Senior Management
Maxime Saada, Chairman
Anna Marsh, CEO
Françoise Guyonnet, Executive MD, TV series

Key executives
Anne Cherel, EVP Global Sales and Distribution
Beatriz Campos, SVP Global Sales and Production Financing

London Screenings 2022

Infiniti

Type: Drama
Length: 6 x 60 minutes
Producer: Federation Entertainment; Empreinte Digitale
Broadcaster: Canal+ (France)

French-originated drama has made great strides in the past 18 months, with producers observing that commissioners are taking more risks to attract and keep audiences. While this strategy has started trickling down to public broadcasters, pay-TV giant Canal+ has been blazing a trail with ambitious scripted shows for some time.

From sweeping period series such as Marie Antoinette (see page 23) to gangster drug thriller ZeroZeroZero, and reboots of 1960s spaghetti western Django and sci-fi dystopia The War Of The Worlds, the Vivendi-owned firm is exploring the full breadth of high-end drama.

One of its latest ‘création originales’, multi-language Infiniti, is possibly its most ambitious yet. Set between the plains of Kazakhstan and outer space, the Russian-, French- and English-language drama aims to weave together a sci-fi crime thriller with political intrigue and a love story, against the backdrop of the current global space race.

The International Space Station (ISS) has gone silent, indicating that the crew is in distress. In Kazakhstan, cop Isaak Turgun discovers a decapitated body covered in wax. The victim is confirmed by DNA as American astronaut and ISS crew member Anthony Kurz. However, simultaneously, French astronaut Anna Zarathi, who has been in a relationship with Kurz, is convinced he is calling her for help from the ISS.

As Isaak and Anna team up, their unofficial investigations uncover an unbelievable possibility that Kurz may be in both places at the same time.

Infiniti is co-produced by Federation Entertainment’s Belgium arm and Paris-based Empreinte Digitale, which has produced Netflix horror Marianne, sci-fi space drama Missions and upcoming Disney+ sci-fi mystery original Parallèles.

Thierry Poiraud, who directed Netflix’s Black Spot, is helming the series and is part of the writing team with Les Ombres Rouges’ Stéphane Pannetier and Julien Vanlerenberghe.

Beatriz Campos, senior vicepresident of global sales and production financing at StudioCanal, says the distributor was taken by the “uniqueness and originality” of the plot, and dismisses suggestions that the sci-fi setting might put off mainstream buyers.

“The main focus, and what will keep viewers hooked, is the thriller and crime part of the narrative,” she says. “The sci-fi elements are there only to support a story that has never been portrayed before. The chemistry between the main protagonists and the extraordinary landscapes are reminiscent of earlier successful series like True Detective.”

Campos also points to Infiniti’s outlier status compared with some of StudioCanal’s other high-profile titles (Ridley Road, ZeroZeroZero, Finding Alice) as an indicator of the distributor’s creative-led approach.

“They are all completely different. This diversity has always been StudioCanal’s aim - to find stories that are being told in a different way; plots that have never been explored from a particular point of view,” she adds.

“Infiniti is one of the best scripts we have been lucky enough to read – the writing is just phenomenal. The combination of such a strong story with the talent attached meant it was a no-brainer that this series would sit very well in our line-up.”

Hot Picks

All Those Things We Never Said

Type: Drama
Length: 10 x 30 minutes
Producer: StudioCanal
Broadcaster: Canal+ (France), StarzPlay (UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Benelux and LatAm)

‘The combination of smart dialogue and a stunning backdrop makes the series very engaging’

French-language drama All Those Things We Never Said is based on a best-selling novel by Marc Levy. Played out across two timelines and set in Paris, Bruges, Berlin and Madrid, it is a comedy drama combining family dynamics with a quirky sci-fi twist.

Beatriz Campos, senior vice-president of global sales and production financing, TV Series at StudioCanal, says it centres on “a father and daughter who have not spoken for many years and get to discover each other again in a road trip across Europe. The series touches on universal themes such as fatherhood and the search for love. As it evolves it transforms from a father-daughter reunion into a rom-com as first loves reunite.”

The sci-fi twist triggers just before the daughter Julia is about to get married, when she learns her father Michel has died. Julia is forced to switch her wedding dress for mourning attire – but then discovers, a day after his funeral, that her father has one last surprise in store.

A wooden crate is delivered to her home containing a life-size android that is a carbon copy of her father. The android explains that he contains the memory of her father and has a battery life of seven days.

The android convinces Julia to go on the road trip – but along the way it turns into something else: a quest to find Julia’s first love, Tomas, who she thought was killed on assignment many years previously.

Interspersed with the modern-day road trip are flashback sequences, says Campos. “These occur in the featured cities and include events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall. This dual aspect, contrasting the modern with the retro, adds tempo and tension to the storyline.”

Levy adapted his book with co-writer Miguel Courtois (El Lobo) who also directs. The cast is led by acclaimed talents Jean Reno (Leon) and Alexandra Maria Lara (The Reader, Rush).

“With these credentials, we knew that there was a real opportunity to create a dynamic, fresh series which would have strong, global appeal across demographics,” Campos adds. “The combination of smart dialogue and a stunning backdrop makes the series very engaging.”

Covid-19 presented some challenges in terms of production, says Campos. “Travelling from country to country to shoot iconic scenes in Paris, Bruges, Berlin and Madrid was not easy. However, the creative team was passionate about the project. They delivered amazing performances and a fresh, modern look for these cities.”

The fact it is a StudioCanal/StarzPlay copro for Canal+ Group and StarzPlay proves the versatility of the series, says Campos: “Having Starzplay on board proves it is an excellent series for a digital platform and for binge-watching,” she says.

“At the same time, the involvement of Canal+ linear channels and digital platform MyCanal is a statement that this series will find a place on a variety of platforms and broadcasters. I think it will appeal to a wide audience which is looking to escape the current reality and get immersed in beautiful stories.”

Outside of the Starzplay territories (UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Benelux and LatAm), Campos believes Levy’s reputation will help StudioCanal with distribution.

“He is such a well-known author in territories such as the US, Russia and Asia, especially Vietnam and China. His huge fanbase, combined with the international cast, will be key for us to introduce the project in markets like Canada and CEE. StudioCanal also has a great track record selling European stories into Australia.”

Finding Alice

Type: Drama
Length: 7 x 60-minutes
Producer: Red Production Company
Broadcaster: ITV (UK)

During the opening months of 2021, UK broadcasters, particularly ITV, have gone big on crime and detective dramas, particularly series drawn from real events. In Finding Alice, ITV travels a different path, with the dark comedy family drama exploring myriad themes – many of which have been felt during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Keeley Hawes stars in the title role as a mother and wife who is supposed to be enjoying the adventure of moving into her new house. When she finds her husband Harry dead at the bottom of the stairs, Alice must negotiate not only the feelings of loss and abandonment, but also her new smart home, designed by Harry. Alongside unscheduled and often unwelcome visits from Harry’s parents and a lack of support from her own, Alice also quickly discovers Harry’s business debt wasn’t the only secret he had been keeping from her.

Written and directed by The Durrells duo Simon Nye and Roger Goldby, Hawes leads a star-studded cast including Joanna Lumley, Gemma Collins, Nigel Havers and Kenneth Cranham, the series has strong drama credentials.

Produced by Red in association with Bright Pictures TV, Buddy Club Productions and Genial Productions, the drama averaged 5m viewers an episode after seven-day consolidation across its recent six-part run on ITV, with overnight audiences averaging over 3m. Its opening episode consolidated to 8.2m, making Finding Alice one of the biggest drama launches of 2021.

“This lighter content is what people are looking for at the moment,” says Francoise Guyonnet, executive managing director of TV series at Studiocanal. “It is a darkly comic, very intimate series, with a strong narrative and universal themes like grief, life, love. It can and has resonated with large audiences.”

The series was recently re-commissioned for a second run by ITV, with Red producing and Doole exec producing alongside Shindler, Goldby, Nye and Hawes.

Guyonnet says the drama can fit on the “global players” but will also be sold with a “territory-by-territory” approach, given its PSB credentials. International sales are close to being announced.

“It’s what the Brits can do best but with a very universal appeal. It’s a story which can happen everywhere in the world,” she adds.

Paris-based Studiocanal, the producer-distributor of media giant Canal+ Group has a strong European ethos to complement its French origins.

Sporting a library of over 5,000 titles spanning more than 1,000 hours of current and library content, Studiocanal also creates 200 hours of TV series per year via its group of in-house producers which include ownership of high-profile indies such as the UK’s Red Production Company and Munich-based Tandem Productions, and stakes in UK indies Urban Myth Films and Benedict Cumberbatch’s SunnyMarch TV, and Spain’s Bambú Producciones.

Francoise Guyonnet, executive managing director of TV series, says Studiocanal is “trying to create more and more within the group” – citing the advantage of having broadcaster Canal+ within the umbrella structure. However, this does not preclude Studiocanal from working with external outfits to help feed its pipeline.

“Most of the Canal+ Créations originales [original series] are made by independent French producers,” she says. “Not everything is coming from our production companies.”

Despite the constraints placed on production during 2020, Guyonnet adds that Studiocanal did not “decrease our investment” in projects, and strove to “keep productions going, invest in talent and keep on making European content”.

“Distribution is a year-round business, with pre-sales and production financing happening continuously,” she says. “The pandemic has not stopped the greenlights, it’s just the [uncertainty] around shooting and filming. Of course, this has had a huge impact in 2020.”

It culminated in Studiocanal launching 12 series from nine different territories at Mipcom last October, including period crime drama Paris Police 1900 (ITV Studios-owned Tetra Media) and thrillers Shawdowplay (Tandem and Bron Studios for Viaplay) and Possessions (A Haut et Court TV and Quiddity) – which has been picked up by US global streamer HBO Max.

Drugs and crime-themed création originale ZeroZeroZero, from Gomorrah producer Cattleya and based on the book by Roberto Saviano, has recently made its bow on Sky Italia and Canal+, and airs on Sky Atlantic in the UK. Studiocanal has recently announced a further collaboration with the ZeroZeroZero partners for a reboot of classic western Django.

With premium content from Studiocanal’s in-house partners travelling to international broadcasters and platforms, Guyonnet has earmarked collaboration, co-production and internationalising of individual labels’ slates as a key strategy for her company. And the reason isn’t solely financial, despite the inexorable increase of high-end drama budgets.

“Studiocanal is a hub for European talent,” she says. “There are local productions – pure French, pure Spanish, pure British – which are amazing. But if you want to tell bigger stories, you need some co-pro partners.

“We want to produce content that can travel internationally. Bambú is working with Netflix, Starz and Amazon, they’re all global players. We want to explore co-pros with French-UK or Spain-UK producers.”

A recent example is Urban Myth’s adaptation of War of the Worlds, co-commissioned by Canal+ and Fox and travelled to US with premium cable channel Epix. Years & Years, Russell T Davies’ BBC/HBO near future, dystopian family drama was another which travelled globally for Studiocanal.

Internationalising the outlook of its in-house producers is part of the reason Studiocanal picked former Fremantle global drama chief Sarah Doole to replace Nicola Shindler as chief exec of Years & Years producer Red.

The Manchester-based indie, which is behind ITV’s recent ratings hit Finding Alice, had a big hole to fill following Shindler’s departure and Doole’s appointment was a major statement. Besides her north of England roots which would help maintain the “northern DNA” that is so crucial to Red, Guyonnet says her background would help expand the producer’s global mind-set.

“We can put Red [with] another label if we [want to] go internationally with [a Red project],” she says. Red is producing English-language content, and it’s a real opportunity to reach an international audience.”

Guyonnet is also enthused by the evolution of scripted programming which has accelerated in the last year or so as audiences’ viewing habits and interests grew more sophisticated. Studiocanal has been investing in “shorter-format” content, ranging from 10-minutes to half-hour dramas, besides other media such as podcasts.

Mixing genres has also proved popular with audiences, as Paris Police 1900 and fresh project Django attest. The latter, an update of Sergio Corbucci’s classic 60s feature, will explore complex narratives with strong female and diverse characters.

“Audiences want to escape but trust the talent and creatives to give them thought-provoking content,” Guyonnet says. “Inclusion is everywhere in storytelling at the moment, because people want to discuss it. Drama is a good way to discuss strong subjects.”

Contact

Address:
4 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG

Phone number:
020 7534 2700

Email
info@studiocanal.co.uk
beatriz.campos@studiocanaltv.com

Website
studiocanal.com