And she had news to announce in her keynote. The third season of its biggest international series, The Head, will begin filming in the Sahara desert later this year: “The perfect place to do risky experiments with human subjects!”

The company is also co-producing a new film by British director Mike Leigh and an adaptation of author Elena Ferrante’s book The Days Of Abandonment as part of its Moonlyon partnership with Penélope Cruz — who will also star in the project.

Fernández Espeso called on the industry to increase its efforts to nurture diversity.

“I’m not only talking about it in the workplace, which is important, but I’m talking about content creation. We have a huge responsibility, I think, in producing content that will reach millions of viewers all over the world,” she said. “We have to pay attention to the stories that we choose to tell. Who is going to direct, who is going to produce it, and who is going to write it? In the industry there is still a lot to do, both in front of and behind the camera.”

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MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

In AI we trust? Kapoor gets real on artificial intelligence CREATIVE companies harnessing machine learning and AI technologies must ensure that the services they develop remain secure, responsibly delivered, and “grounded in reality”, Anshul Kapoor, head of media solutions at Google Cloud told MIPCOM CANNES delegates.

Speaking to attendees at the inaugural Unlocking AI Summit yesterday morning, Kapoor said firms must be aware of their responsibilities to deliver accurate, trustworthy information to their partners and audiences.

He said: “If you look at how quickly the technology has accelerated in the last six-to-nine months it’s only going to go further, but I think equally important is the trust element and responsibility element.

“What we all need to look at in our companies is that just because AI is creating effects for video, how is it to be trusted? Is it, in the industry term, hallucinating in certain cases, is it making stuff up?

“When you’re talking to trusted sources and trusted partners, consumers are going to those sources to consume information. You want to give them so-

mething that’s grounded in reality.

“That’s going to be very important. Data security is going to be very important so that the data from your model is not leaked. Yes, there’s a lot of focus on AI and its amazing innovation but equally important is the other aspects of data security and responsibility.”

Kapoor’s comments came towards the end of yesterday’s Immersive Showcase session, during the first ever dedicated AI tech summit at MIPCOM CANNES. He said that there was a “lot of work internally at Google” being done to ensure that the company was “focusing on grounding” and maintaining standards of responsibility.

He was one of several AI and machine-learning specialists taking part in the session, hosted by Kati Bremme, head of innovation at France TV. Ed Ludlow, senior data analyst for media and entertainment at technology research firm Omdia, addressed some of the ways in which AI was affecting the TV and creative industries.

He said: “Across the value chain there are going to be changes being made to our industry, from develop-

Anshul Kapoor of Google Cloud addressing yesterday’s Unlocking AI Summit

ment to delivery and monetisation.

“The actors’ and scriptwriters’ strike has had a lot to do with crystallising the discussion around the topic in particular. It’s really exacerbated the anxieties across the workplace about how these jobs are going to be impacted by the use of AI.” Machine-learning creative Ross Goodwin also spoke, composing a poem using an AI tool working with 10 words offered by audience members.

He said that the definition of artificial intelligence, a term which “comes from science fiction”, has changed over time.

“In the past AI was defined as anything a computer couldn’t do essentially,” he said. “Now it’s an umbrella term for a set of technologies inspired by how the human brain works, or how we think it might work.”

Delegates packed the conference hall

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MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

New tech empowers filmmakers to better connect with audience THE CONTENT Creation Summit kicked off at the Seaview Producers Hub on Tuesday by examining two innovative uses of technology, in drama and unscripted programming, with the message that alternative ways of working can be effective and cost efficient.

First up was a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) short made with Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman and Ghost Corps, using the Unreal graphics engine. Borrowing an existing virtual cityscape, they created a Ghostbusters car chase and, after storyboarding and prepping, Reitman shot the action in real time, with an actor playing the Marshmallow Man in a motion-capture studio.

“We’re empowering filmmakers by

producing new technology to help them tell their stories,” Guy Wilday, SPE’s vice-president of interactive technology said.

‘We’re empowering filmmakers by producing new technology’ Guy Wilday Second was Your Body Uncovered from Banijay UK, which gave people with health difficulties a VR headset that allowed them to visualise 100% accurate VR images of their insides based on their MRI scans. Thus they

could see what their long COVID, enlarged prostate or breast cancer looked like, and make appropriate treatment decisions.

For Lucas Green, Banijay chief content officer, operations, these were stories “you could not tell without the VR”. They were relatable and used the technology to create emotions.

“You can connect with the audience so much better than you could even three or four years ago,” he said.

Green put the ballpark costs of an episode at £20-50,000 (€23-57,000) but said these reduced considerably once a bank of assets had been created — assets which could be reused on licensed versions of the show. Both speakers agreed that cost barriers were coming down considerably.

Banijay’s Lucas Green

Addressing the demographic split FAE’s Yasmin Rawji

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MANY of the on-stage conversations at the FRAPA Formats Summit at the Seaview Producers Hub on Tuesday centred on the question of how to approach the demographic divide between older-skewing linear TV and youth-attracting digital platforms.

Formats, according to Julien Degroote, TF1 Group’s executive vice-president, head of content development, were a key weapon in the fight to keep audiences on linear, since many, like The Masked Singer and Ninja Warrior, were appointment co-viewing for kids, parents and grandparents. Other formats were live — also a big draw.

He thought the future was a hybrid commissioning model over linear and digital. “Our mission is clear: to be the biggest free-to-air AVOD in France,” he said. And he admitted that original unscripted program-

ming on streaming was — for now — too expensive to commission.

ITV commissioning editor Satmohan Panesar dived into the debate over reboots versus original formats. While the temptation, in inflation-hit, ad-scarce times was to go for tried and tested brands, Panesar dreamed bigger: “The answer is in new content. We can’t go for the middling: it’s got to be big or it can’t go forward.”

Fox Alternative Entertainment’s (FAE) executive vice-president Yasmin Rawji believed in balancing bold new shows — “big swings” — with solid performers like the rebooted Kitchen Nightmares. “I think there’s a need and desire from viewers for nostalgia,” she said.

FAE was interested in “things that viewers don’t know they’re looking for but, when they see it, it feels familiar, it has that authenticity.”

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MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

Spanish and Latin producers build bridge across Atlantic HOW DO Spanish-language content creators and distributors collaborate with English-language partners across the Atlantic to grow audiences?

This was the subject of a session at the Seaview Producers Hub on Tuesday, moderated by Spanish journalist Irene Jiménez and titled Bridge Across The Atlantic.

Speaking with Camila Jiménez-Villa, co-founder and CEO of US production company, The Immigrant, and Sara Fernández-Velasco, CEO at Madrid-based producer iZen, the session explored ways that Spanish and Latin creators are bridging a cultural divide.

Fernández-Velasco spoke about the upcoming iZen series, Memento

Mori, which despite its small-city Spanish location, is a dark thriller based on a novel trilogy that is set to attract a global viewership.

“We really hope it’s going to travel

extremely well, not only to America but also also in Europe,” Fernández-Velasco said.

Jiménez-Villa’s “startup studio” The Immigrant, established in 2019

iZen’s Sara FernándezVelasco (left); The Immigrant’s Camila Jiménez-Villa; and moderator Irene Jiménez

with a Spain and Mexico focus, was honoured with the Crystal Bear in 2023 for Mexico coming-of-age drama, Adolfo.

With offices across the US, LatAm and Spain, The Immigrant is building a name for strong scripted TV content, including the Mexican thriller series, She Walks Alone, which is set to screen on Vix+, the world’s leading Spanish-language streaming service.

With about 25% of English-language content, The Immigrant is working to slowly circumnavigate the “cultural differences” between Spanish-language and US or UK markets.

Fernández-Velasco admitted that “there’s still a long way to go to make Spanish-language travel as well as English across broad territories,” but added that hit Netflix crime series, La Casa De Papel (Money Heist), showed what was possible.

Facing a fast-changing market Newen’s Romain Bessi

THE TV industry is going through a “perfect storm” of adverse factors and challenges, the boss of a major French producer and distributor has said.

Addressing a busy session at the Seaview Producers Hub on Tuesday afternoon, Romain Bessi, chief executive of Newen Studios, cited numerous strains on producers, distributors, broadcasters and streamers.

“It’s obviously a very difficult year for the industry. There have been many changes happening at the same time,” Bessi said. “The legacy players see their revenues going down. Global streamers are now worried about the profitability of their models, they have to reduce their debts, their operations, and the local streamers are struggling.

“If you put that all together in the same year, and if we add the

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strikes as well, that’s a big deal.”

Bessi added that in his experience with Newen, strength in the face of numerous challenges was based on strong local knowledge and diverse content production, and highlighted the importance of co-production and co-financing to spread costs and maintain profitability.

“We have to be more agile and reinvent the way we work or the way we build our productions. We have to be sure that the content we bring to our clients works financially and creatively.”

Newen is a subsidiary of French giant TF1 Group. The studio has a major presence in 10 different countries, operating more than 50 production companies and distribution rights for a wide range of content.

Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu AMONG today’s Seaview Producers Hub sessions, Prime Video – Spotlight On Africa, features Prime Video’s head of MENA, originals, Ned Mitchell; Wangi MbaUzoukwu, head of Nigerian Originals; and Lindsey Granger, television host/owner, Lindsey Granger Productions.

They will discuss Amazon Studios’ ambition to be a home for talent by being inclusive and collaborative, nurturing new voices as well as established names. The session takes place from 09.45-10.15.

THE 7TH MIPCOM CANNES DIVERSIFY TV AWARDS

WINNERS

REPRESENTATION OF

REPRESENTATION OF

DISABILITY

LGBTQIA+

NON-SCRIPTED

NON-SCRIPTED

Inside our Autistic Minds (UK) Original Broadcaster: BBC Two Distributor: BBC Studios Production Company: BBC Studios

Lotus Sports Club (Cambodia) Original Broadcaster: TVK National Television of Cambodia Distributor: Dutch CORE Production Company: Document Our History NOW and RoCK

SCRIPTED

SCRIPTED

About Antoine (Canada) Original Broadcaster: Club illico, TVA Distributor: Amuz Distribution Production Company: ComediHa!

Nights in Tefía (Spain) Original Broadcaster: ATRESplayer Distributor: Buendia Estudios Canarias Production Companies: Buendia Estudios Canarias with the participation of Atresmedia TV

REPRESENTATION OF

REPRESENTATION OF

DIVERSITY IN KIDS PROGRAMMING

RACE AND ETHNICITY

OLDER CHILDREN

NON-SCRIPTED

Phoenix Rise (UK) Original Broadcaster: BBC iPlayer Distributor: Sinking Ship Production Company: BBC Studios Kids & Family

The Swap (Australia) Original Broadcaster: SBS Australia Distributor: No Distributor Production Company: Southern Pictures

PRE-SCHOOL

SCRIPTED

Reu and Harper’s Wonder World (UK) Original Broadcaster: Channel 5 Distributor: Channel 5 and Doc Hearts Ltd Production Company: Doc Hearts Ltd

Little Bird (Canada) Original Broadcaster: Bell Media and APTN Distributor: Fremantle Production Companies: Rezolution Pictures, OP Little Bird

BEHIND THE SCENES IMPACT AWARD Deborah Williams, Chief Executive Officer, Creative Diversity Network, UK

In association with

Gold Award Sponsors Presenting Founding Partner

Data Presenting Partner

Silver Awards Sponsors

Bronze Awards Allies SDG MEDIA COMPACT

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MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

LGBTQ+ issues misunderstood by industry, says OUTtv boss ProSiebenSat.1’s Bert Habets

PROSIEBENSAT.1 UPS CONTENT SPEND “WE’RE preparing for a plan to invest more into content going forward,” Bert Habets, CEO of ProSiebenSat.1 Media said, as he outlined the group’s strategy to put entertainment once more at the heart of its activities. Over the past two years, linear TV advertising revenues had declined, but streaming platform Joyn, which the group fully acquired in 2022, was already showing its potential.

“It’s about migrating eyeballs from TV to Joyn and our digital asset base without economic compression,” he said. “That is the trick. And we’re quite confident that, once we’re scaling Joyn and building the other digital assets, in two-to-three years’ time we should be able to offset a big part of the decline.”

To achieve this the group will focus on gaining eyeballs in a crowded streaming market. “We depend on maximum reach,” said Seven.One Entertainment’s chief content officer, entertainment, Henrik Pabst.

According to the pair, that means spending more money on content. By divesting in its Commerce & Ventures and Dating business divisions, it intends to increase spending on content, with a total budget over linear TV and streaming of €1bn in 2024.

Within this increase is a renewed commitment to original fiction, as well as investing in kids content, and a streamlined, integrated model for creating content across linear and AVOD channels. The group also foresees increased co-operation on financing expensive productions, with partners in other territories.

THE TV industry has “a lot of room for growth” in its understanding and representation of gender, sexuality and identity, the head of an LGBTQ+ community specialist production and streaming company has said.

Speaking to MIPCOM CANNES Daily News, OUTtv chief executive Brad Danks said that while there had been progress in the industry’s atti-

OUTtv’s Brad Danks

tudes to LGBTQ+ issues, there was still much education and greater consistency needed globally.

“Some broadcasters are better than others,” he said. “There are substantial differences across the world.

There’s a lot of education to be done.”

Danks said there was still great misunderstanding and ignorance within the industry, including over the meaning of terms such as ‘cis’, referring to ‘cisgender’.

Among the nuances less understood about LGBTQ+ issues, for example, were differing generational attitudes.

“Younger audiences are far more fluid in their sexuality and are more interested in the complexities of identity,” Danks added.

Headquartered in Vancouver, OUTtv is both a producer of TV content and a streamer. It has deals in place with a wide range of streaming, subscription, VOD and FAST content partners including Apple and Amazon.

Danks said that the content OUTtv produces transcended international boundaries, and was aimed directly at LGBTQ+ people and communities around the world.

“Similar issues are facing the community everywhere,” Danks said.

He is at MIPCOM CANNES to meet potential content partners and new distribution opportunities, with a focus on the core English-language regions of Canada, the US, the UK and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, as well as Latin American and Asian markets.

OUTtv is interested in new content across a wide range of genres, including documentaries, movies, romantic comedies and web services.

The company is working on second seasons of reality TV series For The Love Of DILFS, presented by Stormy Daniels, and Sew Fierce, covering the work of designers specialising in costumes for drag queens.

Going global with Paris properties HIT FRENCH reality show The Parisian Agency: Exclusive Properties follows the ups and downs of the Kretz family, whose luxury-property business is based in Boulogne-Billancourt, one of Paris’ most exclusive neighbourhoods. Brothers Valentin and Martin Kretz are at MIPCOM CANNES to showcase the series, now in its fourth season on TMC and Netflix. Mediawan Rights is distributing it worldwide.

“Of course, it took us a while to get used to having cameras around and to be able to just be ourselves, but really, when we’re showing clients round a property we are performing to a certain degree,” Valentin Kretz said. “And the production team from Reservoir Productions and Story Nation were very careful to stay out of the way as much as possible.”

Dealing with the mostly very rich clients produces a special kind of pressure: “They have very high expectations, and not all of them want to be on camera,” Martin Kretz said. “But working our normal job plus filming makes for some very long days, and having to re-do scenes while maintaining the authenticity is one of the

Martin Kretz (left) and Valentin Kretz

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most challenging aspects of the show.”

Having been recognised by the Mayor of Boulogne-Billancourt as having put the neighbourhood on the global map, Valentin is keen to point out: “It’s not all big villas and luxury apartments.

There are some modest but really beautiful properties built in the 1930s in the Art Deco style that I really love.”

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ANIMAL CONTROL

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MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

BBC Studios joins Nippon TV to co-develop game-show format BBC STUDIOS and Nippon TV today announced a partnership to co-develop a new comedy game-show format, Koso Koso. BBC Studios will act as distributor for the format globally, with Nippon TV leading distribution in Asia.

The format sees celebrity secret agents prank unsuspecting contestants to win them a cash prize. The contestants think they are in a reality show, unaware of the secret squad of agents constantly observing their every move. The undercover agents must skilfully complete ridiculous missions without arousing suspicion.

“We were looking for a fun new format for Saturday night primetime that’s going to get the whole family engaged. It has very broad appeal,”

said Sumi Connock, creative director, TV formats, BBC Studios.

“Koso Koso celebrates both hilarious comedic elements with strong reality aspects,” added Tom Miyauchi, head of formats, content business & distribution at Nippon TV. The new format is the result of a global co-development partnership pitched at a worldwide audience, and includes Asia-based content incubator Empire of Arkadia (EOA), which has adapted formats like Got Talent, Big Brother and MasterChef for the region.

“Of course, there’s so much competition in unscripted these days, and Nippon is very good at game shows and physical game shows,” said Fotini Paraskakis, founder of EOA.

“By creating a format based on known international structures with the addition of fresh Japanese creative twists, it’s really elevated the game-show category,” she added.

The Koso Koso pilot aired in Japan in

EOA’s Fotini Paraskakis (left), Nippon TV’s Tom Miyauchi and BBC’s Sumi Connock

Treasure Box of treats from Japan JAPAN has long been a source of creative – and sometimes crazy – formats that can be adapted worldwide. Some of the latest were shown at the MIPCOM CANNES Treasure Box Japan showcase, presented by BEAJ. A panel including The WIT’s Virginia Mouseler, Sunny Side of the Doc’s Mathieu Béjot, Em-

pire of Arkadia’s Fotini Paraskakis and Small World IFT’s Tim Crescenti hosted pitches for six Japanese shows.

The Muscle Door, from TBS, sees five men with various personal issues put through a brutal personal-training regime. Their goal is to become strong enough to collectively push open a three-tonne door

Yomiuri TV’s Takeshi Murakoshi (left); Sunny Side of the Doc’s Mathieu Béjot; The WIT’s Virginia Mouseler; Small World’s Tim Crescenti; and Empire of Arkadia’s Fotini Paraskakis

June 2023 on Nippon TV’s flagship commercial broadcast network and achieved a 24.9% viewership share within the 13-49 demographic.

The announcement continues a strong collaboration between the UK and Japan broadcasters, with BBC Studios licencing the Doctor Foster format to Nippon TV earlier in 2023.

The local version premiered on its new Friday night drama slot, as well as streaming on SVOD and AVOD.

and win a huge cash prize.

Don’t Laugh At My Song! from TV Tokyo is a “laugh endurance challenge”. Contestants fill their mouths with milk and watch comedians perform ridiculous songs and dance routines. They are challenged to avoid spitting out the milk with laughter, but of course, it’s virtually impossible.

Yomiuri TV’s Child’s Play takes its cues from children’s game Rock, Paper, Scissors but adds “a naked desire for money” with contestants facing off and playing mind games with one another.

Fuji TV’s Let Me Tell Your Fortune features a cast of fortune-tellers offering their services to celebrities, as well as people on the street.

Meanwhile, ABC Japan’s Money Seconds is a game show that gives contestants a cash prize, but then tasks them with completing five physical challenges, losing money for every second that they take.

Finally, Nippon TV’s 5 Friends, 5 Favours! involves celebrities competing by getting their friends to complete cooking, singing, strength, knowledge and friendshipbased challenges.

The panel was impressed. “There’s just something about creativity in Japan,” Paraskakis said. “There’s always a really fresh twist, and there are so many ideas.”

MIPCOM CANNES DAILY 3, OCTOBER 2023 | 21

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CONFERENCES & EVENTS PROGRAMME Grand Auditorium

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WEDNESDAY 18 OCT. 23 Other Venues

Screenings & Showcases

8:30 8:30 - 10:30

9:00

9:00 - 9:30

The Indies Surviving and Thriving 9:45 - 10:15

10:00

Prime Video Spotlight on Africa 10:30 - 11:00

New Programming Funding and Commercial Production Models

11:00

09:00 - 11:30

FAST & GLOBAL Summit Part II. Talk Series 08:30 Welcome Coffee 09:00 Talk Series Part I. 09:50 Networking Coffee Break 10:05 Talk Series Part II.

Verrière Grand Auditorium International Mentoring & Networking Breakfast For Women In Media In partnership with MediaClub’Elles Limited seats, pre-registration recommended

8:30 - 12:00

Verrière Californie Content Creation Summit Part II In partnership with Sony 08.30 - 09.00 Breakfast Networking

09.00 - 10.00 Tremendous Innovation Can Totally Change the Documentary & News Contents World 10.00 - 11.00 Non-Broadcasting Businesses: What are the New Brands Beyond TV? 11.00 - 12.00 Looking at the Indian Innovation: Content and Tech Trend in India

12.00

11:00 - 12:00

Auditorium A Highlighting Creativity - IPs from KOREA Followed by a Networking Cocktail Presented by KOCCA

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Fresh TV Fiction Presented by The WIT

14:00 14:00 - 15:30 14:30 - 15:00

14:30 - 15:00

15:00

The Future of Factual

MIP Talk: FAST & AVOD Leaning into Originals

15:15 - 15:45

15:15 - 15:45

A Question of Survival Talents in Crisis

16:00

MIP Talk: Leveraging the Power of Data

Matchmaking Area ( P-1) Speed Matchmaking - Scripted Pre-registration Required

14:30 - 16:30

Verrière Californie Content Creation Summit Part III In partnership with Sony 14.30 - 15.30 New Efficient Way to Produce TV Drama with Advanced Technologies

16:00 - 16:30

OMDIA – The Landscape for TV and Online Production Funding

15.30 - 16.30 Using New Technologies to Drive Sponsorship for Live Content

17:00

17:30 - 20:30

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TBI Content Innovation Awards 17:30 Reception Gala

19:00

18:30 Ceremony

18:00 - 19:00

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Sessions will be available to catch-up on mipcom.com

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MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

Finding new opportunities in a disrupted marketplace BBC STUDIOS has been on a strong growth trajectory since merging its production and distribution capabilities into a single unit a few years ago.

But how is it coping in the face of the economic correction that is impacting the global content industry? This was the core question on the table in Tuesday morning’s session: BBC Studios, Growing A Global Content Studio In A Disrupted Marketplace.

Rebecca Glashow, CEO BBC Studios global distribution, said: “It’s all about staying disciplined. This industry has always had peaks and troughs, but it’s about taking a long-term view on the business and not just thinking about what’s happening in the year.

At times like this, it’s really important to draw strength from the long-term

partnerships that sustain you.”

Ralph Lee, CEO BBC Studios Productions, added that the company benefits from the breadth of its business: “We have real diversification across all genres and regions. We can be covering the Coronation or Eurovision one minute, then launching a brilliant natural history, factual entertainment or scripted series the next. By leaning into different business models and our global footprint, we can cushion the effect of the turbulence.”

Even amid the disruption, there are still opportunities, he added: “Five years ago, we had no production activity in Australia. Now we have a busy production division that has grown rapidly with series like Mastermind,

The Weakest Link and Bake Off.” He used the session to give sneak previews of Planet Earth 3 and a new adaptation of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five.

Glashow and Lee acknowledged that buyers have become more cautious, but they stressed that risk-taking is still crucial. “We have to make sure we are not moderating our ambition,” Lee said. “We need to take bets on series like Rain Dogs and Am I Being Unreasonable? There’s still a lot of brilliant original work so it is important not to get too depressed.”

Glashow said one response has been greater flexibility in deal-making.

“How to window, whether to be exclusive or non-exclusive… there’s a lot more listening on all sides.”

BBC Studios’ Rebecca Glashow

BBC Studios’ Ralph Lee

Inside India’s jewellery box THE INDIAN Jewels: New Offerings In TV, OTT, Film And Animation panel session gave a broad overview of programming and industry trends from the most populous country on earth. Presenting a diverse array of styles, subjects and formats, the common factors were a surge both in the quality of production and in producers’ confidence on the international stage.

“The current content landscape is becoming format agnostic,” Mrinalini Jain, executive vice-president of business and content at Banijay Asia, said, pointing to rocketing SVOD and AVOD, and to the India-only Amazon miniTV OTT service in particular.

Jain showed a clip of Banijay’s Netflix series Trial By Fire, in which two grieving parents in-

vestigate the causes of the cinema fire that killed their children.

“It’s like Eryn Brockovich meets Chernobyl,” she said.

Similarly, in animation, “audiences are getting more accepting of different formats”, according to Anindar Banerjee of Applause Entertainment.

While the sector had traditionally thrived by servicing foreign productions, Indian animations — made for an audience of 300 million kids — were increasingly travelling abroad.

Despite having incredible wildlife, India was not traditionally a big producer of natural-history programming, but Sumesh Lekhi of Brave Age Films was aiming to change that. “There’s a boom all over the world in natural history, but in India it’s always been a

Banijay’s Mrinalini Jain

Brave Age Films’ Sumesh Lekhi

niche industry,” he said. “Now we are stepping out of the shadows.”

His Emerald Forest, a documentary series on tigers, had been six years in the making.

Karanvir Sofat’s Rusk Media, meanwhile was taking advantage of the huge online audiences using “almost free” internet to trial new ideas on YouTube and other platforms. “It’s a sampling space to identify what content really works,” he said.

MIPCOM CANNES DAILY 3, OCTOBER 2023 | 23

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MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

Hybe Media Systems set to ride crest of worldwide K-pop wave K-POP, the Korean blend of hiphop, R&B and pop, is growing in popularity internationally — and Hybe Media Systems is at

Hybe’s Sae Bom Tak

MIPCOM CANNES to deliver artist-focused content to fans around the world.

The Seoul-based company controls the video IP for around 19 K-pop artists. It produces and distributes concert films, documentaries and unscripted reality shows featuring bands such as Seventeen, NewJeans and global superstars BTS. Highlights this year include Weverse Con, a starstudded concert with electrifying performances, and Nana Tour – Seventeen, documenting an unexpected adventure for the band.

It has also just announced that its BTS: Yet To Come concert special, recorded in front of 50,000 people in Busan in 2022, will be available

on Amazon Prime Video worldwide from November 9th. Last year, at its debut MIPCOM CANNES, Hybe struck a deal with French OTT provider Mediawan, and has since sold content to Disney+.

Sae Bom Tak, the company’s content business planning team leader, said that interest in K-pop content was strong particularly in the US and LatAm territories, and that European markets showed potential. “TV and OTT are a big target for us,” she said, adding that in future she envisaged partnering on co-production and format deals. “It’s a unique genre, and it’s our speciality, which makes us unique in the market,” she said.

WildBrain’s Jonny Jetboy set for launch SOME of the team behind Jonny Jetboy (40 x 11 mins) gathered at the WildBrain stand to celebrate the launch of the series for preschool kids. It follows the action-packed adventures of Jonny, the youngest member of a family of secret superheroes known as the JetFleet.

Keith Chapman, also behind PAW Patrol and Bob The Builder, is the show’s originator. “I can’t wait to see the series blast into the hearts and homes of families all around the world,” he said. Michael Vogel, one of the creative forces behind My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and WildBrain’s Strawberry Shortcake series, Berry In The Big City, is also on board as executive producer.

“It’s been fantastic to collaborate with iQIYI on Jonny Jetboy and to see another of Keith Chapman’s creations come to life,” Caroline Tyre, vice-president of global sales

and rights strategy at WildBrain, said. “With Jonny Jetboy, Keith has once again used his creative genius to craft a series with all the right ingredients to entertain families worldwide.”

Jonny Jetboy is produced by China’s iQIYI in collaboration with Wild-

Brain (Canada) as animation supervisor. The animation production was completed by WinSing Animation Studio, China, under the supervision of Jinming Lu. WildBrain holds worldwide distribution rights for Jonny Jetboy, excluding greater China.

WildBrain’s Max Tang (left) and Stephanie Betts; Keith Chapman, Chapman Entertainment; WildBrain’s Caroline Tyre; iQIYI’s Yiming; and Yanmei Gu, WinSing Animation

MIPCOM CANNES DAILY 3, OCTOBER 2023 | 25

Neon Creation’s Sara Han-Williams (left) with Digitoonz Entertainment’s Vikas Kumar

THREE SIGN FOR

2-EYES MONSTER NEON CREATION, Digitoonz Entertainment and Ireland’s Telegael have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-produce the 3D animated series 2-Eyes Monster. The show will go into production next year and will be ready for broadcast in 2026.

2-Eyes is a conflicted character with one eye always looking on the bright side of life, while the other always sees red, causing the mood swings that provide the show’s laughs and drama. The show will be distributed by Neon Creation.

Taffy (Cyber Group Studios)

MORE TAFFY ON THE WAY PARIS-based producer and distributor of TV and movies for children, Cyber Group Studios has announced that a third season of its flagship series Taffy (156 x 7 mins) is in development, produced by Cyber Group Studios with the participation of Gulli and Canal J (France). Targeted at six- to 10-year-olds, the 2D slapstick comedy features the adventures of Taffy and Bentley, accompanied by their sweet friend Mrs Muchmore. The first two seasons are now available in over 37 languages and are shown across multiple territories.

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Riseborough’s raw and funny love story THE EXECUTIVE producer and star of a new romantic drama series exploring the complexities of love and separation has unveiled the show to the market.

Andrea Riseborough, who worked with creator Victor Levin on the development and production of the series, stars as Alice in Alice & Jack. Riseborough has been at MIPCOM CANNES for the world premiere ahead of broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK. Based on a creative concept Levin has been nurturing for over 15 years, Alice & Jack spans the years after a brief, passionate meeting between two professional people living in London.

After an intense first encounter the pair go their separate ways, with Jack eventually finding himself in a settled relationship with another woman. Having spent time apart, a tragic loss in Alice’s life causes

her to seek Jack out for comfort from her grief.

Describing the tension and realism of the romance, Riseborough said: “The moment Alice and Jack come to each other in life they’re both highly functioning in their professions, but keen-

‘We don’t see unpredictability very much reflected on screen’ ly lacking in self-awareness. They instantly recognise in the other something infinite and eternal.

“In many ways Alice’s dryness and humour and sarcasm, rawness and unpredictability, is ac-

tually very realistic. I just think we don’t see it very much reflected on screen.”

The creative team included directors Juho Kuosmanen and Hong Khaou, writer Victor Levin, and fellow executive producer Michael London.

Riseborough praised their work and described the success in securing Kuosmanen as director, as like “winning the lottery”.

“I felt it would be a wonderful juxtaposition,” she said. “There was something about his levity, and dry satire, mixed with really poignant moments that he manages to capture and film.”

Alice & Jack is a co-production between Fremantle, Me+You Productions, Groundswell Productions and De Maio Entertainment.

Fremantle is handling worldwide distribution of Alice & Jack.

27

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MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

Bringing marginalised voices to a mainstream audience BLACKFELLA Films producer Darren Dale is at MIPCOM CANNES this week with a slate of intriguing scripted and non-scripted titles that explore the cultural contribution and contemporary challenges of Australia’s First Nations community.

Speaking to MIPCOM CANNES Daily News, Dale revealed that ABC Commercial has just sold Blackfella’s documentary series The Australian Wars to the BBC. “Being able to bridge that gap, bringing Australian colonial history to a mainstream audience is incredible news for us.”

Coming to Cannes is a key opportunity to overcome “the tyranny of distance” that Australian creators have to contend with, Dale said.

“And now is a particularly impor-

tant time for our company because of the Australian referendum at the weekend that decided not to enshrine the rights and voice of First Nations people in the constitution. It reinforces the role of the work that we do, trying to bring marginalised voices to the centre.”

Dale is also pitching the factual series The Dark Emu Story, which unpacks the significance of a best-selling book written by Bruce Pascoe in 2014. Pascoe sparked a culture wars controversy in Australia when he postulated that First Nations people were not only hunters and gatherers, but farmers with a complex economic and agriculture system.

Dale is also in Cannes to discuss progress on the company’s political

thriller Total Control, distributed

by All3Media International. With season three soon to be launched, he said “we’re up to 18 episodes now, which will making it more appealing to buyers.” There is also an as-yetunannounced project in the works with NBCUniversal production company Matchbox.

While MIPCOM CANNES is a rare opportunity for Dale to encounter the entire global content community in one place, he said he is approaching the events surgically: “For me it’s about nurturing deep partnerships. A lot of people come to markets and want to meet everyone in the world, but really you need to build strong relationships with people that really get you.”

Rush of deals for Cineflix Rights THE UK’s Cineflix Rights has closed multiple deals for returning seasons of two of its highest-profile scripted series and a feature crime thriller at MIPCOM CANNES, as well as a raft of deals for factual content.

Sky (UK), Warner Bros. Discovery (New Zealand) and Paramount+

(Canada) have bought the second season of Last King Of The Cross, which charts the rise of John Ibrahim from poverty-stricken immigrant to nightclub mogul in crime-ridden Sydney’s Kings Cross. NBC Universal International Networks has acquired the seLast King Of The Cross (Cineflix Rights)

cond season of Reginald The Vampire for France, Iberia, Central and Eastern Europe, German-speaking Europe and the UK, along with Sky (UK), Canada’s Bell Media (two seasons) and M6’s 6Play streaming platform. Lifetime (US) and Paramount+ (UK) have bought Sugar (1 x 90 mins), inspired by the real-life story of two Canadian influencers who become entangled in a deadly drug-smuggling operation.

James Durie, head of scripted, Cineflix Rights said: “Alongside working with producers to develop and launch new dramas, building successful scripted franchises is a key part of our strategy. We’re also building a sizeable movie and feature business with thrillers like Sugar.”

On the factual side, Richard Hammond’s Workshop has been acquired

by NENT for Denmark and Sweden, Warner Bros. Discovery for its plat-

Blackfella Films’ Darren Dale

forms across Benelux, Italy, Iberia, Turkey, German-speaking territories, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and BBC for Poland. Hitler’s Engineers: Building The Third Reich has sold to History (Iberia), RTL (Germany), CBC (Canada), Tanweer (Greece), AMC Networks International Central and Northern Europe (AMCNI CNE) for its Spektrum channel (Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic) and BBC (Poland).

Holiday Homes In The Sun has been bought by TV2 Norway, Nine Network (Australia), TVNZ (New Zealand), TV2 Hungary, Hola TV (Latin America and US), Buenviaje (Spain), Canal+ Poland, AMCNI CNE for Spektrum Home (Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia) and Home Channel (South Africa). TVE (Spain) has bought all four seasons of My Floating Home, and Patrick Aryee’s Wild World has been acquired by Odisea Iberia, Ushuaia TV France, BBC Asia, TVO (Canada) and Knowledge Network (Canada).

MIPCOM CANNES DAILY 3, OCTOBER 2023 | 29

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MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

Huace platform gives industry fast access into Chinese drama HUACE Media Group has come to MIPCOM CANNES with a vital tool to unlock access to the best of Chinese drama content for international buyers. C-Drama Rights is an online platform with over 6,200 registered users and 14,000 hours of content.

As well as providing short scree-

ners and full project details, the platform offers multiple languages, transparency over rights and secure transaction and asset-delivery services. Once contact is made online, Huace can then facilitate real-world meetings in Cannes.

“We’re happy to co-operate with MIPCOM to provide connections

Madam Zhao, Huace Media Group.

across the global industry,” Huace’s president and co-founder, Madam Zhao said, highlighting content on the platform including You Are My Desire (30 x 45 mins), a youth romance from leading Chinese VOD service Mango TV. Zhao added that the company intended to open C-Drama Rights to other Asian — and eventually global — producers, increasing views, data flow and deals across the industry. “We want to make it a service for all buyers and content providers,” she said.

Huace also announced a deal with Turkish production company Hece for format rights for Go Ahead (40 x 45 mins), a warm-hearted drama about three kids from difficult backgrounds who create an unconventional family together.

“Hece loved the universal themes of family and belonging,” Zhao said, adding that the format had also sold to Thailand and Korea.

Sphere building relationships in Cannes “I’M HERE to get a sense of where the buyers are at, where the distribution companies are pinning their hopes for next year,” said Jennifer Kawaja, president, English fiction content at Canada’s Sphere Media.

In Cannes to secure co-financing for several green-lit projects, Kawaja is also looking for sales in new territories for Sphere’s range of content, including season three of Peabody-winning dramedy, Sort Of — now airing on Max (HBO Max) in the US and CBC in Canada.

Sphere’s recent credits include the Emmy-nominated, civil-rights period drama The Porter, executive produced by Kawaja, which depicts the Black railway workers from both Canada and the US

who give birth to the world’s first Black workers union.

Kawaja is also in Cannes to secure the final 25% of funding for shows in development, including Somebody Knows Something, an adaption of the renowned CBC podcast of the same name that solves missing person or murder mysteries.

Having conversation with distributors, buyers and production companies at MIPCOM CANNES, and building on “relationships that I’ve had for many years” has opened Kawaja to some potential “intriguing co-productions”, she said.

“Even if you don’t sell anything, there are still so many benefits to being here,” she added.

Sphere Media’s Jennifer Kawaja

MIPCOM CANNES DAILY 3, OCTOBER 2023 | 31

Revive Your Heart (Cedars Art Productions

A MAGICAL JOURNEY FOR RAMADAM LEBANON and Egypt-based Cedars Art Productions is at MIPCOM CANNES with a captivating animated series that celebrates Muslim values and traditions. Called Revive Your Heart, the show is being produced in time for next year’s Ramadan, the peak TV viewing season for Muslims, which will commence in March 2024.

Rania Haddad, sales and acquisition executive at Cedars Art Production, called the show “a magical journey filled with adventure, faith and inspiration”.

Based on the novel Nohyiha Linahya by Dr Wassim Habbal, Haddad said Revive Your Heart “is a ground-breaking edutainment series. It combines animation and religious elements to deliver a unique story that fosters unity, compassion and personal growth, while captivating the hearts and minds of young people.”

Revive Your Heart boasts an impressive cast of voice actors, including Salah Abdallah and 20 other leading Arab actors and celebrities. It is directed

by Dr Mustafa Al Farmawy, known for the iconic Muslim Animation Collection: Stories From Qur‘an, which was sold to more than 65 countries.

Season 1 comprises 30 x 25 mins episodes. The show, which is set to premiere on the first day of Ramadan, will initially be available in Egyptian Arabic dialect, with English subtitles. Plans for dubbing into other languages are under way.

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MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

Tyrone Productions documents ordeal of hostage held by Iran FREED hostage Bernard Phelan and Gerry McColgan, producer at Dublin-based Tyrone Productions, are at MIPCOM CANNES to announce a documentary based on Phelan’s 222 days of captivity in Iran.

The documentary is titled You Will Die In Prison — the words an Iranian judge spoke to the Irish-French citizen in March this year.

Unbelievably, Phelan walked out of the notorious ‘Satan’s Block’ in Mashhad in Iran two months later following negotiations for a prisoner swap by the French and Irish governments.

On October last year, he became the seventh French citizen among forty Europeans arbitrarily detained in Iran as part of its “hostage diplomacy”.

He had been picked up in Mashhad while innocently walking the streets with an Iranian colleague.

It was Phelan’s fifth time in Iran

and it was the height of anti-regime demonstrations, though he did not take part.

Phelan explained how he spent three weeks in solitary confinement, was interrogated while handcuffed to a hospital bed, and imprisoned.

Bernard Phelan

THE EXECUTIVE teams behind Gangs Of London celebrated the announcement of a third season of the gritty underworld drama in Cannes this week. The new episodes of the BAFTA-winning, Emmy-nominated series will take up where the season two cliffhanger left off, with undercover-cop-turned-gangster Elliot in the middle of a bloody drug war. Lead director will be

He said it was “very harsh mentally” to be detained for seven months in a packed cell for political prisoners, only being allowed outside to walk for 45 minutes each day.

Satan’s Block is the prison section where executions take place. Phelan said he could hear the crying of those on death row.

He had little clue about the outside efforts, detailed in the documentary, made by his family, the Irish and French governments and the Irish president to secure Phelan’s release. He went on a 50-day hunger strike before relenting after a plea to stop from his 96-year-old father.

Extensive interviews for You Will Die In Prison were recorded with Phelan, his husband Roland Bonello, and Irish Times journalist Lara Marlowe. Renowned French journalist Florence Aubenas, who was held hostage in Iraq in 2005, also features.

Korean Kim Hong Sun (Wolf Hunting, Metamorphosis); lead writer, Peter McKenna (The Gloaming, The Last Kingdom), and both will executive produce. It is a Pulse Films production for Sky Studios and AMC+, and is distributed by NBCUniversal. Pictured in Cannes are: Jamie Hall (Pulse Films/left); Belinda Menendez (NBCU); Meghan Lyvers (Sky Studios); and Noel Manzano (AMC).

MIPCOM CANNES DAILY 3, OCTOBER 2023 | 33

Édaín Ní Dhomnall

DHOMNALL’S FILM FACTORY FIRST-TIME MIPCOM CANNES attendee Édaín Ní Dhomnall has come to the market seeking drama producers looking for a sustainably minded studio to shoot in. With two other filmmakers she has converted half of her family’s furniture factory in West Cork, Ireland, into an 18,000 sq ft soundstage, 10-acre backlot and offices.

The area has a good filming pedigree: local resident David Puttnam is mentoring the project and Jeremy Irons also lives nearby, among other acting talent, plus there is experienced crew locally. Major productions including some of the Star Wars franchises have filmed in the area but, she is keen to stress: “We have breathtaking locations close by that haven’t been shot on much before.” These include castles, city squares and beautiful virgin countryside.

The entire studio roof consists of solar panels, offcuts from the furniture business fuel the biomass boiler, and there will soon be natural well water served in refillable cups, to cut down on plastic waste. West Cork Studios potentially also benefits from a 32% tax credit. Ní Domnhall reported promising talks with series producers as well as discussions with major forthcoming film productions.

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Satellifacts Le premier quotidien de l’audiovisuel et du cinema

Satellifacts Quotidien n° 6470 - Lundi 2 octobre 2023 N°148 / Supplément à Satellifacts n°6470 - Lundi 2 octobre 2023

p 1/29

Interview p 02 Emmanuel Daucé (Tetra Media Fiction) : « D’un pur point de vue économique, la minisérie est dangereuse pour les producteurs. »

Interview p 06 Nathalie Biancolli (TVMonaco) : « Nous comptons produire voire coproduire à l’international nos propres fictions. »

Confidentiel

Entreprises et marchés

Distribution salles

Pan-Européenne : Isabelle Carré et François Damiens au casting de « La Fille d’un grand amour » EXCLU - Les Tontons Truqueurs : arrivée de Hafida Benhamdane (Atlantis TV) en tant que DG

Netflix : arrêt officiel de son service de location de DVD aux Etats-Unis Beta Film : lancement d’Omega Global Media, société de distribution de fictions au Royaume-Uni

Sorties : 9 films dans les salles mercredi 4 octobre 2023

À la Une

Festivals - Marchés

EXCLU - IA / Transparence : courrier de 73 organisations d’ayants droit des ICC à Elisabeth Borne

Festival du film britannique de Dinard : le palmarès 2023 Festival européen du film fantastique de Strasbourg 2023 : « Vincent doit mourir », Octopus d’or San Sebastián 2023 : « O corno » de Jaione Camborda, lauréat de la Coquille d’or Festival d’Amiens 2023 (Fifam) : Davy Chou invité ; une nouvelle compétition moyens métrages Arras Film Festival : le réalisateur Dominik Moll président du jury Atlas

Institutionnel Sénat : dépôt d’une PPL visant à « conforter la filière cinématographique en France » Arcom : saisine de l’Autorité après une question jugée raciste de Pascal Praud sur CNews Radio France / France TV : les statuts modifiés après les augmentations de capital

Organisations professionnelles AnimFrance : renouvellement du conseil d’administration avec quatre nouveaux membres

Interview p 10 Antoine Rein et Fabrice Goldstein (Karé Productions) : « Nous adorons le paradoxe de faire un film féministe sur Bernadette Chirac. »

Industrie des programmes Zephyr Animation : développement de la série animée « Palitchan », shōnen « à la française » Mintee Studio / Thalie Images : début de tournage de la série « Rivages » pour France 2 Forum Création Africa : premier événément dédié aux ICC à l’initiative du gouvernement français TeamTO : acquisition des droits des romans jeunesse « Elisabeth, princesse à Versailles »

Box-office Pathé Live : près de 40 000 spectateurs pour le concert d’Orelsan au cinéma le 28 septembre Classement des distributeurs : Les Bookmakers/ The Jokers arrive à la 18e place du Top 20

Box-office international Box-office monde : « Under The Light » mène un classement aux couleurs de la Chine Box-office Etats-Unis & Canada : « La Pat’ Patrouille - La super patrouille, le film » montre les crocs

International Grève à Hollywood : la Fédération internationale des acteurs solidaire du SAG-AFTRA

Nominations, mouvements France Médias Monde : administratrice

Disparitions Xavier Roy : décès de l’ancien PDG de Reed Midem à 85 ans

Programmes france.tv/slash / Déter : accélération de la mise à disposition des épisodes sur france.tv

Evénements Sedpa : la 7e édition du colloque « Circulez, il y a tant à voir » fixée au 9 novembre

Publications Satellifacts Magazine 148 : Emmanuel Daucé, Nathalie Biancolli, Antoine Rein et Fabrice Goldstein, Vanessa Filho, Noé Productions Int…

Au fil des (e)X (tweets) La Revue de Presse À l'agenda

Confidentiel Pan-Européenne : Isabelle Carré et François Damiens au casting de « La Fille d’un grand amour »

Interview p 14 Vanessa Filho (réalisatrice) : « L’abus de pouvoir de la part des cinéastes est un signe de paresse et de faiblesse. »

Selon nos informations, la scénariste Agnès de Sacy (Les Jeunes Amants, Les Amandiers, Les Estivants) va passer pour la première fois derrière la caméra. A partir du 16 octobre, elle réalisera à Perpignan son premier long métrage intitulé La Fille d’un grand amour avec pour interprètes Isabelle Carré et François Damiens. Elle signe le scénario de cette fiction très autobiographique. Le film est produit par Pan-Européenne avec le soutien de la Région Occitanie, d’un

montant de 180 000 euros. Il sera distribué par Pan Distribution.

L’histoire ? Ana et Yves se sont aimés et se sont séparés. Leur fille, Cécile, réalise un documentaire sur leur rencontre. A l’occasion de la projection du film, ils se recroisent…

Le tournage s’achèvera le 14 novembre dans les PyrénéesOrientales. ■

EXCLU - Les Tontons Truqueurs : arrivée de Hafida Benhamdane (Atlantis TV) en tant que DG Selon nos informations, Hafida Benhamdane, jusqu’à présent DG d’Atlantis TV, a rejoint Les Tontons Truqueurs en tant que directrice générale de cette société d’effets visuels, filiale de france.tv studio. Elle a succédé dans le courant de l’été à Christian Guillon, un des fondateurs de l’entreprise qui a fait valoir ses droits à la retraite. Toma de Matteis, directeur délégué de france.tv studio en charge de la fiction, en est le président.

Focus sur une productrice p 19 Noé Productions Int. : Cap sur l’international et les nouveaux talents

Programmes p 21 3 événements d’antenne du 30 septembre au 13 octobre 2023

Programmes p 23 Les nouveautés de la quinzaine 4 séries fictions, 2 documentaires

L'actualité des usages séries Les séries les plus regardées du 21 au 27 septembre 2023

Plan de financement TV Sous contrôle Ex Nihilo / Arte France

Plan de financement cinéma Dogman LBP / Apollo Films

p 26

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Lundi prochain, 9 octobre : parution de Satellifacts Talents ; prochain numéro de Satellifacts Magazine le 16 octobre 2023.

Le groupe public avait pris en 2021 une participation majoritaire dans Les Tontons Truqueurs via sa filiale de production france.tv studio et en détenait 85 % avant la sortie de Christian Guillon, le 1er juillet. Il en est désormais propriétaire à 100 %. ■

p 28

Lundi 2 octobre 2023 - © Fréquences - Reproduction et/ou rediffusion constituent une violation du droit d'auteur et un délit de CONTREFAÇON passibles de 300 000 € d'amende. Infos abonnement : abonnement@satellifacts.com

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Sung Kang: made of the ride stuff

ACTOR Sung Kang made his name playing Han Lue in the Fast & Furious movie franchise. Now he’s on the road again in a new series for Insight TV. The global broadcaster and channel operator has commissioned The Ride Life With Sung Kang, which sees its star exploring car communities in countries including the US, UK, Japan, South Korea and Poland.

The six-part series is a co-production between Insight TV, Beach House Pictures, Bros Studio and Raison D’Etre Stories, and will be available for broadcast next year.

Kang’s interest in cars sprang from his childhood, and a mentor who was restoring a 1963 Chevrolet Impala.

“He would just let me sit there in his garage, and I would ask him all these stupid questions! ‘Why don’t you put thunderbolts on it?’ and stuff like that!” he told MIPCOM CANNES Daily News.

“He told me that he was a caretaker of American history, and that this was the car his family aspired to have. Through the car he shared who he was.

“He planted the seed for this love affair, first for restoring cars. And later, serendipity happened, the stars aligned, and all of a sudden I was in this big car franchise!”

Kang said that he hopes his new show can do for cars and the car community what Anthony Bourdain did for the food world.

“Sure, the excuse is the food, or the car in this case, but it’s really about the people that make up the community. I’ve been able to meet some fascinating human beings. Real stars,” he said. “Superheroes!

Except the spotlight hasn’t been on them.”

The show will be made available on Insight TV’s channels worldwide across 12 languages, although it will also be licensed to other channels and platforms around the world. Kang hopes it will have wide appeal, including to people who aren’t part of the car community.

“You might not be a mechanic. You might not be able to fix the transmission. You might not even know how to drive a car. But you can be entertained and walk away with the human lessons,” Kang said.

‘The stars aligned, and I was in this big car franchise’

37

MIPCOM CANNES 2023 | NEWS

Turkish drama Red Roses tackles cultural and religious differences THE STAR of a powerful new Turkish drama addressing the tensions between tradition and modernity, religion and secularism has descriPrinces Princesses bed the challenges and opportuniPrinces and Princesses (1 And x 64’) – PRIME ENTERTAINMENT GROUP (Prime Entertainment Group) ties of the role.

Speaking to MIPCOM CANNES Daily News, Ozcan Deniz, star of Red Roses, said: “All these layers in themselves have difficulties and challenges, but the more layers PARIS-based distributor Prime there are in a story the more atEntertainment Group is having tractive it becomes for the aua strong week at MIPCOM dience, and also more challenging CANNES, securing licensing for the actors. deals across its factual and kids programming slates.

“The main core of this show is In factual, Prime sold the 2024 the polarisation between the moseason of its hit show, Holdern and secularised, with the lywood On Set (52 x 26 mins) more traditional. to Studio Universal in Africa. A “The show does not show any weekly series, Hollywood On one of these groups worse or betSet takes audiences behind the ter, quite the contrary. But at the scenes of Hollywood’s biggest same time it’s not that they are not blockbusters. Alexandra Marguetouching anything that might hurt rite, Prime Entertainment Group’s

NEW SALES FOR PRIME SHOWS

head of sales, called Studio Universal the ideal “targeted destination for our content to reach viewers across Africa”.

Prime has also inked a new deal with Benshi France for Kirikou And The Wild Beasts (1 x 75 mins), Kirikou And Men And Women (1 x 80 mins), and Princes And Prime licenses “Hollywood on Set” to Studio Universal in Africa Princesses (1 x 64 mins). The deal Incandescent based distributor Prime Entertainment Group is pleased to announce the licensing of theBULGARIA-based 2024 season of their hit follows the recent sale of Belly, Hollywood on Set (52 x 26’) to Studio Universal in Africa.

Distribution will exclusively marsaurus to Benshi and strengthens ketof two hit Indian wood on Set, a weekly series, takes the audience behind the scenes and straight onto the set Hollywood’s biggest web series in the a long-standing relationship busters. The popular show will air on Studio Universal – the movie channel for movie lovers,CIS captivating viewers with region stretching from the Caubetween the two. cs and Hollywood hits, from comedies and actions films, to animated movies, in Africa in early 2024.

Prime’s animation catalogue cusus to Central Asia, and beyond. e’s dynamic entertainment catalogue a wide range of content focused on Hollywood’s fast-paced offers covers a long list of programmes Titled 11th industry Hour and Lot, both seaward-winning series broadcasted globally such as Hollywood’s Best Film Directors (88 x 26’), Meet the Costume for kids aged three to 12.

The ries are mystery suspense thrillers ners (10 x 15’) and Close Up (120 x 26’), among others. latest animation line-up includes that have enjoyed major success in ndra Marguerite, Prime Entertainment Group’s Headand of Sales, commented are thrilled to continue hit series Runes Ariol.

Benshion the deal: “We Indianfor markets. ing our compelling cinema-related series to Studio Universal, which is such a targeted destination our content is a French SVOD platform ach viewers across Africa.”

“The flavour, the storylines and the dedicated to arthouse films for production quality have a lot of interr this year Prime licensed nearly 200 episodes of their children aged twobiographical to 11. Itsseries ca- Close Up, Stories and Spotlight to E!, to air s multiple territories. national and universal appeal,” said talogue focuses on high-quality Nishith Varshneya, head of internaanimated films and series. tional business at Indian content distributor and aggregator, Shemaroo.

Elitsa Petrova, Incandescent Distribution CEO and founder, explained that the exclusive deal to distribute the titles in the CIS and other foreign territories continues an ongoing partnership with Shemaroo.

Hollywood On Set (Prime Entertainment Group) But unlike more traditional Bol-

anyone or make anyone angry.”

A Global Agency production, Red Roses tackles some of the most contentious aspects of fundamentalist religion by telling the story of a woman who was indoctrinated into an Islamic sect and married against her will at the age of 14.

Years later, and now a mother herself, Meryem, played by Ozgu Namal, is trying to save her own daughter from the same fate.

Deniz, who is in Cannes with Global Agency, said that the central message of the drama was the importance of better understanding between people of different cultures and religious backgrounds.

“The whole idea is to give the audience a glimpse into your traditional world in comparison with the modern world. Differences are always there but we can live together.”

Red Roses star Ozcan Deniz

Incandescent inks Indian web deal

Hollywood on Set (52 x 26’) – PRIME ENTERTAINMENT GROUP

lywood and drama series previously emerging from India, this latest offering leverages the popularity of short-form digital web series.

“These web series are like nothing else,” she said. “They are fastpaced, the production quality is Incandescent’s Elitsa Petrova (left) and Shemaroo’s Nishith Varshneya

38 | MIPCOM CANNES DAILY 3, OCTOBER 2023

very, very high, and they are very binge-watch worthy.”

Varshneya, meanwhile, is confident that the series “will do better than other Indian formats that are already performing well in the CIS region”.

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