Scripted

Red Arrow Studios International has signed a wave of international deals across its slate of scripted titles, including for coming-of-age comedy series Kid Sister, and enchanting anthology series Summer Love, and the powerful and timely new series Those Who Stayed.

Produced by New Zealand-based Greenstone TV, Kid Sister (5 x 30’) has been sold to CBC Gem Canada, HOT and yes-DBS in Israel, and to ITV (UK) for its new, free streaming platform ITVX. The series is created by Simone Nathan (Our Flag Means Death) who also stars as lead character ‘Lulu’, a young Kiwi woman in her prime, but in the Jewish world she is careening towards ‘spinsterhood’. Now on the verge of 30, Lulu’s parents’ attempts at pushing her off the shelf into the arms of a Nice Jewish Boy leave her clinging on for dear life. But in a city like Auckland, at the far end of the diaspora, this isn’t so simple. The series launched last Summer on TVNZ On Demand in New Zealand and has been commissioned for a second season.

Created and directed by the award-winning comedy writers Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope (Upper Middle Bogan, Little Lunch), anthology series Summer Love (8 x 30’) is heading to RTP Portugal and HOT in Israel. Produced by Gristmill for ABC (Australia), the series sees eight very different sets of people rent the same beachside holiday house, where they experience some incarnation of love. Stories featured in the anthology include two couples who discover their friendship has reached its expiry date, a gay couple who are forced to confront societal expectations versus what they really want, and sisters who take time out to recharge but somehow manage to bring the chaos of their lives with them.

New anthology series Those Who Stayed (6 x 30’) has sold to Lumière for Benelux; while in Scandinavia, the series has sold to DR in Denmark and RUV in Iceland. Inspired by the true stories of Ukrainians who decided to stay in Kyiv following the beginning of the Russian invasion, the project is currently in production. The comedy drama brings together established and emerging Ukrainian talent with each episode written and directed by a different creator. Co-developed by FILM.UA and Red Arrow Studios International, the series is coproduced by SVT (Sweden), NRK (Norway) and YLE (Finland).

Hit period crime drama Vienna Blood (9 x 90’) is heading to TV4 in Sweden and RTP for Portugal. Produced by award-winning production company Endor Productions, a Seven.One Studios company, and MR Film in Austria, the thrilling crime drama set in 1900s Vienna aired its third season in late 2023.

Tim Gerhartz, Managing Director at Red Arrow Studios International, said: “As we continue bringing powerful and premium scripted content – each with their own truly unique perspective – to the market from producers around the world, it’s fantastic to have secured new homes with leading broadcasting partners for some of our latest titles as well as returning dramas. These projects show the depth and variety of our scripted slate, but each project is filled with such heart and humor – we knew they would strike a chord with commissioners around the world. This latest wave of deals with an array of leading broadcasters is testament to these series’ broad appeal.”