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Tag: Fontaram

  • FremantleMedia acquires French scripted producer Kwai

    FremantleMedia acquires French scripted producer Kwai

    MUMBAI: FremantleMedia has acquired a majority stake in French scripted producer Kwai. The Paris-based fiction company specialises in TV films and series and is headed up by writer and producer Thomas Bourguignon, creator of Femmes de Loi, the popular French detective series that ran from 2000-2009.

     

    Together with the recent acquisition of Fontaram, the deal gives FremantleMedia more scripted prowess in France and adds another prominent creative talent to its global network. Bourguignon has extensive experience and success in France and has the ambition to produce series that appeal beyond the French borders.

     

    The deal was brokered by FremantleMedia France CEO Monica Galer, who will also be the CEO of Kwai.

     

    Galer said, “Thomas Bourguignon is a brilliant writer and producer and we look forward to creating some really exciting scripted projects with him, in France and beyond.”

     

    Kwai has recently delivered two TV films, Un Fils and Meurtre a Carcassonne, as well as pilot Le Zebre, all on air earlier this year. Upcoming series include Republican Gangsters for Canal+ and Godzilla for Arte.

     

    Prior to founding Kwai, Bourguigon was a film critic for Positif as well as a member of Gilles Jacob’s selection committee for the Cannes Film Festival for five years. He also worked as a TV program counsellor for M6; then joined Alizés Films where he created and produced the series Femmes de Loi. In 2002, Bourguignon set up BB Films with Patrick Benedek. Together, they produced many series for various French TV channels.

     

    This is the latest in a number of acquisitions and creative talent partnerships by FremantleMedia including Corona, Wildside, Fontaram, Naked Entertainment, No Pictures Please and Skylark.

  • FremantleMedia acquires 51% stake in Fontaram

    FremantleMedia acquires 51% stake in Fontaram

    MUMBAI: FremantleMedia has acquired a majority stake in Fontaram, the newly formed French scripted company from well known French producer-writer partners François Aramburu and Pascal Fontanille.

     

    FremantleMedia will have a 51 per cent holding with the opportunity to buy the remaining shareholding in the future.

     

    The acquisition is part of FremantleMedia’s drive to expand its scripted presence globally and follows its recent purchase of Wildside, an Italian TV and feature film company. The deal was brokered by FremantleMedia France CEO Monica Galer, who will have a seat on the board of the new company. 

     

    Galer said, “François and Pascale are incredibly talented drama producers with a wealth of experience and long standing relationships with all of the major French broadcasters. This is an important deal for FremantleMedia as we establish our scripted presence in France and I look forward to a successful creative partnership with the duo.”

     

    Aramburu and Fontanille added, “In creating Fontaram and partnering with FremantleMedia, we are giving our new production company the best possible foundation to grow while also fulfilling our creative ambition. Joining an international group to produce French drama and international co-production both broadens our opportunities and allows us to develop new content, within an environment that is constantly changing.”

     

    Prior to forming Fontaram, Aramburu and Fontanille founded Merlin Productions in 2000. The producers are best known for popular drama such as Clem (TF1) with Victoria Abril and Lucie Lucas, the most successful drama in France in 2010. Other recent successes include On se retrouvera (TF1), Meurtres au Pays Basque and Meurtres ? Guérande (France 3).