Global Agency unveils A Mother’s Oath in Venice, talks up a new era of Turkish drama

L-R: Salih Bademci, Özge Özpirinçci and Izzet Pinto at the presentation in Venice

MIPCOM: New drama A Mother’s Oath is an example of the evolution of quality and narrative in Turkish fiction, according to Izzet Pinto, CEO of the series’ distributor, Global Agency.

Produced by Gold Yapım for its upcoming broadcast on Turkish broadcaster Now (formerly Fox) under the local title Sakıncalı, A Mother’s Oath was presented today to a select group of international buyers from more than 30 countries at a private event in Venice, Italy.

“Fiction is not just something we watch and enjoy. It is very important for Turkey because it is a form of soft power. We export our culture and share it with more than 100 countries. So, I am very proud to be part of this industry,” said Pinto.

The series follows a woman who, after discovering that her husband’s business is covering up a drug trafficking network and losing her son, rebels against the system. Divorced and in charge of the company, she forms a group of female vigilantes to fight corruption.

It stars renowned Turkish actors Özge Özpirinçci and Salih Bademci, who were present at the Venice event.

“The world is so corrupt today with politics, drugs, the internet… But there are people who manage to free themselves from all that and find their own way,” said Özpirinçci about her role. Her credits include series such as Woman and I Am Mother.

In conversation with C21’s Spanish-language sister publication Cveintiuno from Venice, Pinto revealed that the series will have at least 40 commercial hours and, “if all goes well, up to 100”. According to the executive, A Mother’s Oath reflects the increasing sophistication in Turkish fiction.

“If we look at Turkish dramas from five or 10 years ago, they were very soap opera-style. High-quality soap operas. Now we are mixing that with the quality of digital content,” he said. “You can see a change, and it was necessary. The whole world needs more dynamic dramas.”

The Global Agency boss also said he was confident that Italy could be the first market to acquire A Mother’s Oath” due to the popularity of the actors there.

Regarding Latin America, Pinto said the drama would “work perfectly,” but pointed out: “Generally, the buyers in the region prefer to wait until several episodes are ready and then buy. So, we’ll need some time to build up stock and then move forward with Latin America.”

Global Agency brought international buyers from around the world from Cannes to Venice, including executives from Telefe in Argentina, Caracol in Colombia, Telemundo and Albavisión in the US Hispanic market, TVN in Panama and Globo in Brazil.

“I had this idea five years ago. We had already done big launches in Monaco, Saint-Tropez, Nice and Cannes, and Venice came to mind as the next destination, but it was too big an idea, so it took me a while to realise it,” said Pinto. “The next one could be Barcelona. And then, hopefully, Mars.”