A/Two shows represented by distributorNewen Connect has/have beaten stiff competition to take key honours at last night’s 21st Unifrance Export Awards, which honour th emost successful local series to travel internationally. Its one-off film Russia: Indoctrination of a Nation picked up the Award for the documentary category, while art heist series Cat’s Eyes took the top prize in the scripted category.
Rodolphe Buet, CEO, Newen Connect/Leona Connell, CCO Newen Connect said: “We are incredibly proud of tonight’s award(s), which is a testament to the quality of this/these programme(s) as well as the outstanding work undertaken by Newen Connect team in identifying strong IP and its ability to travel internationlly.”
Produced by Alexandra Jousset at Newen Studio Group’s CAPA, and directed by Ksenia Bolchakova and Veronika Dolman, France Télévisions’ Russia: Indoctrination of a Nation uses the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the narrative told by Russia to position its action as a ‘special operation’ to ‘denazify’ its former sister nation as a means of examining how the State controls its citizens. The film offers an unprecedented journey into the heart of a brainwashed, intimidated society, and an in-depth investigation into the inner workings of Russia’s repressive machine.
Based on the work of Tsukasa Hojo, Cat’s Eyes follows three estranged sisters – Alexia, Tam, and Sylia – who reunite and decide to risk everything to steal a work of art belonging to their father, who disappeared twelve years earlier in a mysterious fire at his art gallery, in the hope of finally understanding what happened to him. Starring Camille Lou, Contance Labbé, and Claire Romain, the series was Created by Michel Catz, who has also written the series alongside Justine Kim-Gautier, Antonin Martin-Hilbert, Anne-Charlotte Kassab, Coline Dussaud and Audrey Gagneux. It has been produced by Benjamin Dupont Jubien and Mehdi Sabbar at Big Band Story for TF1 in association with Prime Video and directed by Alexandre Laurent. ZDF Mediathek is co-producer.
Last night’s Unifrance Export Awards took place at the Trianon in Paris as part of the French Television Producer Awards.