The distributor sold the series to AMC Plus in the region, along with SBS Australia, SYN HF (Iceland), Rialto Film Channel (New Zealand), Streamz BV (Belgium) and Bell Media’s Crave (Canada), as well as a multi-territory deal with Viaplay Group that includes the US, Canada and the UK.
Global film and TV studio Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content) has secured a raft of international sales for returning series The Congregation, the gripping six-episode drama from TV4 and C More, which explores the notorious real life Swedish cult murder in Knutby that shook the nation in 2004.
The upcoming season two will be titled The Congregation: Bride of Christ.
Handling worldwide sales on the series (excl. the Nordics and Baltics), Fifth Season has inked a multi-territory deal with Viaplay Group that includes the US, Canada and the UK. The Congregation has also sold to SBS Australia, SYN HF (Iceland), AMC Plus (Latin America), Rialto Film Channel (New Zealand), Streamz BV (Belgium) and Bell Media’s Crave (Canada).
The Congregation is produced by B-Reel for TV4 and C More and is helmed by director Goran Kapetanović (Caliphate). The series is based on Jonas Bonnier’s fictionalised retelling Knutby: The Day of the Lord and stars Alba August and Aliette Opheim.
In the summer of 1999, soul-searching Anna moves to Knutby, a small village not far from Stockholm, Sweden, to start her new life in the tight-knit Pentecostal community. There is something extraordinary about Knutby, the leadership within the congregation “knows” that the Second Coming of Christ will occur in their little village. And when Christ returns, he will take his bride. Slowly, the idyllic façade that surrounds the Congregation begins to disintegrate, revealing a sex cult and sinister web of intrigue, in which a deeply rooted and dangerous devotion to faith drives Anna to kill in the name of the Lord.
Jennifer Ebell, EVP of EMEA Sales and Acquisitions at Fifth Season, said: “Since launching, “The Congregation” has gripped audiences across its Nordic home through its retelling of sinister events that were driven by manipulation, social exclusion, and power games – unpacking the story behind the headlines. When we first acquired the title, we saw vast potential for this small-town story, which shines a light on the potentially devastating impacts of dangerous ideologies and the people who use them to gain control, to resonate globally. We’re glad to be partnering with leading platforms and broadcasters to take this show to new international audiences.”
