HBO Among Buyers of Beta Film’s Hot Central Eastern European Slate Led by ‘Soviet Jeans,’ ‘Operation Sabre’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Ahead of Cannes Mipcom confab, Beta Film has closed a string of major deals on six premium series from Central Eastern Europe, a proof of the region’s fast transformation into a prime destination for multi-territory players such as HBO, Canal+ and Walter Presents, hungry for culturally-specific stories with global potential. Five of the shows come with a raft of prestigious accolades.
Case in point is the Serbian “Operation Sabre,“ winner of a Special Interpretation Award at Canneseries and Best CEE Drama at the recent Czech Serial Killer Festival, snapped up by HBO for the CEE region and Filmin for Spain and Portugal.
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“We are extremely happy and grateful to have Beta Film on board as they are doing an amazing work with sales,“ said producer Sne?ana van Houwelingen of This and That Productions who also looks forward to the Serbian premiere on the local pubcaster RTS on Nov. 2. “The opinion of our local viewers is incredibly important to us, as that guided us the most while creating the series,“ she told Variety.
The next festival stop for the Serbian thriller created and helmed by Goran Stankovi? will be the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival’s TV industry showcase TV Beats Forum.
Beta Film’s other coveted series from CEE, the Latvian dramedy “Soviet Jeans“ produced by Tasse Film, is due to travel to more than 20 territories following sales to Walter Presents for North America, the U.K. and Ireland, to HBO for the CEE region, Arte for Germany and France, as well as Filmin for Spain and Portugal.
The story of a rebellious young U.S. rock fan who sets up a counterfeit jeans production in a mental asylum in 1979 Latvia, scooped an audience prize at Series Mania on top of best series, script and actor at Latvia’s National Film Awards, before launching this spring on the Baltic streamer Go3.
Two Sarajevo winning-series by acclaimed Bosnian auteurs secured distribution deals in key territories. The crime drama “I Know Your Soul“ by the Oscar-nominated Jasmila ?bani? (“Quo Vadis, Aida?”) was bought by Arte for Germany and France, and HBO for CEE, while the crime thriller “The Hollow“ helmed by Oscar-winning Danis Tanovic (“No Man’s Land“) is heading off to Australia via pubcaster SBS. The shows were produced respectively by Deblokada and SCCA/pro.ba for BH Telecom.
Meanwhile the Ukrainian war drama “In Her Car,“ sold earlier to Japan, Latvia, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, secured fresh deals with RTE for Ireland and Canal+ for Austria, Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands and Romania.
The show was produced by Starlight Media and Gaumont in co-production with ZDFneo, France Televisions, SRF, in association with Dreaming Sheep Company, Nordic pubcasters SVT, DR, NRK, RúV and Yle.
Aslo, the Czech thriller “Ultimatum“ produced by Czech Television, KFS Production and TV JOJ, was snapped by Walter Presents for the U.K. and Ireland.
Commenting on Beta Film’s thriving business with series from CEE, Veronika Kovacova, EVP International Sales & Acquisitions, Eastern Europe, Asia, Turkey and Middle East said: “There is now a greater range of productions from the CEE region, not only in terms of quantity, but above all in terms of quality.
Buyers want high-end drama, and the rise in production quality shifted the focus of international clients and global players on the region. We have been active in CEE for many years and have built extensive partnerships, which sets us up with a great slate of productions that have travelled all around the globe, like “The Silence“, “Maria Theresa“, and “The Pleasure Principle,“ to name a few projects apart from the ones mentioned above.”
Besides those titles, the Munich-based leading indie distributor Beta Film will be bringing to Mipcom a large slate of scripted content for all ages, led by the epic “Rise of the Raven,” due to world premiere in the Grand Auditorium Oct. 22.
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