Asian markets show interest in remaking Russian TV series

Russian film and animation companies have participated at Broadcast Worldwide 2022 with very positive results. They noted an increase in requests from international buyers for format rights, as an increasing number of remakes are being filmed abroad. In total, more than 160 projects from 34 Russian companies were presented and representatives of South Korea, China, India, and Malaysia were the most interested in Russian projects.

Inna Shalyto, CEO of ROSKINO: “This is not the first time that the Russian companies have noted the trend to purchase formats and adapt content—partners at the UAE and Vietnam markets were also interested in format rights. The interest in Russian projects suggests that more and more universal stories are appearing in our film industry. These stories can be adapted to the realities of other cultures, and thus have great international potential. At the recent markets in the Middle East, Vietnam, and South Korea, we have seen keen interest from buyers in India, as well as Japan, which is important in the context of our 2022 plan to continue dialogue with buyers at the markets in this region. We are now actively exploring participation in one of the Japanese content markets and the Indian FILM BAZAAR.”

FILMS AND SERIES
Sovtelexport, the official content distributor of Russia Television and Radio, noted the interest of representatives of China, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Spain and Indonesia in the new historical drama series "Elizaveta". The possibility of selling the rights to the family saga "The Stenographer" and the documentary "The Highest Point" to Spain is also being discussed. An Indonesian broadcaster is considering purchasing documentaries from the holding's catalogue: "The Highest Point", "Homo Sperans" and others; as well as feature films: "Elsa's Land", "Kandahar", "Two Tickets Home", and "The Spy". The Japanese VOD platform plans to include historical drama "Sofia" in its catalog. A distributor from China is interested in the possibility of licensing the films "Yamal. Nature Reserve" and "The Highest Point in China".

The START online cinema noted interest from foreign buyers in crime-action dramas and in the sci-fi genre. Thus, Malaysia representatives believe that the comedy dystopia "The No Man Zone" can be successfully sold in this region. The company also emphasized the growth in requests for format rights: remakes are increasingly being filmed abroad. For example, buyers from India appreciated the START family comedies—the dramedy hit "Ms Sweet", as well as the detective dramedy about the family of vampires, "The Vampires of Midland". According to START, interest in format rights and adaptations in Asian countries testifies to the strong state of the market.

NTV Broadcasting Company presented a number of projects, including new series—the action-packed detective "Wolf Trap 2", the drama "Hitman’s Curse" and the thriller "Double Life". The company held negotiations with the global content distributor O4 Media, which is active in the markets of Asia, Latin America, and Europe; a major Chinese distributor of formats and series BlueMedia Times; and the Korean company AK Entertainment, which has shown interest in NTV war dramas.

IVIonline cinema’s representatives talked about the success of their flagship project—the series "Welcome Back!". Also popular among buyers from China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and India are IVI’s new thrillers: a joint project with the production company Sreda—the detective drama "Freeze"; and the mystical "The Boarding School", as well as an exciting series which is part thriller and part medical drama, "#13".

Odin-Media received offers from distributors from China for a number of documentaries, including "The Great North Way". The company also stressed that the historical docudrama "Kremlin: The Era of Tsars" aroused great interest from international buyers. Negotiations have also been completed for 91 episodes of the TV show "Combat Approved" to the Taiwanese channel Cai Chang International.

The Russian World Vision film catalogue attracted a Vietnamese VOD rights aggregator. The thriller "Homeward" and the horror film "Atakan" aroused interest from representatives of Japan, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. A Chinese distributor is interested in the sports drama "Eleven Silent Men", the melodrama "Velga", and the documentary film about dance culture in "Russia—Solo".

Mars Media Entertainment presented the series "The Prisoner" and "The Golden Horde", as well as the family film "A Dog Named Palma." The projects attracted the attention of buyers from Malaysia, India, Singapore, China, the UAE, and Indonesia.

Art Pictures Distribution presented the full-length sci-fi thriller "Reversible Reality", the original more.tv series "Chicks", a family comedy "Ivanovs vs Ivanovs" and the crime thriller "Varyag." The company held negotiations with representatives of China, South Korea, Turkey, India, Hong Kong, Mongolia, and Vietnam.

ANIMATION
CTB Film Company discussed the release of the cartoon "The Barkers: Mind the Cats!" in South Korea and the acquisition of the rights to the second film "The Barkers—Team" and the animated series "The Barkers" from the same cinematic universe. The purchase by Free TV for rights to the animated series "Moonzyand The Barkers for Mongolia", and the acquisition of the rights to the company's animated films in China are being considered.

SMF Animation noted that local distributors expressed great interest in the company's projects, especially the genre of pursuit comedy, such as the animated series "I’ll Get You!". In the South Korean market, SMF Animation presented "The Secrets of Honey Hills", "The Adventures of Peter and Wolf", "I’ll Get You! Holidays".

Riki Group presented the animation projects "The Fixies", "Beardy Bodo", "Tina and Tony", "Babyriki", and this year's feature film "Finnick".