CINEFLIX SIGNS THREE SERIES DEAL WITH STREAMER TOPIC

Cineflix Rights announced its decision to sign a multi-series deal with Topic. The North American streamer acquired Icelandic political thriller “The Minister” and Canadian dark comedy “Happily Married,” as well as Seasons 1 and 2 of gripping Russian drama “An Ordinary Woman. “Interest in foreign-language dramas has never been higher, and all three series feature taut, multi-layered contemporary stories with brilliant ensemble casts to create top-notch entertainment,” James Durie, Head of Scripted, Cineflix Rights said. “We’re thrilled to be signing this deal with Topic to bring these riveting stories to US audiences for the first time.”

The deal with Topic was brokered by Topic’s VP of Acquisitions Jennifer Liang and Cineflix Rights’ Lucinda Gergley-Garner, SVP, Sales, North America, and German Speaking Territories. “The Minister” was obtained by Sagafilm for RUV Iceland, DR in Denmark, NRK in Norway, SVT in Sweden, and YLE Finland. “Happily Married” was produced by Productions Casablanca for Radio-Canada and Tou.tv-Extra, and “An Ordinary Woman” is a 1-2-3 Production and Look Film. “After screening these critically hailed titles from Iceland, Canada, and Russia, we knew Topic would be the perfect home. We’re excited to be working with Cineflix Rights in bringing these acclaimed series to Topic’s North American audience," said Ryan Chanatry, General Manager of Topic.

The eight 60-minute episodes of “The Minister” star Ólafur Darri Ólafsson from "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald," "Trapped," "True Detective," and "The Missing" as a Prime Minister whose mental health condition worsens and becomes a potential threat to the stability of the government and individuals around him. The series was recently nominated for the TV Fiction category at the Prix Europa and by the Venice TV Awards for Best TV Series.

"Happily Married," set in 1974 tells the story of two couples in a crisis of love, family, and friendship. They ultimately become the most infamous quartet of criminals in Quebec history. The series was honored with a prestigious official selection at Berlinale Series 2020 and recently won 10 awards at the 35th Prix Gémeaux, including Best Drama Series.  "An Ordinary Woman," tells the story of Marina, a woman in Moscow who leads a secret career of prostitution networking. The series was the first Russian drama to be shortlisted for Séries Mania in 2018, with Anna Mikhalkova winning the best actress award for her role as Marina.