Palatin Media Teams with German Public Broadcaster to Bring Canada's Breakthrough Entertainment Production of Iconic Literary Character to German AudiencesMUNICH/TORONTO (July 19, 2016) - Leading production and distribution company Palatin Media, alongside the largest public broadcaster of quality television and film in Germany, Bayerischer Rundfunk/ARD, has struck a broadcast deal to bring the iconic Canadian character Anne Shirley to television screens across Germany with the two-hour L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables.
After a successful launch with Canada's YTV, the beloved Canadian literary icon will now make the jump to Germany. L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables is produced by Breakthrough Entertainment, in association with Corus Entertainment's YTV and the author's granddaughter, Kate Macdonald Butler, who served as Executive Producer for the film.
We are happy and proud to have in Bayerischer Rundfunk/ARD the perfect partner for the outstanding production of Breakthrough Entertainment says Bernd Schloetterer, CEO and founder of Palatin Media.
We are thrilled alongside our German distribution partner Palatin Media, to be able to bring the most famous fictional character in Canadian literature to Germany with ARD, says Craig McGillivray, Vice President of Distribution at Breakthrough Entertainment. It is extremely gratifying to see how Anne is continuing to expand to new audiences worldwide.
Directed by John Kent Harrison and based on the original script by Susan Coyne, this recent adaptation; which was filmed in Canada, stars critically acclaimed actor Martin Sheen - who is best known for his role as the President in the long-running series The West Wing and most recently The Amazing Spiderman and Netflix hit Grace and Frankie - portrays Matthew Cuthbert, the brother of Marilla Cuthbert, who are the brother/sister duo that cares for Anne Shirley.
Additional main cast members include 14-year old newcomer Ella Ballentine as Anne Shirley, Canadian actress Sara Botsford as Marilla Cuthbert as well as Julia Lalonde, Kate Hennig, Stefani Kimber, Drew Haytaoglu, Kyle Gatehouse and Linda Kash.
Dr. Bernhard M llmann, Press Officer ARD says, Anne Shirley and her adventures in Green Gables perfectly portrays the magic of childhood innocence and inspiration. With this recent revival of this globally recognized story and character from Palatin Media and Breakthrough Entertainment, we now have a great opportunity to bring that story to German audiences.
L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, which is based on Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic novel, tells the story of a precocious and innocent young girl who comes from an orphanage and is placed in the care of Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert by mistake. Even though Marilla displays an often traditional and conservative tone towards Anne, she ultimately finds herself admiring Anne's adventurous spirit, while helping keep her grounded.
Part of this reason this story and character are so iconic both in Canada and abroad, is that despite the story being written many years ago, there is still a profound amount of relevancy among today's audiences that even spans generations. L.M. Montgomery has crafted a powerful tale that represents the resilience in adversity of the human spirit, say Executive Producers Joan Lambur and Peter Williamson.
First published in 1908, Anne of Green Gables remains an iconic work of Canadian literature and has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. The eight-novel series is set in Prince Edward Island and has attracted of readers of all ages, who are inspired by the spirited redhead Anne Shirley.
About Palatin Media
Palatin Media Film- & Fernseh GmbH was founded in Munich at the beginning of 2011 by Bernd Schl tterer. Its activities include worldwide sales and distribution with a strong presence in German-speaking Europe, production of scripted and non-scripted content, as well as network operations. www.palatinmedia.com. Email: presse@palatinmedia.com.
About Breakthrough Entertainment
Breakthrough Entertainment Inc. is an award winning producer and distributor of premium content for worldwide audiences. The entertainment studio's operations include the development and distribution of feature films, television and digital content, international co-productions and production services. Breakthrough's digital media division ranks amongst the industry's most respected producers of high quality interactive entertainment on mobile and online platforms. Established over 30 years ago, Breakthrough's library now boasts over 40 feature films and 4000 television episodes which air on major networks and digital channels across the globe. The studio has been recognized with international awards including numerous Geminis, Canadian Screen Awards, and Canadian Comedy Awards. www.breakthroughentertainment.com. Follow @breakthru_ent on Twitter.
About ARD
The ARD, that is: the Association of Public Broadcasting Corporations in the Federal Republic of Germany ( Arbeitsgemeinschaft der ffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland ). With its nine autonomous regional public broadcasting corporations, which are state-independent and publicly funded, the ARD offers a diversity of programmes on television, on the radio and online that can be freely received by all.
For more informations: www.ard.de
For more information or to schedule interviews, please contact:
Wiebke Andresen
Palatin Media Film- & Fernseh GmbH
+49 (0) 89 4520 6780, Andresen@palatinmedia.com
Kevin Perkin
Ireland + Hall Communications Inc.
416-700-8681, kevin@irelandandhall.com
Lowell Hall
Ireland + Hall Communications Inc.
416-887-1636, lowell@irelandandhall.com
