Showcase: GoQuest Media

The story of three sisters who were separated as children and reunited years later by the fortuitous connection of their own kids plays out in Sacrificiul, a drama that GoQuest Media is bringing out to the international market. The show, from Romania, is but one example of the type of diverse global content that GoQuest has in its portfolio.

“We are always on the lookout to expand our catalog of long-running series and keep a variety that will suit various platforms and networks’ audiences,” says Vivek Lath, managing director of GoQuest. “Eastern Europe has been upping the ante in both production and storytelling, and Sacrificiul from Romania came across as a series with a lot of potential—in terms of story and production as well as the creative team and talent telling the story.”

Lath and the GoQuest team were keen to take Sacrificiul on for their sales slate for several reasons, he explains: “Sacrificiul has a wholesome, multigenerational appeal with enough surprises and plot twists to keep the audience hooked. It is an easy watch while telling a very emotional story and has great potential to attract drama-watching audiences across cultures.”

In the series, the sisters—married into the Oprea, Zamfir and Popescu families—have been raised with different upbringings and live disparate lives. After a secret affair that irreversibly brings their destinies together comes to light, they can’t think of a way to make a truce for the sake of their children.

The emotional rollercoaster narrates a story of what it means to love and sacrifice everything for love and how multiple generations in a family have to pay the price of one person’s wrongdoing.

“While the uniqueness of a show is a crucial element for its success, sometimes the value of a show lies in its ability to blend with other series,” Lath says. “For a while now, we have been following how broadcasters invest in local productions as they perform better with the audiences. Sacrificiul can blend in seamlessly with local productions, especially in dubbing markets.”

“Sacrificiul stars some of the finest stalwarts of Romanian theater and television,” he adds. The cast includes Maia Morgenstern, known to the international market from playing the mother of Jesus in Mel Gibson’s epic biblical drama The Passion of the Christ; Mihai Gruia Sandu, known for The Rest is Silence, which was Romania’s submission for the 2009 Academy Award for best foreign language film.

The series is produced by acclaimed Romanian screenwriter, producer, composer and director Ruxandra Ion, “who has many firsts to her name,” Lath points out. “She created Romania’s first soap opera, Numai iubirea; the first music series [in the country], Pariu cu viața; and is the first independent producer of children’s shows in Eastern Europe.”

The characters from the show are truly global, Lath adds. “We had people at MIPCOM commenting on how the female protagonist looked like she could be Turkish, Asian or Latin American. In keeping with this year’s trend of audiences lapping up strong female characters, Sacrificiul is driven by strong women who overcome various challenges while holding their own. It’s an out-and-out drama piece that will appeal to drama lovers the world over.”

Sacrificiul continues in the vein of GoQuest’s strategy to “bring the best of local content to the world,” Lath says. “It is a perfect title to sit well in the family/romantic genre in the long-running space that we have been curating for our catalog. We believe stories of family, love and sacrifice tug firmly at the hearts of drama lovers worldwide. They will appreciate the novelty and variety that a title like Sacrificiul will add to their list of must-watch dramas.”

See GoQuest Media’s Showcase here.