Press Release November 13, 2018.
A Welsh political drama has extended its international reach after another European broadcaster acquired the rights to show the series.
S4C series, Byw Celwydd (translation: Living a Lie), has been sold to Bulgarian free-to-air broadcaster Bulgaria On Air. It will be broadcast in Welsh with on-screen Bulgarian subtitles.
The sale has been facilitated by Videoplugger, led by Italian company owner, Emanuele Galloni. The series has already been sold to American broadcaster MHz Networks, which will bring the drama to audiences across the US and Canada, as well as international LGBT broadcaster OUT TV, which covers Europe, Israel and South Africa.
The series, which follows the fictional characters of a rainbow coalition government, is the brainchild of Branwen Cennard, director of Tarian Cyf, and the late prolific playwright Meic Povey.
It follows characters of a fictional group of political parties at the Welsh Assembly Government, along with the special advisers and political journalists around them.
Producer Branwen Cennard said:
“I feel extremely proud that an entirely Welsh language production written and filmed in a totally Welsh context continues to capture the imagination of broadcasters in Europe and beyond.
“It reflects the high production values associated with Byw Celwydd, is testament to the work of the actors, the writer, the crew and series director Gareth Rowlands and proves yet again that Welsh producers can produce series with a wide international appeal.”
Nikolina Dimitrova, Program Director Bulgaria ON AIR TV, says:
“Bulgaria ON AIR was very keen to broadcast a political drama and Living a Lie was the perfect choice. The realistic impression of the political tensions which is presented in the show is the thing that really caught our attention.
“The rainbow coalition, the Socialists as an opposition and the female journalist trying to dig into the political scandals – the storyline is fascinating and appeals to a broad spectrum of our audience. Bulgaria ON AIR strives to offer high-end TV productions to its viewers and Living a Lie is definitely one of those shows.”
Emanuele Galloni, Videoplugger.com, said:
“We are happy that Bulgaria on Air picked up Living a Lie. Bulgaria on Air is a network targeting an audience of highly educated individuals looking for contemporary political plots and that’s why an eclectic series like Living A Lie appealed to them.”
Amanda Rees, S4C Creative Content Director, said:
“It’s fantastic that we can showcase original Welsh language drama and the Welsh language to audiences worldwide and I’m sure viewers in Bulgaria will be gripped by the intricate and ruthless political world of Byw Celwydd.”