Paris, France /Rome, Italy –  Cyber Group Studios, a leading producer and distributor of animated series, has acquired a majority stake in the award-winning and veteran Italian animation studio Graphilm Entertainment. The acquisition will increase Cyber Group Studios’ creative and production capabilities to meet content demands in the European region and globally. This strategic partnership will also provide Graphilm Entertainment with major development opportunities for its own productions and original creations, thanks to the resources of Cyber Group Studios’ unique development and production facilities, and worldwide distribution network. In addition, Cyber Group Studios will benefit from access to Graphilm Entertainment’s catalog of kids and family content.

Founded in Rome in 1988 by Maurizio Forestieri, the company’s CEO, Graphilm Entertainment is a leading animation production company that has received numerous awards, among them three prestigious Pulcinella, including the Best Italian studio Award. Graphilm’s latest feature animation movie, The Case, has received eight awards. These include Best Animated Film at the NYIFA – New York International Film Awards™, Best Director at the New York Animation Film Awards in December 2021 and Best Animation at the Tokyo Film Awards this year. Originally commissioned by RAI (Italy), The Case was the most watched Italian feature animation movie on RAI’s channels in 2021.

Cyber Group Studios and Graphilm Entertainment already have a proven record of excellence together. The companies are behind the animated series Nefertine on The Nile, produced in partnership with RAI (Italy). The series received a Pulcinella Award for Best Pilotat Cartoons on the Bay.

In 2022, the companies will coproduce Alex Player (26×22’ CGI), an original Cyber Group Studios and Bee Prod creation (France). Commissioned by France Télévisions (France) and RAI (Italy), this new action-comedy series will be the very first kids’ animated program about E-Sports mixing 2D, CG and about E-Sports mixing 2D, CG and real-time animation technology. The companies will also work on an original Graphilm Entertainment’s creation entitled In the middle.

Cyber Group Studios, based in France, the U.S., UK, and Singapore, produces its own premium kids and family content. The company recently expanded its activities and partnerships around the world and just announced the acquisition of a majority stake in A Productions, one of the leading multi award-winning UK studios. In 2022, Cyber Group Studios has a strong roster of 10 series in production and over 10 more in development for linear broadcasters and platforms across all age groups from preschool to young adults.

Maurizio Forestieri, Founder and CEO of Graphilm Entertainment, declared: “I created our company 34 years ago and this association with Cyber Group Studios holds many promising projects and new original creations with partners we already know well and respect.” Added Anna Lucia Pisanelli, Executive Producer and Board member: “The new venture will enable our company to strengthen and consolidate its position as one of the leading Italian animation studios reaching out to world markets.”

Pierre Sissmann, Chairman and CEO, and Dominique Bourse, COO of Cyber Group Studios, said in a joint statement: “It is a real pleasure to form this partnership with our Italian friends of Graphilm Entertainment and to work with their multi award-winning and talented team to bring new creations and coproductions to kids and families on all five continents.”

About Cyber Group Studios:
Founded in 2005, Cyber Group Studios is a leading multi award-winning international producer and distributor of animated programs for an audience ranging from kids to young adults. The company is based in France, United States, UK, Italy, and Singapore, with strategic partners in Russia and China. Its team is driven by a passion for creating great stories targeted to a global audience on all continents. Its five production studios share a strong culture of innovation, offering audiences the best storytelling, animation, and music experience. Cyber Group Studios produces its own content as well as third-party productions that are distributed worldwide on all digital and linear platforms. It also engages in large-scale marketing and consumer products licensing programs of its characters and properties.

About Graphilm:
Graphilm is an award-winning animation production company founded in Rome in 1988. In over thirty years of activity, the company realized TV series, short films, feature films, video clips, and TV commercials. The company boasts a considerable number of collaborations with leading Italian, European, and overseas productions. Graphilm’s award-winning works have been screened in the most important Italian and international Film Festivals, the Cannes Film Festival, and the Berlinale among them. Graphilm has created the TV series for kids Boo-Boom (26×26’), a Graphilm/Rai production, distributed by Beta Film (Germany) around the world. In 2019, the company produced the short film Hanukkah – The Festival of Lights (15’), which was broadcasted on Rai Gulp in 2020 and sold to NRK in Norway and KAN in Israel. In 2020, Graphilm completed the TV series Nefertine on the Nile (52×11’), a Graphilm, Waooh! Cyber Group Studios production \in collaboration with Rai Ragazzi, was successfully launched on Rai’s children’s channel Rai YoYo on Spring 2021. In fall 2021, DeAgostini publisher launched a series of storybooks and activity books based on the series. New products will be released in 2022. On December 31st, 2021, Rai released the film The Case (40’) which was the most watched Italian animated movies across all Rai Channels in 2021. The film won several awards at Film Festivals around the world and is now running for new competitions. The company is now working at a new projects of TV Show for Kids. Graphilm is one of the most all-round and professionally cutting-edge Italian studios, able to create a perfect mix of art and industry. Graphilm’s mission is to create contents and a made-in-Italy brand for the international market.