Asacha Media Group Buys ‘Les Misérables’ Producer SRAB Films

Jesse Whittock
·2 min read
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France’s Asacha Media Group has acquired compatriot SRAB Films, the firm behind Ladj Ly’s Oscar-nominated Les Misérables.

The expanding media group says the deal will accelerate its development as “an independent European production studio dedicated to scripted content.” The company already owns the likes of Red Planet Pictures, along with a number of unscripted companies.

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Paris-based production company SRAB was founded in 2015 by Toufik Ayadi and Christophe Barral. It works closely with emerging French talent such as Nadège Loiseau, Vincent Cardona and Franco Lolli and notably produced Ladj Ly’s Les Misérables, the Amazon Studios acquisition that was awarded with the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival 2019 and four Césars, including Best Film, in 2020. It was also nominated for Best International Film at the Oscars in 2020.

It was also behind Kery James and Leïla Sy’s Banlieusards for Netflix and will be in official competition at the Venice Mostra for Saint-Omer, Alice Diop’s first feature movie.

“This acquisition enables Asacha to reinforce our talent pool by accessing a new generation of top cinema talents,” said Gaspard de Chavagnac and Marina Williams, Asacha’s co-CEOs in a statement. “Christophe, Toufik and the Asacha team share a common vision of ultra-creative and premium films and series. We look forward to supporting SRAB with the production of future films destined to theatres, and series for streaming platforms.”

“We are very proud of the trust Asacha grants us with this investment in our mission to bring new talents at the forefront of our industry. Joining Asacha will help us achieve many great challenges while staying true to our beliefs and core values,” added Barral and Ayadi.

The pair founded SRAB in 2015 and have since produced 20 shorts and several long form features.

Asacha, which is supported by funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, claims to have reached a consolidated turnover of more than €230M ($231M) per year and currently produces more than 80 programs annually. It has production assets in the France, the UK, Italy and the Middle East.

Asacha said SRAB would benefit from its creative network and its collaborative approach to bringing talent together with key French and other European broadcasters. European co-productions between SRAB and other Asacha production companies are already in the pipeline.

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