Banijay adds domestic abuse formats

Love You to Death will debut on Sweden’s SVT

European production giant Banijay has acquired a pair of formats that focus on domestic abuse.

Crimes of Passion comes from Italian prodco La Bastoggi, while forthcoming series Love You to Death is produced by Swedish outfit Jarowskij.

The two formats look to raise awareness of domestic abuse suffered by women around the world, putting the focus on the victim rather than the perpetrator.

Crimes of Passion has been airing in Italy since 2007 and has also been shown on Telecinco in Spain. Each 120-minute episode centres on a particular case, blending documentary footage with dramatic reconstructions.

Love You to Death (6×30’), meanwhile, is set to air on Swedish public broadcaster SVT. The show places emphasis on the different kinds of domestic abuse and focuses on survivors, using reconstructions and recollections of events.

Carlotta Rossi Spencer, head of format acquisitions at Banijay, said: “These formats shed light on an incredibly serious topic. We hope both formats will prove valuable options for clients looking to raise awareness.”

Distribution arm Banijay Rights is now shopping the formats internationally.