BBC ALBA has today (29th November) announced a collaboration with Korean partners to co-produce a new series of documentaries.
MG ALBA, which operates BBC ALBA in partnership with the BBC, signed a memorandum of agreement in Amsterdam with broadcasters and producers from four different countries – including JTV (Jeonju Television).
Irish broadcaster TG4 and Welsh production company Cwmni Da completed the line-up for the international co-production, currently titled Rain Stories.
Rain Stories will be co-produced with Stornoway based producer MacTV and Belfast based producer Below the Radar, with production planned for spring 2020 and broadcast on BBC ALBA in 2021.
The announcement demonstrates MG ALBA’s strategic commitment to international co-production partnerships for the creation of distinctive, world class content.
This approach has already delivered success. Previous co-production An Làn / Tide secured BBC ALBA’s first Chinese awards recognition with a Silver Dragon prize at the China International Conference of Science and Education Producers (CICSEP) in October.
The series, which aired on BBC ALBA earlier this year, showcased the strength and impact of tides and was made in partnership with S4C, TG4, BBC NI, LiC China, Skyvision and MG ALBA with the production companies MacTV and Cwmni Da filming across Europe, Canada and China as well as in Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Another BBC ALBA international project, Power of Yoik recently won a Documentary Film Prize at the Nordische Filmtage awards, in Lübeck, Germany. Initially produced in Gaelic by TrixPix Media in South Uist, the international version has been screened around the world.
Margaret Cameron, MG ALBA Channel Editor, said:
“International co-productions are vital for BBC ALBA and showcasing content from Gaelic communities alongside Chinese, Canadian and European stories confirms the universality of our broadcasting. Agreements like this bring huge investment to the world of BBC ALBA both in terms of content but also for our independent production sector.”
Seumas Mactaggart, Head of Production & Development at MacTV said
“We are delighted to see An Làn / Tide being recognised with an international award. This is one of a number of international co-productions we’ve been involved in over recent years, and we’ve embraced the opportunity to connect with other ambitious companies in Northern Ireland, Wales, Ireland, Canada and Iceland.
“As storytellers, we are creating programmes that can resonate with people the world over, and it’s important that with support from MG ALBA, that we are able to get our stories to the international market.”
Filmmaker Beatrix Wood said:
“Finding ways to tell a story so that it resonates for both a local and an international audience is at the heart of what TrixPixMedia does. The different versions of “Power of Yoik” enabled the film to honour the Gaelic audience and reach different audiences worldwide. The film will be screened at Anchorage International Film Festival in Alaska in December.”
