Inventive filmmaking

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Inventive filmmaking

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Fremantle announces a renewed first-look partnership with Fabula after completing their most recent joint project The Wave (La Ola).

Inspired by mass protests and university rallies that took place during the "feminist May" in 2018, The Wave captures the iconic moment that was created in Chile and reverberated across the world. The musical is produced by Juan de Dios Larraín and Pablo Larraín, founders of Fabula, a Chile-based film and advertising producer that Fremantle entered into a first-look partnership with back in 2019.

This partnership has now been renewed, which will see Fremantle and Fabula work more closely together, developing a slate of original dramas and films. Fremantle will continue to be responsible for international distribution of the drama projects.

Christian Vesper, CEO Global Drama at Fremantle, says: "Pablo and Juan encapsulate the bold and inventive filmmaking we proudly support at Fremantle, and I am delighted that our renewed deal means working even closer with them. Fabula is such an exciting company creating original, passionate film and drama titles, and we are thrilled to have them as our valued partners."

Under the original first-look partnership, Fabula produced the award-winning series La Jauría and Señorita 89 and the upcoming Midnight Family for Apple TV+, a 10-episode medical drama inspired by the award-winning documentary of the same name.

Their most recent joint project The Wave, produced in partnership with Participant Media, tells the story of Julia, a dedicated music student, who gets involved in the growing feminist movement on her university campus. Amid the excitement of protest marches, Julia joins her friends in dancing and singing, revisiting her own experiences of mistreatment. As she gathers the courage to share her story, she unexpectedly becomes a central figure in the movement-a role she didn't foresee, which forces her to address her identity as a survivor in a society that promises change but remains resistant to it.

Producer Sebastián Lelio says: "I am fascinated by the idea of using the musical genre with its aura of romance and splendour to speak about the inspiring young feminist movement in Chile, mutual consent in the post #MeToo era, and the political potential of the individual or collective voice. The Wave explores the collision between the urgency for change and the status-quo through the intoxicating power of dance, music and a band of masked women who are determined to change the world."

Later this year, Fremantle and Fabula will launch Pablo Larraín's Maria, starring Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas. Produced by Fremantle and Komplizen Film, the film explores the life of the legendary, iconic and controversial singer, often described as the original diva.

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RTL is Europe's leading entertainment brand standing for entertainment, independent journalism, inspiration, energy and attitude. With our TV channels, streaming services, radio stations and online platforms in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Hungary and Luxembourg, we reach millions of people across Europe every day. The RTL brand is owned by RTL Group.

About RTL Group

RTL Group is a leading entertainment company across broadcast, streaming, content and digital, with interests in 60 television channels, seven streaming services and 36 radio stations. The Group's families of TV channels are either number one or number two in six European countries, while RTL Group owns or has interests in radio stations in France, Germany, Spain and Luxembourg. RTL Deutschland is the Group's largest business unit and Germany's first cross-media champion, operating across TV, streaming, radio, digital and publishing. RTL Group's streaming services include RTL+ in Germany and Hungary, Videoland in the Netherlands and M6+ in France. Fremantle is one of the world's largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, responsible for more than 11,000 hours of programming per year, alongside an international network of teams operating in 27 countries. The streaming tech company Bedrock and the ad-tech company Smartclip are also owned by RTL Group. As a market leader, RTL Group strives to foster alliances and partnerships within the European media industry, for example by building a one-stop advertising sales house in Germany with Ad Alliance and driving international advertising sales with RTL AdAlliance. Bertelsmann is the majority shareholder of RTL Group, which is listed on the Luxembourg and Frankfurt stock exchanges and in the MDAX stock index.

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