Gruppo Alcuni makes history with the first Indo-Italian co-production in a bold format

Gruppo Alcuni’s new animated series “The Black Diamond Race” has several elements that could lead it to global success. Besides depicting Indian culture without clichés, this project introduces a unique format of nine 45-minute episodes and targets children aged seven and up—a challenging audience to captivate nowadays. "’The Black Diamond Race’ is the first Indo-Italian co-production and is such a great achievement," said Sriram Chandrasekaran, Founder & CEO of Broadvision, the project’s Indian partner. "We are really happy with this project", added Francesco Manfio, CEO of Gruppo Alcuni. 

The series is a co-production between Italy’s Gruppo Alcuni and India’s Broadvision, along with public broadcasters Rai Kids and RTVE, and Spain's Motion Pictures, and is set to debut on Rai Kids next January. "It's a challenge to take on a series for this difficult age group of seven and up," admitted Luca Milano, director of Rai Kids. He noted previous successful collaborations with Gruppo Alcuni, such as the two seasons of “Leo da Vinci”, and confirmed that this is the first time Rai Kids has produced a series with 45-minute episodes. "It is the moment to try this kind of adventure in series," he said. "This series includes parts of India's history and culture, which is also interesting for us," he added.

“The Black Diamond Race” is set in 1929 in India and follows a 17-year-old Indian girl whose dream is to compete in the world’s most legendary motorsport races. Working with a small team of underdogs—including her older brother and drivers from Italy and Europe—Rani races to cross the finish line first and thwart a criminal mastermind who has discovered that the Black Diamond possesses magical qualities that could be used to control the world. The first four episodes are set in Europe, with the plot then moving to India.

Gruppo Alcuni President Sergio Manfio (“Pet Pals”, “Leo da Vinci”), who directs the project, highlighted three key aspects of the series. The first is the format (9x45'). He explained that they chose this format because, "we are hoping that kids will stop scrolling on their phones, and the series will be exciting enough to keep them in the story." The executive also emphasized that this format provides ample breathing space for the story to unfold. "It was quite a challenge to set a story in the early 20th century and make the issues relevant to youngsters today," he said.

The second point Manfio highlighted is the relationship between the main character, Rani, and her father, which is complex, as she wants to pursue her dream of becoming a race car driver. He also noted the relationships among the young characters, which are not competitive but cooperative. "They work together against the bully, the bad guy," he said. Lastly, Manfio mentioned that the cars seen in the series are exact replicas of vehicles that raced and were driven on the roads in 1929.