Industry

Mediawan, the leading pan-European audiovisual content producer, has announced the acquisition of a majority stake of the Emmy Award-winning company Submarine, which develops and produces international scripted series and feature films, animation for both kids and adults, and documentaries.

Submarine has established itself as an innovative company, working across multiple genres and platforms, all with an international focus. Submarine also owns the largest and famous animation studio in the Netherlands. The group boasts a roster of award-winning films and TV series built in collaboration with an extensive network of internationally acclaimed creators such as Leonardo Fasoli (Gomorrah, ZeroZeroZero), Richard Linklater, Tommy Pallotta, Douglas Rushkoff and Hisko Hulsing (Undone).

Thanks to this acquisition, Mediawan continues to build its House of Talent with European expertise and know-how, with a strong international aim. This new partnership will accelerate the Group's strategy in terms of setting up international co-productions as well as building a powerful catalogue of IPs that are attractive to major creative talents.

The acquisition of Submarine by Mediawan is perfectly in line with the Group's efforts to diversify its production capacities to offer the best possible support to creatives in all genres and territories. Submarine has produced several acclaimed films and series, including the Emmy Award-winning documentary Bellingcat: Truth in a Post-Truth World, and the Netflix original production Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press. Most recently Submarine produced Richard Linklater’s latest film Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood on Netflix, and the Amazon Prime Video series Undone by Bojack Horseman creators Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob Waksberg. Also Submarine produced The Sandman episode "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" for Warner Bros television and Netflix (playing in the tv film competition at the 2023 Annecy film festival). Upcoming projects include drama series The Kollective written by Gomorrah and ZeroZeroZero showrunner Leonardo Fasoli and Maddalena Rvaglia; and Safe Harbor an inspired by true events crime series by Ozark co-creator Mark Williams.

“We are delighted to welcome within Mediawan a team as creative and renowned as the Submarine team. Their expertise in all genres and particularly in adult animation and international series and their appetite for coproductions is a real asset for the continuous development of our group”, declares Elisabeth d’Arvieu, CEO of Mediawan Pictures.

"We are thrilled about this new chapter in Submarine's story," said Femke Wolting and Bruno Felix, Founders and Managing Directors of Submarine. "Joining forces with Mediawan opens up a wealth of opportunities, allowing us to tap into their extensive network, resources and industry-leading expertise. This exciting partnership will fuel our mission of producing groundbreaking and innovative films and series that resonate with global audiences.”