TLN’s recent investment in Riverbank Pictures’ thriller Darker Than Night is part of the media co’s long-term strategy to invest in more English-language programming for its TLN Television channel.

The feature is produced by Riverbank father-son duo David and Francis Mitchell. It features a multicultural cast fronted by actress Bea Santos (The Handmaid’s Tale), who stars as a recently blinded young woman whose peaceful weekend is interrupted by a shadowy threat. The film debuts on TLN Television Oct. 28 at 9 p.m.

TLN Media Group’s senior director of communications and marketing, Bruna Aloe, told Playback Daily that it was a combination of Darker Than Night‘s diverse cast, the broadcaster’s long-standing relationship with Riverbank and the company’s goal of reaching a larger multicultural audience that led to the channel to invest in the feature.

Launched in 1984, Aloe said that TLN Television’s early years were dedicated to serving Hispanic and Italian-Canadians. However, over the course of the past 10 years or so, the channel has become more focused on programming and investing in English-language content. “We’ve launched dedicated all-Italian and all-Spanish channels to continue to support our core original audiences, but the TLN Media Group right now is branching out and wants to tell the culturally connected stories of the various cultures,” said Aloe.

Aloe said, with this project and others like it, TLN aims to appeal to viewers’ appetite for more multicultural stories and programming, and hopes to represent the breadth of Canada’s diversity on screen. Aloe added TLN Television is looking to appeal to the children of its core audience, in addition to more mainstream viewers.

Riverbank has previously produced a raft of lifestyle content for TLN, including seasons one and two of The Chef’s Bar and numerous episodes of its Opening series, both starring chefs Rob Rossi and Craig Harding.

Riverbank’s next project for TLN is a continuation of its Opening series, Opening: Spain, and is set to premiere on the channel in 2019. Riverbank’s Francis Mitchell said he hopes to produce more original films for TLN. “There’s a real outlet there at TLN for original films continuing to feature diverse casts and telling unique stories,” he said.

Exec producers on Darker Than Night include TLN Media Group president Aldo Di Felice, Jonny Chu, Franco Chu and Richard Bergmann. The film also stars Atticus Mitchell (Killjoys), Melinda Shankar (Slasher) and Erik Knudsen (The Mist).  TLN Media Group holds the Canadian rights to the feature.