Programming Profile

Anne Chérel, exec VP of global sales and distribution at STUDIOCANAL, outlines how the international market is changing, the new relationship between film and TV, and what new content the company has up its sleeve for the London Screenings.

How is the significance of the London Screenings changing in the industry calendar?
The London Screenings event presents the opportunity to deliver a ‘deep dive’ into our new content with clients old and new. We are able to show both completed series and those in progress, in a relaxed and informative way, enabling buyers to enjoy a full and immersive experience of the look and feel of the programming we have to offer. We like to get under the skin of a series, introducing talent to our buyers – and giving them the chance to discuss their material first-hand with the people who will ultimately reveal their series to viewers throughout the world.

How is the global market for drama changing, given the impact of the economy and the US strikes?
The increase in the number of ways audiences can consume content means we have to be extremely creative in the way we select, develop and sell our series. And, as the market is increasingly competitive with more and more quality content, it is becoming harder to stand out from the crowd. So, we must work harder to ensure the series we have to offer are the ones that truly inspire and appeal to viewers on a global scale. It’s all about investing our time and money in bold, innovative and original programming and working with producers who share our vision and commitment to entertain.

What new scripted shows are you launching at the London Screenings?
Paris Has Fallen is part of the Has Fallen film franchise. When a terrorist group led by the villainous Jacob Pearce attacks a high-profile event, with the French minister of defence as the target, protection officer Vincent Taleb finds himself working with MI6 operative Zara Taylor to save the day. But when events take a dark turn, Vincent and Zara soon realise that the plan extends beyond just one politician. When they suspect that one of their colleagues is feeding information to Jacob, Vincent and Zara find themselves increasingly isolated, with Jacob always one step ahead. Can this unlikely pair stop Paris from falling to a man hell-bent on vengeance?

English-language Paris Has Fallen is a high-octane action thriller based on a global box-office hit. An award-winning production and writing team, as well as Oded Ruskin and Hans Herbot as directors and Gerard Butler himself as exec producer, have created this 8×52’ series that has high franchise potential.

Families Like Ours is an epic family drama written and directed by Bafta- and Academy Award-winning director Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round). Denmark is torn apart when rising water levels threaten the entire population. Against this backdrop Laura, a high-school student in love, is on the cusp of graduation. When news of the evacuation breaks, the course of Laura and her family’s lives is changed forever.

Delivering on the enduring global appetite for compelling Scandinavian drama, Families Like Ours explores universal themes: the pain of farewells and our capacity to survive, hope and love against all odds. The series is a truly international production, filmed across five countries (Denmark, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Romania and France) with exceptionally high production values and prestige. Vinterberg directs all seven episodes.

Playing Nice is a psychological thriller adapted from the bestselling novel by British thriller author JP Delaney. Two couples discover their babies were switched at birth in a hospital mix-up and face a horrifying dilemma: do they keep the sons they have raised and loved, or reclaim their biological child? How far can each couple trust the real parents of their child – or even each other? As Pete and Maddie are stretched to breaking point, they realise they will stop at nothing to keep their family together.

Set against an epic Cornish landscape, Playing Nice is an enthralling thriller packed with suspicion, secrets and hard decisions, starring James Norton alongside a stellar UK cast and with exceptional writing talent in Grace Ofori-Attah. This drama, created in an appealing four-part format, shines the light on universally relatable themes such as the nature of parenting and how far we’d go for those we love.

Next comes The Trigger. In this timely story, a brilliant PR specialist must try to solve an explosive media scandal involving a football star, before her former best friend turned far-right leader uses it to seize power. From the makers of the critically acclaimed series Baron Noir, The Trigger is a thought-provoking drama that reflects on politics in the age of social media. Set in two compelling arenas – crisis communications and the world of football – and with two strong female leads, The Trigger tackles contemporary issues relatable throughout the globe.

Other scripted series that are part of our London Screenings portfolio include:

• Of Money & Blood – A gripping cinematic thriller, this character-driven drama delivers outstanding performances and is freely inspired by the book D’Argent et de Sang, written by French investigative journalist Fabrice Arfi.

• The Vow S2 – Cleverly combines murder, mystery, romance and period detail. An ambitiously produced daily series created with a primetime budget and a premium look. Created by Josep Cister and produced by Bambú Producciones.

• Black Daisies – Produced by Poland’s Balapolis for Canal+ Poland, this highly original mystery thriller combines supernatural elements and a deeply emotional drama of a woman trying to save her daughter’s future by reconciling with her own past.

How is the importance of English-language drama changing for STUDIOCANAL?
English-language programming certainly travels more easily throughout the world, and we are very pleased to be increasing our line-up of English-language dramas, with new series such as Paris Has Fallen and Playing Nice.

However, one of our core missions is to offer content in local languages, and we are extremely proud to be currently selling series created in 16 languages, including English, French, Dutch, Spanish and Polish, across eight genres. Building on the international success of our non-English-language series, the producers of the hugely successful, Emmy-winning Baron Noir ¬– which has sold throughout the world – have created one of our London Screenings scripted launches, The Trigger, a Canal+ Creation Originale written by Eric Benzekri.

Plenty of film IP and talent is on your slate. How is the relationship between the two mediums changing?
We are extremely proud of our strong IP and long-lasting talent relationships. STUDIOCANAL owns the largest catalogue in Europe and one of the world’s most prestigious libraries, with more than 9,000 titles created across a century of production. We are very fortunate to have such a treasure trove of stories to explore, inspire and reimagine as new projects. STUDIOCANAL also has extremely strong licences in animation and kids’ content and, through our company Copyrights, one of the world’s best-known titles – Paddington.

The international market is certainly seeing a continued crossover of film and TV to secure wide global audience reach for series, for which STUDIOCANAL is exceptionally well placed. We’re delighted to be continuing our journey with directors, writing and acting talent and to offer high-quality programming across all formats.

We will launch Paris Has Fallen, based on Gerard Butler’s Has Fallen film franchise, at the London Screenings. Shot in Paris and London, the eight-part drama is made by War of the Worlds producer Urban Myth Films and two companies behind the film franchise: Millennium Media and Butler’s G-Base. Eclectic Pictures is also attached. Written by Urban Myth’s Howard Overman, Paris Has Fallen will air later this year on Canal+ in France; ZDF in Germany; Canal+ International in Poland and Africa; and M7 in Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

In addition, a further example is multiple award-winning (Academy, Bafta, César, Cannes and others) Danish film director Thomas Vinterberg, who has directed his first series – the epic family drama Families Like Ours. The series reunites Vinterberg, Zentropa and STUDIOCANAL which distributed the Academy Award- and Bafta-winning feature film Another Round in the UK.

Another example of our talent relationships is Bafta nominee James Norton (Happy Valley), who stars in and exec produces forthcoming four-part psychological thriller Playing Nice, commissioned by ITV.

What other genres will you be focusing on in London, such as kids and documentaries?
We are also launching some big new factual series at the London Screenings, such as:

• Lagerfeld – Karl Lagerfeld is a name and above all a figure known across the globe. He was the greatest fashion designer of his time. He became a brand and an icon, and was a personality out of the ordinary – the absolute accomplishment of a free man who spent his life reinventing himself. This docuseries is a deep dive into one world’s greatest fashion creators.

• The Wonders of Europe S2 – In this new series, which uses immersive fictional scenes and complex 3D CGI, we highlight other incredible monuments including the Eiffel Tower, the Pantheon and Florence Cathedral in Italy; and the Schönbrunn Palace in Austria. portrait of one of the greatest athletes of his generation.

• Prost – An intimate portrait of Alain Prost, the man behind the international sporting legend. Nicknamed ‘the Professor’ for his deeply analytical approach to motorsport, Prost is one of the most successful drivers in the history of Formula 1, winning four championships and 51 races. This series traces his extraordinary career, from modest childhood to F1 champion and the many struggles he faced along the way from illness and the death of his brother, to hatred from the public and his intense rivalry with Ayton Senna.

• Handball: A Family Affair – A docu-series retracing the remarkable underdog story of the French national handball team, from unruly second-rate group to one of the most awarded teams in the sport’s history. With in-depth interviews with legendary players like Jackson Richardson and Nikola Karabatic, this series provides a privileged inside look into a spectacular game.

And kids –

• How To Squoosh – Based on the successful series of comic books, HOW TO SQUOOSH allows children to get to know their fears better and to experiment with proven ways of dealing with them. The central friendship between a little girl and her monster lies at the heart of this fun environment that speaks to children’s imagination in a joyful and quirky way.

What are your company’s plans, priorities and developments for 2024?
2023 was STUDIOCANAL’s most ambitious year in terms of production. We are extremely proud of this achievement, and one of our main priorities is to continue to increase our production output throughout 2024. We will continue to invest in ambitious projects with strong global appeal, as well as diversifying the use of our library via TV sales, formats, merchandising and gaming. Accelerating our IP development, particularly the growth and strengthening of our family IP, is very important for us.

STUDIOCANAL produces almost 20 series each year and operates at an international level by globally distributing its scripted productions and Canal+ Originals, with 2,000 hours of current and library content in distribution.

All productions take place directly through STUDIOCANAL’s entities or with our award-winning network of 14 production companies in Europe and in the US. Our roster of award-winning producers continues to grow, and includes STUDIOCANAL Series, Lailaps Films, Red Production Company, Urban Myth, Bambú Producciones, STUDIOCANAL Original, 2e Bureau, SunnymarchTV, SAM Productions and Dingie. Last year, Kino Świat in Poland, Birdie Pictures and Strong Film & Television in the UK, and The Picture Company in the US joined us too.

These recent additions have reinforced STUDIOCANAL’s position as the leading European studio, and we are delighted to be working with these very talented companies that trust StudioCanal and the value of its high level of production and distribution expertise.

What will be the biggest challenges and opportunities for the TV industry in 2024?
Scale has always been essential in our industry and today it is more important than ever. Consumers today have access to so much content and, within this expansion, the market is necessarily having to recalibrate its economic models to ensure sustainability. Working with new entrants and platforms to form strong partnerships is essential and, throughout these changes, STUDIOCANAL has emerged as the most international European player with solid local roots.

We are able to experience new opportunities as part of the Canal+ family, with its expanding channel footprint throughout the world and ability to know multiple markets so well. So, by having a wide and diverse catalogue of prestige programming in many languages and produced by leading local creatives, we will continue to rise to the challenge and offer our clients the very best content to fit their needs.