MIPCOM | Amazon grabs Marguerite Volant and Our Summers

Several Quebec series did well this week at MIPCOM in Cannes. And not just the latest ones. Amazon has even taken over Marguerite Flying.

Marc-Andre Lemieux
The Press

Broadcast in 1996 on Radio-Canada, the historical miniseries with Catherine Sénart, which paints the portrait of an intrepid young woman in New France, found takers at Prime Video. Amazon’s platform also bought Our summersthis period drama by authors Anne Boyer and Michel D’Astous that TVA broadcast from 2005 to 2008, confirms Richard Speer, president of Attraction, the box responsible for distributing these titles.

Concluded at the largest international TV content market in the world, which ended Thursday, these sales come after the landing on Netflix of series like Caleb’s daughters, For Sara and Trauma.

As for more recent productions that have aroused interest at MIPCOM, let us point out seem to go of Télé-Québec, which has carved out a place for itself on the list of world dramas to watch. The announcement was made at the Palais des Festivals by Virginia Mouseler, president of the design office The Wit, responsible for analyzing trends. Written by Jean-Christophe Réhel and directed by Sarah Pellerin, seem to go will air in March. This Urbania production with Catherine St-Laurent, Olivier Pilon, Joakim Robillard and Noémie Leduc-Vaudry tells the story of four friends with cystic fibrosis who find the urgency to live when they learn that one of their own could soon die.

“It’s a prestigious pre-selection that allows us to win the attention of buyers,” comments Encore’s head of international distribution, Chrystine Girard. It’s like a seal of approval. »

seem to go joins a growing list of Quebec series that have fallen into the eye of the Wit, such as Runaway and Plan B. The latter then enjoyed a successful career abroad.

Promising start for Zenith

Outraged seem to go, other productions from here have had promising debuts at MIPCOM without having yet made their official debut on the air. Among them are noted Zenith, Véronique Cloutier’s new show that ICI Télé will present in January. The musical competition, in which singers known to seduce an audience of 100 people from four generations will compete each week, is generating a lot of interest, says Louis-Philippe Drolet, producer-shareholder at KOTV, the box behind this new format. .

“The show doesn’t exist yet, but we’re going out of here with signed options. Four big distributors are really interested. »

For some years, the television world has been actively searching for the next successful musical competition, which can replace The voice (The Voice), losing momentum in several markets. At KOTV, we obviously hope that Zenith will succeed in filling this void. A pilot will be filmed in December.

Somewhere else, The flaw continues to conquer new territories, such as France, Spain, the United States and Australia, and For you Flora picked up an award at the MIPCOM Diversify TV Awards, which celebrates diversity on the small screen.

Sonia Bonspille Boileau’s miniseries, which tackles the horror of residential schools for Indigenous people, topped a category titled Representation of Race and Ethnicity. Audrey came back was also a finalist at the gala.

Six months after being the subject of a special screening at MIPTV, MIPCOM’s sister event, wildlife handbook found an international distributor. Directed by Christian Laurence, the adaptation of the novel by author Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard, which Séries+ broadcast in the spring, will be represented by Wild Bunch TV.

“They liked its young, modern and current side,” explains Louis-Philippe Drolet, of the six-episode drama, which plunges into the ruthless universe of a start-up company (start-up) which is developing an application to talk to dead people by gathering the digital traces (text messages, publications on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) that they left behind when they were alive.

Quebec on the rise

After two editions in times of pandemic, MIPCOM regained its colors this week. According to its organizers, the 38^e market attracted 10,896 television industry professionals (producers, broadcasters, distributors) from 96 countries.

Reached by telephone, the president and CEO of SODEC, Louise Lantagne, speaks of a “return to normal”. “It was packed. It was extremely abundant. »

Quebec producers also flocked. SODEC has also broken a record: 40 companies have registered under its umbrella. “We really feel the international deployment, says Louise Lantagne. Quebec is becoming very visible. People are interested. »

According to Richard Speer, the Belle Province benefits from a favorable wind. “There is enthusiasm for what we do, a bit like the Scandinavian countries a few years ago. It bodes well. »