Kansai TV eyes the market for remakes after Two Galaxy Award wins
June 2, 2023
Building on the success of the Galaxy Award Grand Prize win for “Elpis”, and The Outstanding Work Galaxy Award (known as the Individual Award in Japan) presented to Masami Nagasawa the female lead in “Elpis” on 31st May 2023, and screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto’s (writer of “My Dear Exes”) Best Screenplay Award for “Kaibutsu” (Monster) at the Cannes Film Festival last week Kansai TV broadens the markets it operates in.
With its new crime suspense series “Informa” already making waves locally Kansai TV is taking advantage of Japan’s attractive TV ecosystem to expand its reach and appeal to global audiences. “Informa” is available outside of Japan on Netflix in 190 countries from March of this year. Closely followed by “Naked Dining ~Love, Life and Liberation~” released outside Japan on GagaOOLala in April. Having produced programs in a diverse range of genres Kansai TV’s content slate which already includes the Galaxy Award-winning drama series “Elpis”, as well as “My Dangerous Wife”, “He Who Can’t Marry” is continuing to grow with the non-scripted co-development with Fremantle of “Quiz Pong” and the non-scripted co- development of “Crazy Carousel” with Red Arrow Studio.
The Galaxy Award-winning series “Elpis” premiered in Cannes at the International Co- Production and Entertainment Content Market, MIPCOM CANNES last October. The series about a disgraced TV anchor who fights to free a falsely-convicted man on death row is inspired by a true story – and Elpis, the Greek god of hope and despair. It features female protagonist played Galaxy Award Winner Masami Nagasawa experiencing sexism in the TV industry, and has a strong female cast, led by female producer (Ayumi Sano) and a female scriptwriter (Aya Watanabe). It stars Gordon Maeda and Toko Miura, the star from Best International Film Academy Award ® winner “Drive My Car” (2021).
The Galaxy Awards were established in 1963 to honour outstanding programs that have significantly elevated the quality of Japanese broadcasting. The Awards are seen as equivalent to the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) and are given out annually by members of the Japan Council for Better Radio and Television.
Two years prior to his Cannes Film Festival win Sakamoto wrote the hit series “My Dear Exes” for Kansai TV which is also produced by Ayumi Sano (Producer of “Elpis”), which follows the journey of a 40-year-old divorcee raising her 14-year-old daughter whilst heading up a construction company. After three divorces, Omameda is pursuing independence. The dramedy portrays different hilarious interactions between Omameda and her three ex-husbands, with the troubles they face.
Kansai TV looks to accelerate the development of its global IP-based television series content by remaking local series hits of the international market.
Commenting on the success at the Galaxy Awards Miho Okada, Executive Managing Director, Kansai TV said: “We see this as being the first of many. The Galaxy Award provides a firm foundation for exploiting this remake market.”
Commenting on the Galaxy Awards, Ayumi Sano, Producer of Elpis said: “Every drama has its own birth pains and a great many people work hard before it is released to the world, but this drama has benefited from the help of so many people, including those whose names cannot be mentioned publicly. First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone involved.
False accusations are crimes committed by the state. We started this project with the idea that we would like to make people aware of the existence of such horrific crimes in the society we live in, and to spread the word about them in the form of entertainment. This is the really excitement of producing series. Encouraged by this award, I will continue to devote myself to making more dramas that educate society.”