CD, Stopline board 'Red Brazil'

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Canada's CD Films and Portugal's Stopline Filmes have boarded two-part miniseries "Rouge Bresil" (Red Brazil), a groundbreaking high-end Brazilian international co-production. Currently shooting in Rio, "Red" turns on the creation in 1555 of the French colony in Rio de Janeiro, and its later destruction, roiled by religious wars. Swede Stellan Skarsgard ("Pirates of the Caribbean," "Thor") is playing the principled French Admiral Villegaignon, the French colony's founder, and Portugal's Joaquin de Almeida ("Fast Five") plays "Red's" villain, Joao da Silva. France Televisions Distribution has taken international sales rights. Marking its final financing mix, "Red" is also produced by Nicolas Traube's Pampa Films in France and Brazil's Conspiracao Filmes, one of Brazil's biggest film-TV companies, in association with Gallic pubcaster channel France Televisions, Globo Filmes and Rio Town Hall equity investment and p&a fund RioFilme. Budgeted at Reais 20 million ($11.3 million), "Red" marks the first high-bracket historical TV fiction investment for Conspiracao, COO Ricardo Rangel said at a presentation of "Red" first footage Wednesday at the Rio Film Festival. It is also the first TV investment by RioFilme, made via a minimum guarantee against international rights, added RioFilme prexy Sergio Sa Leitao. As Brazil's film and TV industry sees exponential market growth -- theatrical B.O. rocketed 156% from 2005 to 2010's $756 million; Brazil's TV market grew 22% in 2010 vs. 2009 to $12.2 billion -- "Red" wasn't the only first unveiled Wednesday at the Rio Fest. Another was RioFilme's first slate financing deal with a producer, Augusto Case's Rio-based pic production house Case, Sa Leitao told Variety. RioFilme has taken equity investments in three movies: 2011 hit release, Jose Alvarenga Jr.'s "Cilada.com," which grossed $15.9 million, and two upcoming 2013 releases, Felipe Joffily's "E ai, comeu," based on Marcelo Paiva's play, and Mauro Mendonca Filho's "No Retrovisor." The slate financing deal rolls off a local comedy boom in Brazil. RioFilme invested originally in Joffily's laffer "Muita calma nessa hora," produced by Case, which grossed $6.5 million in 2010. In yet another first, as the Brazilian film industry rapidly catches up or surges ahead compared with more established film industries in other countries, RioFilme announced its first analysis of its own investment stats. Over 2009-11, it has ploughed Reais60 million ($33.8 million) into 170 projects, spread over festivals, features and shorts. These include 42 features. Total Brazilian B.O. in 2011 on the five films in which RioFilme has invested is 5.5 million admissions, said Sa Leitao. Rate of return on investment for 2011 has run at about 90%, he added. Hardly surprisingly, RioFilme wants more: RioFilme and Brazil's state-backed BNDES bank have now raised Reais18 million ($10.1 million) for a new fund that will invest from 2012 in companies, Sa Leitao added. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com