Banijay Group is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay Group is present in 16 territories.
Banijay Group is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay Group is present in 16 territories.

Tag Archive: Andreas Lemos

  1. Banijay Rights Sells We Got This To Sundance Now

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    Banijay Rights, the leading distribution arm of Banijay Group, today announces idiosyncratic crime thriller, We Got This, has been picked up by AMC Networks in the US, Canada and UK, for its streaming service Sundance Now.

     

    The 6 x 45’ scripted series, due to air this autumn, sees George English, an American living in Sweden, try to solve his financial woes with an unlikely solution – a 50 million Swedish Crown reward for solving the 30-year-old murder of the former prime minister, Olof Palme. English, played by Schiaffino Musarra, is grieving from the recent death of his father, and is then hit by the collapse of his career, when he receives an unsurmountable tax bill. Naturally, he begins to imagine that cracking the Palme case could be the simple answer to all his problems.

     

    Together with his closest friend, a not-so-intrepid journalist, who wants nothing to do with the case, a whacky conspiracy theorist and a former police officer, they follow the case into a web of twisted theories. After a major discovery, George finds himself on a head-on collision course with history, as their investigation goes from a laughing stock to a very real and closely-watched operation by the media, politicians, titans of industry and organisations that stretch far beyond the Swedish borders that, for a variety of reasons, would rather this case remain forever unsolved.

     

    Winner of the Series Mania 2018 co-pitch, We Got This is produced by Banijay Group’s Jarowskij and Film I Väst for public broadcaster SVT and Viaplay. Besides playing the lead role, Schiaffino Musarra is also the series creator and head writer. The drama finished airing in Sweden just days ahead of the announcement by the Chief Prosecutor, despite no new evidence, to close the Palme murder investigation, which had remained open since 1986.

     

    Sundance Now will feature its US and Canadian premiere in September 2020 with its UK date to-be-determined.

     

    Andreas Lemos, VP of Sales – North America, Banijay Rights comments,“We are thrilled to have a prestigious partner like Sundance Now on board for We Got This. North American and UK audiences will soon be able to enjoy this entertaining dark comedy born out of the unique mind of star and creator Musarra but built around the true-life mystery surrounding the assassination of Swedish PM Olof Palme.”

     

    Shannon Cooper, VP of Programming, Sundance Now, adds, “Sundance Now subscribers love to stream stories based on true crimes so this fascinating and funny approach to a real event makes for an extremely enjoyable series. We’re excited to partner with our friends at Banijay Rights to bring this true-life mystery to viewers in the US and UK.”

     

    Streaming service Sundance Now offers a rich selection of original and exclusive series from engrossing true crime to heart-stopping dramas, and fiercely intelligent thrillers from around the world; all streaming commercial-free.

     

  2. Banijay Rights Signs First-Look Deal With Firecrest Films

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    Banijay Rights, the leading distribution arm of Banijay Group, has signed a first-look deal with award-winning Scottish production company, Firecrest Films. The new deal will give Banijay Rights exclusive access to brand new documentaries, factual television series and features from the critically-acclaimed producer.

    Glasgow-based Firecrest Films has expanded rapidly since taking a minority investment from the Channel 4 Growth Fund in 2017; and in 2018 was named the fastest-growing independent television company outside London. The investment enabled the company to expand its creative team and diversify by adding high-end documentary and factual formats to its catalogue. In the following year, Firecrest won more awards than any other Scottish indie, and it was highlighted as one of The Best Places to Work in TV; it made both the highest-rating Panorama film for BBC One and the highest rating Dispatches film for Channel 4.

    Included in the Banijay Rights catalogue will be Firecrest’s critically-acclaimed legal documentary, Murder Trial: The Disappearance of Margaret Fleming (2 x 60’) for BBC Scotland and BBC Two. Filmed by BAFTA Scotland award-winning director Matt Pinder, this compelling documentary is described by the press as “A gripping legal drama about neglect and avarice in a remote coastal community, a tragic and often surreal tale delivered with sensitivity and meticulous craft.”

    Murder Case (2 x 60’) is another Firecrest Films production for BBC One Scotland and BBC Two, and is also included in the catalogue. The factual crime series achieved more than six million viewers and has already been commissioned for a further 3 x 60’ series.

    The Secret Life of the Museum (4 x 60’), a new factual format for BBC Scotland, is also part of the new deal between Banijay Rights and Firecrest Films. The Secret Life of the Museum will be available from Banijay Rights as either a format or finished programme. Currently in production, the series follows nine children aged around ten-years-old as they visit different museums. The children’s experiences are then intercut with interviews with curators from the museum who tell us the facts behind the collection.

    Andreas Lemos at Banijay Rights comments, “We could not be more excited by this latest partnership. We have long-admired Firecrest Films. Its factual series and documentaries have not only made a huge impact on screen but have resonated in the wider media as well – just going to show the power behind the stories that they choose to tell. We cannot wait to introduce Firecrest’s work to the international market, who we know are waiting in anticipation.”

    Nicole Kleeman, Managing Director of Firecrest Films adds, “It’s a hugely exciting time to be a fast-growing indie in the Nations. Having the support from Banijay Rights will help us continue our growth into new genres and markets.”

  3. Banijay Rights Acquires Premium Feature Doc Thomas Markle: My Story

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    Banijay Rights, the leading distribution arm of Banijay Group, today announces that it has successfully acquired the rights to the exclusive Thomas Markle: My Story, featuring up-to-the-minute, first person insight into the one of the biggest international news stories this year; the decision by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to step down from royal duties.

    The just-inked deal sees Banijay Rights secure the international rights to Thomas Markle: My Story (1 x 90 mins) from Alaska TV for Channel 5, excluding US and Canada. Commissioned by Daniel Pearl (Leaving Neverland) and executive produced by double BAFTA award-winning Paul Sommers, this sensitive and respectful one-off special will air on Channel 5 in the UK today (22 January).

    Coming bang up to date with reaction to the most recent worldwide headlines, Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle, is telling his side of the story for the first ever time in this premium feature documentary.

    With first person testimony and his never-before-seen archive of stills and videos of Meghan, he will reveal his version of events which led him to be the Grandfather of a boy he has never met but is seventh in line to be King of the United Kingdom.

    Andreas Lemos, Commercial Director, Factual at Banijay Rights, comments, “We are thrilled to be bringing this remarkable historical record to international broadcasters and platforms worldwide which comes from an experienced and award-winning creative team. Set to be one of the most headline making feature documentaries of the year, this is first and foremost a stunning and poignant film from a father to his daughter, as she and her husband step down from royal duties, offering a unique insight into the decision that shocked the world.”

    Paul Sommers, Managing Director, Alaska TV, said, “Being able to make a high-quality feature documentary which balances revelation and sensitivity, on such a global and topical current news story, is something we are very proud of.”

  4. Banijay Rights Ties Up Scripted Package Deal with AMC Networks’ Sundance Now

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    Banijay Rights, the leading distribution arm of Banijay Group, and AMC Networks’ US streaming service Sundance Now announce a pan-territory deal for five major drama titles, including MIPCOM launch The Gulf and upscale Norwegian drama Wisting.

    Headlining the deal is brand new German-New Zealand thriller The Gulf, (6 x 60’). The drama centres around the moral disintegration of Detective Jess Savage, who finds herself caught between upholding the legal justice system, and morality, as she investigates crimes on her home patch of Waiheke Island, New Zealand. The Gulf is an international co-production from Screentime New Zealand, Lippy Pictures and Letterbox Filmproduktion.

    Sundance Now will also add the character driven crime thriller Wisting (10 x 45’) to its slate. Based on the best-selling novels written by Jørn Lier Horst, the series stars Sven Nordin (Lilyhammer, Valkyrien) and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix trilogy, Marvel’s Jessica Jones). The 10-part production follows homicide detective William Wisting as he wrestles with the most challenging and shocking case of his career: a wanted American serial killer living in Norway. Wisting is produced by Cinenord in co-production with Good Company Films, Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), Degeto Film and Ripple World Pictures.

    Sundance Now will feature the exclusive U.S. premieres of The Gulf beginning Wednesday, December 4 and Wisting beginning Wednesday, December 18, 2019.

    Other titles acquired by the US streaming service from the Banijay Rights catalogue include Scandinavian offerings Couple Trouble (8 x 45’) and both series one and two of romantic comedy, Idiomatic (19 x 30’). Zodiak Finland’s Idiomatic produced for Elisa Viihde follows the life and times of an urban, bilingual, environmentally conscious left-wing couple in their thirties. Meanwhile, Couple Trouble, produced by Mastiff Denmark for NENT Group, centres around a couple who aren’t prepared to give up on each other so together start seeing a counsellor. Will the counselling help them, and can they allow love to return to their relationship?

    The French ratings hit, The Red Shadows (6 x 60’), has also been snapped up by Sundance Now. From H2O Fictions and Gétévé Productions for C8, The Red Shadows tells the story of a young woman who uncovers her mysterious past and meets a family she never knew she had.

    The extensive scripted deal was brokered by Andreas Lemos and Jess Winchester for Banijay Rights; Shannon Cooper and Jess De Leo for Sundance Now.

    Andreas Lemos, VP of Sales – North America, Banijay Rights comments, “We are excited to work with Sundance Now and deliver a slate of diverse and gripping series for their audiences. These international dramas deliver exactly what viewers are looking for right now – strong universal themes placed in unique and intriguing settings with high-end production values and talent.”

    Shannon Cooper, VP of Programming, Sundance Now, said, “Sundance Now is thrilled to offer our subscribers several high-quality new dramas from our friends at Banijay. With their gripping scripts, breath-taking settings and stellar ensemble casts, Wisting, The Gulf and the other programmes are ideally suited for our streaming service specialising in addictive dramas from across the globe.”

    Streaming service Sundance Now offers a rich selection of original and exclusive series from engrossing true crime to heart-stopping dramas and fiercely intelligent thrillers from around the world, all streaming commercial-free.

  5. Banijay Rights and Arcadia Content Seal History and Science Development Pact

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    Banijay Rights, the leading distribution arm of Banijay Group, has today confirmed a co-development agreement with award-winning, Canadian indie, Arcadia Content. The deal will see both parties co-develop new factual projects, together seeking financing based on pre-sales.

    Halifax-based Arcadia Content specialises in history and science programming and boasts more than 500 hours of premium factual programming including the highly successful If We Built It Today, which currently airs on Science.

    Banijay Rights and Arcadia Content have already begun discussions on a slate of innovative new projects including Disaster: If It Happened Today and CGI history dive series, Wreck Raisers.

    Andreas Lemos, Commercial Director – Factual at Banijay Rights said, “Arcadia Content is a real trailblazer in the factual world, producing entertaining and illuminating documentary films and series for leading broadcasters around the globe. We are delighted to be working closely together to co-develop and co-fund new projects, enabling them to create even more intriguing science and history programming for eager viewers.”

    John Wesley Chisholm, Creative Director at Arcadia said, “Working with Banijay connects us as regional producers in a global market. The new paradigm in producer/distributor developed projects positions us to think beyond our home markets; to develop and finance ideas that give our local broadcast customers the right shows, at the right time and right price, while also creating shows of broad global appeal and long shelflife.”

    Banijay Rights has recently entered into a number of successful co-development deals such as Touchdown Films and First Look TV. As a result of pre-sales secured by the distributor, projects such as Touchdown’s Artist to Icon and First Look’s Inside The Mind of a Serial Killer have been greenlit with broadcasters Ovation and Reelz coming on board.

  6. Banijay Rights And Touchdown Films Secure Artist To Icon Series Through Co-Pro With Ovation In The US

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    Banijay Rights, the leading distribution arm of Banijay Group, through its co-development deal with UK indie Touchdown Films, has developed a new celebrity biography series ARTIST TO ICON in partnership with leading US arts network Ovation. Celebrities in the 10 x 60’ documentary series, which mixes rich and extensive archive with insider interviews, include Madonna, Robin Williams and Cher among others.

    Ovation will retain distribution rights in the Americas and Banijay Rights in rest of the world.
    Currently in production ARTIST TO ICON will be available for delivery later this year and will complement Ovation as the new home of popular long-running series Inside the Actors Studio.

    The project is one of the first to flourish through Banijay Rights’ co-development deal with factual specialist Touchdown Films which has been renewed for a further term. The two companies are working together to develop and produce returnable factual series in the history, crime and celebrity genres for platforms and networks around the world. Touchdown Films was founded by filmmaker and producer John Osborne, with recent projects including Apollo 8: The Mission That Changed The World and Photos That Changed The World, which is due to air on History in the UK next month.

    Banijay Rights recently announced sales of Touchdown Films’ Apollo 8: The Mission That Changed the World to National Geographic Channel, Discovery Networks, Bell Media, VRT, RUV-Icelandic State Broadcasting and Discovery Corporate Services Ltd.

    Scott Woodward, EVP of Programming and Production at Ovation stated, “We’re pleased to be working yet again with Banijay Rights, and now with Touchdown Films. As an arts network, we’re always looking for dynamic and creatively-inclined projects and Artist to Icon is no exception. Charting the rise of some of the world’s greatest artists – actors, musicians and more – is a perfect fit for Ovation.”

    John Osborne, founder of Touchdown Films said, “Very few people become a global star, and fewer still achieve iconic status. In this new series, we will reveal some of the most extraordinary rises to fame the world has ever seen, exploring the crucial moments that accelerated their transition from Artist to Icon. We’re thrilled to be working alongside Banijay Rights on this exciting new series for Ovation.”

    Andreas Lemos, Commercial Director – Factual, at Banijay Rights added, “This innovative model means we do not have to wait for a fully-fledged commission to get a project greenlit. Via our deal with Touchdown we have developed the series together with a leading US broadcaster, enabling it to come to fruition via a co-production arrangement. Banijay Rights has a long-standing and close relationship with Ovation and we are delighted to be working with them on this exceptional series.”

  7. Reelz Gets Inside The Mind Of A Serial Killer as Banijay Rights and FirstLook TV Strike Co-Development Deal

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    Banijay Rights, the leading distribution arm of Banijay Group, has sold series one and two of hit factual series, INSIDE THE MIND OF A SERIAL KILLER (20 x 60’). Produced by award-winning independent UK producer, FirstLook TV, the show has been picked up by Reelz in the US.

    The latest sale of INSIDE THE MIND OF A SERIAL KILLER follows those previously announced with the likes of Netflix, Discovery UK, UKTV’s Really Channel, Foxtel and The Justice Network.

    Banijay Rights and FirstLook TV also today announced a deal to co-develop and co-finance a new slate of crime-themed factual series for broadcasters worldwide. The agreement, covering a maximum of 10 new titles, will see Banijay Rights investing in research, sizzles and pilots at the outset, creating tasters for broadcasters and platforms before they commit to a full series and allowing Banijay Rights and FirstLook TV to produce true crime content without waiting for a commission. Banijay Rights will exclusively distribute the titles covered in the agreement.

    Andreas Lemos, Commercial Director – Factual, at Banijay Rights commented, “INSIDE THE MIND OF A SERIAL KILLER has been a huge success for us, thanks primarily to the way FirstLook TV has enthusiastically calibrated the series to the global market – with a balance of cases from all over the world, an array of multi-national experts, and first-hand testimonies and chilling archive. The fact that Reelz has picked up the series for the US really proves that FirstLook TV are masters in the genre and we’re looking to boost this model further with our crime co-development deal.”

    Will Hanrahan, Creative Director at FirstLook TV, added, “Creating compelling factual series brands that are enjoyed across the globe is one of FirstLook TV’s key objectives. We’re delighted to build on the success of INSIDE THE MIND OF A SERIAL KILLER and collaborate with the fantastic team at Banijay Rights on this 10 series collection of brand-new crime-themed factual programming for the international market.”

  8. Sundance Now Acquires Series Three of The Restaurant as Banijay Announces Further Pre-Sales of Hit Drama

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    Banijay Rights, the leading distribution arm of Banijay Group, has today confirmed the acquisition of season three of its hit drama series The Restaurant, by Sundance Now in the US.

     

    Banijay Rights also announced pre-sales of the third series of The Restaurant to Sat.1 Emotions, Germany, Filmin, Spain and ERR, Estonia. The series is produced by Swedish production company Jarowskij, part of Banijay Group in co-production for SVT, Viaplay and Film iVäst.

     

    Nada Arnot, General Manager at Sundance Now, said, “With its enticing period setting and first-rate production values, our members loved the first two series and have been asking for more episodes.  We’re thrilled to partner with our friends at Banijay to offer them another season of this addictive Swedish Sundance Now Original Series.”

     

    Andreas Lemos, VP North America Sales, Acquisitions and Co-Productions at Banijay Rights added, “The Restaurant has been a strong performer since it launched on SVT1. With the highest premiere of a drama series in Sweden in more than five years, it remains STV’s biggest show to date, a success which has been reflected by audience interest in the territories where it has already been acquired, including in the US. We are pleased to have secured pre-sales for series three and look forward to delivering the series to our clients in the coming months.”

     

    The award-winning series The Restaurant begins on Peace Day 1945 and centres on the Löwander family who run a prestigious restaurant in Stockholm. Season one covered the years 1945-1950, and season two moved the story on to 1955-1962; while the new third season, currently in production, picks up the action from 1968-1971.

  9. CBC Picks up Two Series from Banijay Rights

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    Banijay Rights, the leading distribution arm of Banijay Group, today announces that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Canada’s national public broadcaster, has picked up two of its series, The Operatives and Saving Lives at Sea, for documentary Channel.

     

    The deal, which was confirmed today at MIPTV in Cannes, will see AMO Media’s The Operatives, 10 x 60’, and Blast! Film’s Saving Lives at Sea, 12 x 60’, travel to Canada on documentary Channel, where the broadcaster has secured Pay TV and Video on Demand (excluding TVOD) rights to the titles.

     

    Andreas Lemos, VP Acquisitions, Co-Productions & North America Sales Banijay Rights, said,

    “We’re thrilled that a broadcaster as prestigious as the CBC will be our Canadian partner on these two fantastic factual series. Both shows combine great educational take-out with fantastic entertainment and a worthy message celebrating all-important environmental and life-saving work.”

     

    Sandra Kleinfeld, Senior Director, Documentary, CBC, added, “We’re pleased to be working with Banijay Rights and look forward to sharing these titles with viewers across Canada on  documentary Channel. With their topical subject matter, The Operatives and Saving Lives at Sea will make great additions to documentary Channel’s lineup of fascinating and thought-provoking titles from Canada and around the world.”

     

    Saving Lives at Sea was produced by Blast! Films in the UK for BBC2. This series reveals how an army of ordinary people give up their own free time to staff more than 200 Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboat stations right across the UK. 24 hours a day, whatever the weather, the volunteers are ready to launch their boats and race to the rescue within minutes of a cry for help coming.

     

    The series has been picked up by Top TV’s Choice Channel in New Zealand, TV2 in Denmark, RTE in Ireland and Canalife in Portugal, for its S+ Channel.

     

    The Operatives features an elite team of former military commandos who travel the world bringing poachers and environmental criminals to justice. The team braves environments from shark-infested waters to jungle airstrips, risking imprisonment and injury in order to gather video evidence to take down people who harm endangered wildlife.

     

    Produced by AMO Media, The Operatives was first broadcast in the US on Pivot TV and has been sold to; Top TV’s Choice Channel in New Zealand, Globosat in Brazil, AMC in Portugal and Spain, Discovery Corporate Services in Middle East, Northern Africa and Poland, Sony Pictures Television in CEE, Outside Television in the US and Lensmedia in China.

     

    This latest announcement follows on from CBC’s recent acquisition of series 1 and 2 of The Detectives, 7x 60’ in total from Banijay Rights. Produced by Minnow Films for BBC Two, the factual title was renamed The Manchester Detectives, for CBC’s documentary Channel, when it aired earlier this year.