Tag Archive: thriller

  1. Banijay Rights Sells Bäckström to AMC Networks’ Acorn TV in US and UK

    Comments Off on Banijay Rights Sells Bäckström to AMC Networks’ Acorn TV in US and UK

    Global distributor Banijay Rights, today announces Swedish crime thriller, Bäckström, will return for a second season. Meanwhile, series one has been picked up by AMC Networks in the UK, Canada and US, for its streaming service, Acorn TV.

     

    The crime drama series centres around detective Evert Backstrom, a man famous for having solved 99% of all cases he has taken on. Bäckström, is produced by Yellow Bird for C More and TV4 in co-production with Film i Väst and ARD Degeto.

     

    Series 1 (6 x 45’) is based on Leif GW Persson’s novel, Can You Die Twice?. When a bullet ridden skull is found in the Swedish archipelago, DNA-results confirm it belongs to a victim of Thailand’s 2004 tsunami. Bäckström is faced with an inexplicable mystery that even he could not have imagined. Can you die twice?

     

    Bäckström’s aversion for bureaucracy, the rules, bosses, colleagues, and well, fellow human beings in general, is rooted in his self-image of being a genius and the only investigator in the world worthy of the name. His role as a criminology expert on the TV show ‘True Crime’ has made him a minor celebrity among everyday citizens as well as the ‘riffraff’. He’s adored and despised in equal measures. He leaves chaos and resentment in his wake, but people put up with it because his track record for solving murder cases is unparalleled in… well, the world.

     

    Premiering on 8th February in the UK, Bäckström, will be available to North American audiences later this Spring.

     

    Bäckström series 2 was recently announced in Sweden, with filming due to commence in Spring. This time the case is connected to a macabre music box, which it seems to rest a curse on. The six-part second season will be largely based on Leif GW Persso’s novel, The Sword of Justice, with Kjell Bergqvist playing the lead once again.

  2. La Caza. Tramuntana Triggers Filming on New Case that Moves Sergeant Campos to Mallorca

    Comments Off on La Caza. Tramuntana Triggers Filming on New Case that Moves Sergeant Campos to Mallorca

    Dlo/Magnolia, a Banijay Group Company, confirms filming has begun in the Mallorcan mountains for La Caza. Tramuntana. Produced by RTVE in collaboration with Dlo/Magnolia, the thriller follows the success of La Caza. Monteperdido, with Sergeant Campos returning to take on a new case.

    Set in Tramuntana, a small fictional town in the ‘Sierra de Mallorca’, the story begins at a local festival. As fire-runners, demons and ‘caparrots’ overtake the neighbourhood, three teenagers witness Bernat, one of the most beloved people in the village, killed. From that moment on, nothing will ever be the same for the locals.

    Swooping in to investigate the murder are Sergeant Sara Campos (Megan Montaner) and her new partner, Corporal Ernesto Suecia (Félix Gómez). As the investigation evolves, it becomes comparable to a Russian doll: within every mystery, there is another twist.

    What secret hides beneath the beautiful landscape of Tramuntana? The answer will not only expose the secrets the locals are hiding, but it will also bring to light Sara Campos’ past, which she will have to face to solve this new case. However, she won’t do it alone; Sara will have the opportunity to meet Corporal Victor Gamero (Alain Hernández) to, perhaps, close the open wounds from Monteperdido.

    Filming will mostly take place in Valldemossa, Mallorca. Outside of the fictional “Tramuntana”, filming will take place across the island: Port of Soller, the Faro de Soller, Cala Tuent, Port des Canonge, the Mirador de s’Entreforc and Cala Pi. Local actors and technicians will join the team at Dlo/Magnolia.

    This season will be directed by David Ulloa and Rafael Montesinos, with screenwriters Agustín Martínez (creator), Miguel Sáez Carral, Jorge Díaz and Antonio Mercero. José Manuel Lorenzo and Reyes Baltanás will executive produce for Dlo/Magnolia.

    In May it was announced that La Caza. Monteperdido was one of La 1’s most-viewed shows, averaging a 14% share and a 2,162,000 audience. It remained Monday’s most-watched primetime series since its premiere. In addition to its live performance, it was a leader in the consolidated roundup, with 423,000 average viewers recording each episode to watch later.

    In terms of digital performance, it was the most popular series of RTVE in May, with more than 900,000 users. With visits increasing episode-on-episode, its social media engagements also saw a steady rise, amassing thousands of positive comments and a regular spot in the trends.

    The series received the audience award at the last Luchon Television Festival and scooped the FesTVal de Vitoria at the 2019 FesTVal Awards. La Caza. Monteperdido was also nominated for Best Television Fiction at the Prix Europa Awards, four Iris Awards and was a finalist at the Venice TV Awards 2019, amongst others.

    The format rights for La Caza. Monteperdido sit with Banijay Group and RTVE.

  3. UKTV Acquires High-End Drama Thriller, The Gulf, From Banijay Rights

    Comments Off on UKTV Acquires High-End Drama Thriller, The Gulf, From Banijay Rights

    Banijay Rights, the leading distribution arm of Banijay Group, has sold premium drama title, The Gulf to UKTV for its local audiences. The series will air on the broadcaster’s crime drama channel, Alibi.

    The deal, which will see the 3 x 90’ series launching on Alibi in early Spring 2020, was brokered by Chris Stewart, Commercial Director – Scripted at Banijay Rights, and Daniel Thomas, Acquisitions Manager at UKTV.

    Daniel Thomas, Acquisitions Manager at UKTV comments, “We are really pleased to have acquired this exciting new thriller for Alibi as we continue to include the very best of international crime drama in our schedule. Our viewers are extremely discerning and The Gulf, with its unique take on a crime story set against the incredible backdrop of New Zealand, will have wide appeal.”

    Chris Stewart, Commercial Director – Scripted, Banijay Rights adds, “We are delighted that UKTV will be bringing this absorbing and original antipodean series to a UK audience where I’m sure it will engage a new legion of drama fans looking for their next crime fix. The Gulf, co-produced by Banijay Group’s Screentime New Zealand, has launched in New Zealand and in Germany to much acclaim and is proving to be a very desirable drama property for us with further sales already in the pipeline.”

    Elsewhere in Europe The Gulf will also travel to Poland, after being acquired by Canal+ for its channel, Ale Kino+.

    This follows hot on the heels of the previously announced U.S. pick up of the drama, where AMC Networks’ streaming service Sundance Now will feature the exclusive U.S. premiere of The Gulf beginning Wednesday, 4th December 2019.

    Domestically, the series was a ratings winner for New Zealand broadcaster TV3 and is the top performing mini-series of 2019 to date. The drama pulled in a launch audience 40% above the channel average. Meanwhile, in Germany The Gulf consistently outperformed the slot average by more than 10%.

    Recently launched at MIPCOM, German-New Zealand thriller The Gulf, (6 x 60’) 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 Banijay Group’s Screentime New Zealand, Lippy Pictures, German fiction specialist Letterbox Filmproduktion, a member company of the Studio Hamburg Production Group, and broadcasters ZDF and TV3.