LONDON – Red Arrow Studios International has secured a deal with boutique foreign-language drama streaming service, Walter Presents, for its Icelandic legal drama The Court and Swedish thriller series Farang in the UK.
Seasons one and two of The Court will launch on All4 under the Walter Presents banner in September 2018 and Farang will premiere on Channel 4 later this year. This deal follows the recent US launch of season one of The Court on Walter Presents in May; season two will make its debut in August 2018.
A joint venture between Channel 4 and Global Series Network, Walter Presents launched in January 2016 in the UK and is dedicated to showcasing award-winning foreign-language drama.
Bo Stehmeier, EVP Global Sales at Red Arrow Studios International said: “This deal with Walter Presents, the ‘go-to’ platform for outstanding foreign language programming in the UK, is testament to the strength of our scripted slate which features a raft of diverse, gripping and high-quality series. With demand for international dramas accelerating, we’re delighted to be making The Court and Farang more accessible to UK audiences.”
Walter Iuzzolino, Curator at Walter Presents said: “Icelandic and Swedish drama are stronger than they’ve ever been right now, and I’m delighted to have sealed this 20-hour deal with Red Arrow Studios International. I’m a huge fan of Case which continues to be one of our most successful Walter Presents series, so securing the first and second series of The Court where we first get introduced to the compelling character of Logi Traustason, will be a real treat for viewers. Set in Thailand, Farang is not your typical Scandinavian drama but the plotline is supercharged and every bit as thrilling.”
Produced by Warner Bros. for C More and TV4 Sweden, Farang (8x1h) explores the complicated ties that bind a father with his daughter. Fleeing Sweden and the old friends he has testified against, former criminal Rickard (Ola Rapace) abandons his name, his life and his family to start over in Thailand.
Ten years later and still with a price on his head, Rickard knows that a return home would be a death sentence. And so he ekes out his existence as a small-time crook in the back alleys of Phuket. When his fifteen-year-old daughter Thyra comes looking for him, Rickard’s self-imposed exile in this gritty paradise is soon under threat.
Produced by Sagafilm for Channel 2 Iceland, The Court (12x1h) follows the professional and personal lives of three lawyers at a Reykjavik law firm. Amidst all their personal dramas, this team must tackle their day jobs, as each episode brings them new cases as dangerous as they are diverse.
From narcotics smuggling and human trafficking, to illegal debt collectors and bank fraud, the three heroes have seen it all, and defended them all. The show is executive produced by acclaimed producers Kjartan Thor Thordarson (Stella Blomkvist, Case, Cover Story) and Magnus Vidar Sigurdsson (Trapped, Black Angels, The Night Shift).
Follow up series to The Court, Case (9x1h), produced by Sagafilm for Channel 2 Iceland, is also available from Red Arrow Studios International.
The deals were completed by Yi Qiao, Senior Sales Manager, Benelux, UK, Scandinavia, Africa and the Middle East at Red Arrow Studios International.
