Banijay Americas, a division of Banijay, the world's largest producer and distributor of international content, has acquired a majority stake in leading Brasilian studio A F brica, it was announced today by Ben Samek, President and Chief Operating Officer, Banijay Americas and Laurens Drillich, President, Endemol Shine Latino.A F brica, which is based in Rio de Janeiro and was founded in January 2016, is behind many of the nation's top scripted series and films. Its content can currently be found on such networks and platforms as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Turner, HBO Max, Globo, Globoplay, Canal GNT and Multishow.
A F brica was initially launched by partners Luiz Noronha (CEO), Renato Fagundes (Chief Content Officer), Cecilia Grosso and Samanta Moraes (Producers) and Alberto Elias (CFO). A F brica's management team will remain in place, reporting to Drillich
A F brica currently produces Brasil's highest-rated pay TV sitcom, Vai Que Cola, which is in its 10th season for Multishow and Globo and the studio has two highly anticipated scripted series coming to streaming platforms in the coming months, including Sem Filtro, a comedy developed in partnership with Netflix, which is set to debut early next year.
With the addition of A F brica, Banijay Americas is now comprised of 10 leading production companies across North America and South America. Banijay Americas studios in the U.S. include Endemol Shine North America, Bunim/Murray Productions, Truly Original, 51 Minds Entertainment, Authentic Entertainment and Stephen David Entertainment.
In Latin America, Banijay Americas studios include Endemol Shine Brasil (based in S o Paulo) and Mexico City-based Endemol Shine Boomdog and the recently opened Banijay Mexico & U.S. Hispanic. Last month, the company announced it was opening Banijay Studios Brasil, a 750,000 square-foot production studio facility in Guarulhos, Brasil, which will be managed by the team at Endemol Shine Brasil.
When we look at potential new partnerships and or acquisitions, we always start with a search for talented storytellers and strong leadership and the team at A F brica was clearly at the top of that list, said Banijay Americas' Samek. They have quickly established A F brica as Brasil's go-to studio for the best in film and scripted content and we are thrilled to have their team join our roster of world-class production studios in the Americas.
A F brica's Noronha stated, With the arrival of Banijay, we are guaranteed to grow with ever-increasing quality, both in terms of management and delivery capacity. We maintain flexibility in our business models and personalized customer service, reaffirming our commitment to originality and the results of our productions.
A F brica has established itself as a leader in high quality scripted content in Brasil, producing films for both theatrical release and for top streaming platforms, as well as some of the nation's most watched scripted series.In addition to Sem Filtro, it's upcoming comedy series for Netflix, the studio is preparing to launch A Divis o, a co-production with Afroreggae Audiovisual. The Brasilian police procedural is set to launch on Globoplay in 2023.
On the film side, A F brica has produced original titles for theatrical release, as well as for streaming platforms. The studio recently delivered the highest audience for a non-English-language film in Netflix's history with Modo Avi o. In 2021, Netflix's Lulli, another A F brica original production, was on the top 10-charts in several countries, including Brasil.
Theatrically, A F brica released its first film in theaters in 2018, Minha Vida em Marte, selling over five million tickets in Brasil's theaters and it was honored as the nation's best comedy of the year. The studio currently has eight feature films in its pipeline, including the comedy Cansei De Ser Nerd, in partnership with Hungry Man for Paramount Pictures and Era Uma Vez Minha Primeira Vez, based on a book by best-selling Brasilian author Thalita Rebou as, a production for Warner Bros.
Additionally, A F brica is currently producing four docu-series focused on true crime, including O Caso Henry, about a child's murder that shocked Brasil a year ago. And the studio's first original documentary, Filho da M e, is set to debut on Amazon Prime Video December 16.
A F brica is also establishing itself on the international front, developing acclaimed TV and film projects, including Concrete Jungle, a series loosely based on Edyr Augusto's book and created by Renato Fagundes and W. Peter lliff and directed by Vicente Amorim; The Yellow Passport, a feature film based on the book by Maha Mamo and directed by Bruno Barreto; Haiti, a drama series based on real events, and Brasil Nunca Mais, a feature film written by Renato Fagundes, to be directed by Vicente Amorim.
The addition of A F brica to Banijay's portfolio reinforces the wider group's overarching commitment to and investment in, growing its scripted pipeline globally. Its latest announced/on-air scripted highlights include SAS: Rogue Heroes (Kudos for BBC One), Marie Antoinette (Banijay Studios France, CAPA Drama, Les Gens France for Canal+ and BBC Two), Domina (Tiger Aspect for Sky Atlantic), Riding in Darkness (Jarowskij for CMORE/TV4), Ronja (Filmlance for Viaplay), Fallen (Filmlance for CMORE/TV4/ZDF), Bos (Shine Iberia, VIS, Elefantec Global, Legacy Rock for Paramount Plus), Ripley (Endemol Shine North America for SHOWTIME), Gypsy Bride (Diaganol TV for Antena3), Dance Brothers (Endemol Shine Finland for Netflix), and Two Tone (Kudos for BBC One).
