Grøenlandia Group Joins Banijay Italy

The Italian scripted producer Grøenlandia Group has become part of the Banijay Italy holding.

Founded in 2014, the Grøenlandia Group label is led by directors and producers Matteo Rovere and Sydney Sibilia. Grøenlandia also encompasses Ascent Films, founded and managed by Andrea Paris, who will keep operating in the group, in which it has had a majority stake since 2014.

Grøenlandia Group is behind the films Romulus & Remus: The First King (Il Primo Re) by Matteo Rovere; Masterclass and Ad Honorem, the two sequels of the I Can Quit Whenever I Want (Smetto Quando Voglio) saga by Sydney Sibilia; the Simone Godano-directed Husband & Wife, An Almost Ordinary Summer and Marilyn Has Black Eyes; and The Champion by Leonardo D’Agostini; The Beast, an elevated action movie directed by Ludovico Di Martino.

The entity is also behind the TV series Romulus, winner of the Nastro d’Argento 2021 award as best series and TV movie, and Carosone, the biopic of musician Renato Carosone, directed by Lucio Pellegrini.

Matteo Rovere, CEO of Grøenlandia Group, commented: “Grøenlandia continues its adventure by joining the Banijay group, a world giant of independent production and distribution with an Italian heart, both in the management and in the shareholding; characteristics that are fundamental for us in making a choice that I hope will give us new working tools and relationships with colleagues from many countries, who, like us, try to do their best to reach audiences around the world. We want to give even more strength to our ideas, but also to maintain the objectives now established, including the discovery of young talent, the centrality of the theater, linguistic innovation, inclusiveness and sustainable productions.”

Paolo Bassetti, president and country manager of Banijay Italia, said: “We feel privileged to be welcoming such a wealth of dynamic talent into the group via Grøenlandia, which truly shares our vision for independent, cross-border story-making. With an exceptional track record and impressive slate in play for 2022 alone, Matteo and Sydney, along with Ascent Films, bring huge value to our world-class creative hub here in Italy. Signaling our first move into film, this new partnership will rapidly expand our already diverse client base and broaden the horizons for us in the premium scripted market.”

Marco Bassetti, CEO of Banijay, commented: “Banijay has made no secret of its ambitions to increase its foothold in the premium scripted space and by welcoming Grøenlandia, we are making a significant move in widening our capacity to deliver high-end TV as well as feature-length films. Entrepreneurs, as well as directors and showrunners, Matteo and Sydney are strong leaders and we hope the group will provide an independent and supportive home for them free of any creative restraint, where they can deliver premium material that crosses clients, as well as borders.”