News round-up: Cineflix to shop ‘In Memoriam’; DCD sells into Oz & NZ; ‘The Write Offs’ heads to Télé-Québec

In Memoriam (Source: Cineflix Rights)

Cineflix to shop ‘In Memoriam’

Cineflix Rights has picked up French-language drama series In Memoriam for global distribution.

The 8 x 60-minute psychological thriller is being produced by Passez-Go and Bell Media in association with C3 Media for Bell Media’s Crave network.

In Memoriam tells the story of Julien, Judith, Mathieu and Lucile, siblings who have felt like orphans for as long as they can remember. Their mother Mathilde took her own life when they were all still young – and each one in turn then broke off contact with their incredibly wealthy father Paul-Émile, believing him to be at the root of the tragedy.

Following the death of their father, the children, their spouses, and a mysterious total stranger are all invited to the reading of his will. To their shock, they learn that none of them are due to inherit as much as one cent. Their only hope of getting their hands on his fortune is to take part in a series of challenges he has contrived to determine which one of his children might win his inheritance.

James Durie, head of scripted, Cineflix Rights said: “In Memoriam is a gripping psychological thriller, unpicking complex and deep-rooted family dynamics with an increasingly sinister competition which forces rival siblings to battle each other to inherit untold wealth. In doing so, the series hits a lot of the content beats global buyers are looking for, echoing similar themes explored in some of the biggest drama hits of the past few years.”

The Travelling Auctioneers (Source: DCD Rights)

DCD sells into Oz & NZ

UK-based distributor DCD Rights has sold 300 hours of premium programming across both scripted and unscripted genres to Australia and New Zealand broadcasters and streamers.

Australian broadcaster Nine Network has picked up the second series of The Travelling Auctioneers, while the Australian Foxtel Group has acquired more than 160 hours of programming including, among others, James Martin’s Spanish Adventure, Emergency: First Time Medics, Penn & Teller: Fool Us series 7 and Bridezillas series 13.

Australian free-to-air channel SBS has meanwhile secured the first window for Prue Leith: My Cotswold Kitchen, to run on SBS Food, and Foxtel will take the second window.

Acorn TV, which streams British programming throughout Australia and New Zealand, has bought 59 hours of Scottish detective drama Taggart, specifically series 10-18 and 23-27; with national broadcaster TVNZ acquiring non-fiction titles Secret Nazi Bases series 3, Secrets Of The London Underground Series 2 and 3 and The Travelling Auctioneers series 2.

The Write Offs (Source: Banijay Rights)

‘The Write Offs’ heads to Télé-Québec

French-Canadian broadcaster Télé-Québec has commissioned a local of fact-ent Banijay format The Write Offs.

The new 4 x 40-minute adaptation will be titled L’Épreuve des Mots and is being produced by Montreal-based Sphere Media Productions for a primetime launch later this month.

This marks the fifth adaptation of the format, which was originally created by Shine TV for Channel 4 in the UK.

The Write Offs helps a diverse group of adults, who can’t read or write, to master basic literacy skills necessary for everyday situations.

The French-Canadian version will be hosted by Patricia Paquin whose own 13 year-old suffers from learning disorders; and features a cast of five contributors who all have primary school literacy and must complete a 16 week course.

Following the Channel 4 version, The Write Offs has also been adapted in Australia, with two seasons on SBS, as well as in Denmark on DR and Germany on ZDF.