A show represented by distributor Newen Connect has beaten stiff competition to take key honours at last night’s 21st Unifrance Export Awards, which honour the most successful local series to travel internationally. Art heist series Cat’s Eyes took the top prize in the scripted category. Rodolphe Buet, CEO, Newen Connect said:
“We are incredibly proud of last night’s award, which is a testament to the ambition of the show’s producers and Newen Connect’s ability to deliver the financial support that allowed Cat’s Eyes to deliver such high production values. In addition to TF1, Amazon, RAI and ZDF have been fantastic partners in helping us achieve this. Winning this award for the fifth time in a row underlines the talent of our EVP of co-productions and international acquisitions, Karine Atlan, in identifying successful projects, as well as the magic touch of Newen Connect’s marketing and sales team, who effortlessly allow them to travel internationally.”
Based on the work of Tsukasa Hojo, Cat’s Eyes follows three estranged sisters – Alexia, Tam, and Sylia – who reunite and decide to risk everything to steal a work of art belonging to their father, who disappeared twelve years earlier in a mysterious fire at his art gallery, in the hope of finally understanding what happened to him. Starring Camille Lou, Contance Labbé, and Claire Romain, the series was directed by Alexandre Laurent (Women at War, The Bonfire of Destiny) and created by Michel Catz, who has also written the series alongside Antonin Martin-Hilbert, Justine Kim Gautier, Anne-Charlotte Kassab, Coline Dussaud, Audrey Gagneux, Sophie Maurer, Mari Mouazan and Mohamed Benyekhlef. It has been produced by Benjamin Dupont Jubien and Mehdi Sabbar at Big Band Story for TF1 in association with Prime Video and ZDF is co-producer. Cat’s Eyes is an international success with pre sales and sales in already 32 territories including Switzerland (RTS), Belgium (RTL) and Italy (RAI) since MIPCOM launch.
Last night’s Unifrance Export Awards took place at the Trianon in Paris as part of the French Television Producer Awards.