Last week, the international film and television exhibition Telefilm Vietnam ended, in which more than 30 Russian companies producing films, series and animation took part. International content buyers from Vietnam, India, Thailand, China, Malaysia and other Asian countries showed active interest in Russian animation, for which a number of contracts were concluded, and documentaries. Russian companies also noted the demand for sci-fi films, comedy and action-detective series and action movies. Asian content buyers were also interested in buying format rights to Russian TV series.
The participation of the Russian industry under the Russian Content Worldwide (RCW) brand was organized by ROSKINO (Russian film promotion body) with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
ROSKINO CEO Inna Shalyto said, “Participation in Telefilm Vietnam allowed us to take a closer look at the film and TV industry in Vietnam and establish contacts with buyers from other Asian countries which traditionally visit this exhibition (India, China, Thailand and others). Russian animation has always been especially loved in Asian countries—which has been obvious once again. It is clear that this segment has great potential. In 2021, 120 hours of animated content were produced in Russia, including 200 series and 70 feature films, and we can offer projects for different ages, including educational content. We have also seen significant interest in documentaries on a variety of topics—history, science, and ecology—and in series that are ready as finished products or as a format. We will continue to study the Asian market and offer Russian projects in the region—in 2022 we are considering a number of Asian content markets for participation.”
ANIMATION
Russian animation producers presented over 30 projects, in which Asian content buyers showed great interest.
The animated film My Sweet Monster by CTB Film Company was sold to Yeijilim (Vietnam), negotiations are also underway with the OTT platform FPT (Vietnam) to acquire the rights to the animated series Moonzy.
SMF Animation held negotiations with Vietnamese pay TV channels and OTT platforms, which were especially interested in projects for preschool audiences (Monsikids, The Secrets of Honey Hills, and Mr. Theo, Cat and Dog). A number of package deals with local players for new SMF Animation series are being finalized. These will be announced in the near future.
Wizart Animation held about 30 meetings with potential buyers and co-production partners from Vietnam, Thailand, India and South Korea. Companies from the region showed great interest in Wizart Animation’s projects and in cooperation in the segment of visual effects. With the coronavirus restrictions completely lifted in cinemas in Vietnam, there is a strong demand for new projects for film distribution. TV channels and local VOD platforms also expressed interest in Wizart’s content. After the successful debut of The Snow Queen: Mirrorlands at the largest cinema chain in Vietnam, negotiations with partners continued on new projects.
For Riki Group, which presented the projects Finnick, The Fixies, BabyRiki, Beardy Bodo and Tina and Tony, the main goal of participation in Telefilm Vietnam was to study audience needs and establish contacts. The company’s projects have already been launched in this direction. In the spring of this year, the animated series KikoRiki, BabyRiki, and PinCode began to be broadcast on FPT Play, which is part of the largest telecommunications company—FPT Group.
Parovoz Animation Studio noted that Telefilm Vietnam made it possible to meet possible partners for various forms of cooperation in the region, including co-production. The company held meetings with various platforms and production studios (iQiyi, Tencent, Youku, WarnerMedia, Turner Asia region, and others).
FILMS AND SERIES
Art Pictures Distribution closed the deal regarding the sale of the sci-fi film Reversible Reality to India and UAE. The company also held meetings with companies from Vietnam, India, and Thailand — TV channels, VOD platforms, and Youtube channels—regarding the possible sale of the thrillers Sergeant and Varyag, the comedy series Ivanovs vs Ivanovs and Brothers, and the dramas The Dolls and Happy End. Asian buyers were mostly interested in comedy series, action films, and the premiere projects of Art Pictures Distribution.
According to the company, representatives of China and India showed the greatest interest in feature films.
START streaming service presented some of its most successful and top watched projects, a detective investigation drama ‘The Vampires of Midland’, season 2 currently in production; a mystery thriller ‘Passengers. The Last Love on Earth’; a final season of a highly acclaimed drama comedy ‘Ms Sweet’; and a sci-fi drama ‘The No Man Zone’ — START best launch of 2022. START has held meetings with buyers from various regions, namely Vietnam, South Korea, China, Singapore, Philippines, UAE, Japan and other countries and its participants presented at the market. ‘The No Man Zone’ in particular was highlighted by the local players as this series stood out the most by its engaging story and setting. Also, the streamer is now in negotiations for the format deals to its scripted drama hits Passengers and Ms Sweet in various regions.
Sovtelexport, the official content distributor of the Russia Television and Radio, presented their new adventure drama Elizaveta, the series The Stenographer, the feature film Elsa’s Land, the documentaries The Highest Point and Yamal Nature Reserve. Content licensing negotiations are currently underway with distributors from Vietnam and India.
Odin Media noted that the most popular among buyers from China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand were the documentary film The Great North Way and the series Combat Approved. Offers were received from the Chinese channel CCTV and the Vietnamese channel Cai Chang. Great interest was shown by South Korea in three military-historical series: “Vlasik. The shadow of Stalin”,” Zhukov”, and “The Hunt for Beria”. Negotiations are continuing on the sale to India and Malaysia of the international documentary project Invisible Hope, dedicated to environmental issues. Discussions are underway to sell The Deepest Cave on Earth, a documentary about the discovery of the world’s deepest cave, to Japan and Thailand.
TV Channel Five presented its action-packed detectives A Suspended Cop, The Fabulous Five, Detective Owl, Die Hards and 48 hours. Negotiations began on the sale of the Die Hards series to India, and buyers from China and South Korea were interested in Suspended Cop and The Fabulous Five.
