Banijay Acquires Italian Premium Scripted Outfit Grøenlandia Group

Banijay has added Italian premium scripted producer Grøenlandia Group to its local holding Banijay Italy.

Led by film directors and producers Matteo Rovere and Sydney Sibilia, the label has credits including films Romulus & Remus: The First King by Rovere; Masterclass and Ad Honorem – the two sequels of the I Can Quit Whenever I Want saga by Sibilia, as well as films directed by Simone Godano: Husband & Wife, An Almost Ordinary Summer, and Marilyn Has Black Eyes.

The company is also behind the TV series Romulus, winner of the Nastro d’Argento 2021 award as best series and TV movie, and Carosone, the biopic of the musician Renato Carosone, directed by Lucio Pellegrini.

Banijay Italy, which is run by President and Country Manager Paolo Bassetti, has a portfolio of 10 production companies including Banijay Italia, Endemol Shine Italy, Banijay Studios Italy, 4 Friends Film, Aurora TV, Atlantis Film & Video, Funwood Media, ITV Movie, L’Officina, Nonpanic.

Matteo Rovere, Chief Executive Officer of Grøenlandia Group commented: “Grøenlandia continues its adventure by joining the Banijay group, a world giant of independent production and distribution with an Italian heart, both in the management and in the shareholding; characteristics that are fundamental for us in making a choice that I hope will give us new working tools and relationships with colleagues from many countries, who like us, try to do their best to reach audiences around the world. We want to give even more strength to our ideas, but also to maintain the objectives now established, including the discovery of young talent, the centrality of the theatre, linguistic innovation, inclusiveness and sustainable productions.”

Paolo Bassetti, President and Country Manager of Banijay Italia Holding said: “We feel privileged to be welcoming such a wealth of dynamic talent into the group via Grøenlandia, which truly shares our vision for independent, cross-border storymaking. With an exceptional track record and impressive slate in-play for 2022 alone, Matteo and Sydney, along with Ascent Films, bring huge value to our world-class creative hub here in Italy. Signalling our first move into film, this new partnership will rapidly expand our already diverse client base and broaden the horizons for us in the premium scripted market.”

Marco Bassetti – Chief Executive Officer, Banijay added: “Banijay has made no secret of its ambitions to increase its foothold in the premium scripted space and by welcoming Grøenlandia, we are making a significant move in widening our capacity to deliver high-end TV as well as feature-length films. Entrepreneurs, as well as directors and showrunners, Matteo and Sydney are strong leaders and we hope the group will provide an independent and supportive home for them free of any creative restraint, where they can deliver premium material that crosses clients, as well as borders.”