Quebec City’s Amuz Distribution has inked a format licence agreement for the scripted comedy series Writer’s Block (Productions Casablanca), marking the distribution company’s first deal since being rebranded from ComediHa! Distribution in May.

Gaumont U.S. has secured the rights to produce a Spanish-language version of the series (pictured) in what is described as the first sale of the show’s IP in more than a decade, according to a news release. The project will be overseen by the Gaumont U.S. Latin American team, based in Los Angeles.

Writer’s Block is described as a tale of two screenwriters “at the end of their creative ropes.” It’s won 11 Gémeaux Awards, according to the release.

Blue Ant International

Blue Ant International has secured multiple sales of history-themed series and documentaries to platforms across Central and Eastern Europe, including a number of titles from Canadian prodcos.

The sales include series from Toronto prodco Saloon Media: History by the Numbers (20 x 60 minutes); Mysteries from Above (20 x 60 minutes); and a copro with the U.K.’s Bigger Bang Productions, Searching for Secrets (6 x 60 minutes). The three series have been picked up by Poland’s Canal+ Polska. Searching for Secrets and History by the Numbers have also been picked up by Romania’s RCS & RDS, and Mysteries from Above has been acquired Czech Republic’s FTV Prima and LRT in Lithuania.

FTV Prima has also picked up a coproduction between Montreal’s Handel Productions and the U.K.’s Pioneer Productions, Last Day of the Dinosaurs (1 x 68 minutes), and The Real Hunt for Red October (2 x 60 minutes) by Muse Entertainment.

Knowledge Network

British Columbia public broadcaster Knowledge Network has picked up Canadian rights to Kent Donguines’ feature documentary, Treasure of the Rice Terraces, which began production in January and is expected to wrap in December.

Jacob Crawford and Bailey Wood of B.C.-based Crawford Filmworks are the film’s producers, with Donguines’ banner Aimer Films also listed as a production company. Vancouver-based Epicmedia’s head of production Patti Lapus and Grace Palicas are coproducers, according to a news release.

The doc will follow the Filipino-Canadian filmmaker on a journey to meet a 106-year-old Indigenous tattoo artist. Donguines is the director and also wrote the film with Zlatina Pacheva. Filming is set for Manila and Buscalan, Philippines, and Vancouver.

Treasure of the Rice Terraces was developed through Hot Docs’ Doc Accelerator program and received development support from Rogers Group of Funds, Creative BC and the Indigenous Screen Office. Knowledge Network and Canada Media Fund came in later, “allowing Donguines and the team the ability to begin filming,” said the release.

With files from Victoria Ahearn

Photo courtesy of Amuz Distribution