The distributor has acquired international distribution rights to the dark comedy series produced by Hélicotronc and Unité for ARTE and RTBF, which is part of the event’s official selection.
Federation (Pascal Breton and Lionel Uzan) has acquired the world distribution rights to Good People (6 X 52′), a dark comedy series produced by Hélicotronc and Unité for ARTE and the Series Fund of the French Community of Belgium (FWB) / RTBF.
The series is in official selection at Series Mania 2022 in the International Panorama section. It will be presented in Lille on Wednesday March 23rd at 8:30 PM at the UGC Ciné-Cité alongside the film’s talent with a second screening set for March 24th at 4:30 PM at the same theater.
Following the international success of The Break (also produced by Hélicotronc and distributed by Federation), Good People was created and directed by Stéphane Bergmans, Benjamin d’Aoust and Matthieu Donck and produced by Julie Esparbes and Anthony Rey for Hélicotronc and Caroline Nataf for Unité, in coproduction with RTBF, Proximus and ARTE France. The cast includes Lucas Meister (The Break), Bérangère McNeese (Matriochkas, HPI), Peter Van den Begin (Tabula Rasa, King of the Belgians), India Hair (Mandibules), Gwen Berrou, Michaël Abiteboul, Lucile Vignolles and Dominique Pinon, plus special appearances by local stars on both sides of the Franco-Belgian border, François Damiens and Corinne Masiero.
A dark comedy about ordinary crime, the series brilliantly combines the slapstick humor and thriller genres through a unique visual style to tell the story of Good People doing bad things despite their best intentions.
The story follows a couple of thirtysomethings Tom (Lucas Meister) and Linda (Bérangère McNeese), a policeman and a beautician respectively. They live in Belgium along the French border and are on the verge of bankruptcy. Caught between a rock and a hard place, they embark on a get-rich-quick life insurance scam in an attempt to give themselves a fresh start someplace sunny.
Their plan is going pretty well… until everything goes wrong. Joining them on their misadventures is Serge (Peter Van den Begin), Linda’s out-of-control ex-con cousin, Philippe, a French gendarme with whom Linda had an affair (Michael Abiteboul) and his partner Stéphane (India Hair), Joseph (Nicolas Buysse), a cop who is waiting for the case that will help his career finally take off, Cathy (Lucile Vignolles), an insurance broker who wants to investigate no matter what, Corinne (Gwen Berrou), Tom’s very pious and very cumbersome sister.
Good People also tells the story of a small border town between France and Belgium and its people who can’t seem to face the evil eating away at their community.
Shooting took place in the summer of 2021 in Belgium and the Ardennes region of France.
Good People marks a continuation of Federation’s successful collaboration with production companies Hélicotronc and Unité. Federation acquired distribution rights for The Break, and has sold its two seasons to 45 countries including the United States, Germany, Spain and Scandinavian territories among others. Federation is also the distributor of Unité’s series Mytho and Twice Upon a Time.
