StudioCanal Buys Majority Stake in ‘My Best Friend Anne Frank’ Producer Dutch FilmWorks

StudioCanal has acquired a majority stake in Dutch FilmWorks, a leading independent producer/distributor in the Benelux region, for an undisclosed sum.

The producer of local-language titles, including My Best Friend Anne Frank and holiday family franchise The Claus Family, Dutch FilmWorks is also the leading indie distributor in the Benelux region, having released such films as The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Midway and The Wolf of Wall Street. The company boasts a film catalog of more than 900 Dutch and international titles.

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StudioCanal will add Dutch FilmWorks to its growing slate of European production labels. The company, which is owned by Vivendi-backed Canal+ Group, already controls Tandem Production and Lailaps Films in Germany, RED Production, Urban Myth Films and SunnyMarchTV in the U.K., Spain’s Bambu Producciones and SAM Productions in Scandinavia.

“I am proud to welcome Dutch FilmWorks to StudioCanal. Our values align across production, acquisitions and distribution, as well as through a shared creative vision,” said StudioCanal CEO Anna Marsh in unveiling the deal Monday.

Dutch FilmWorks’ bosses, including CEO Willem Pruijssers, co-CEO Marcel De Block and COO René van Turnhout, will remain on board following the deal.

“After 25 years working as an independent, it is an exciting step but with many opportunities for growth, including more possibilities to bring Dutch and Flemish content to an international audience,” Pruijssers said.

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