Banijay's Producers of Prime Video Hit ‘Cult' and Makers of Max's ‘A Devoted Friend' Team for Another True Story, ‘The Kiabi Scammer' Series
The makers of Prime Video's French hit show 'Cult'(pictured) and Max's first French original 'A Devoted Friend,' Banijay's Screenline Productions and Studiofact Stories are partnering up on 'The Kiabi Scammer,' another show based on a true story.
The series, which is produced in partnership with the French newspaper Le Parisien, is inspired by their bombshell investigation published last October and revolving around the story Aurélie B, a woman-next-door who embezzled more than 100 million euros while working as a financial director for the brand Kiabi for more than ten years. The probe revealed how Aurélie exploited the flaws in the financial systems and was ultimately arrested by police last August. The case is still ongoing.
'Cult,' produced by Screenline and 27 Tribe for Prime Video, was inspired by the real-life events of 'Loft Story,' the French adaptation of 'Big Brother' which marked the country's first reality show of this kind in 2001.
'A devoted friend,' produced by StudioFact Stories and June Films for Max, is psychological thriller adapted from the novel 'La Mythomane du Bataclan,' starring Laure Calamy ('Call My Agent!'). Calamy stars as the woman who conned her way into a victims' association in the aftermath of the terror attack at the Bataclan concert hall in 2015 and quickly became one of its pillars.
'The Aurélie B. case is a fascinating case that reveals the mechanics of an extraordinary fraud. By focusing on a complex character with a dark, romantic side and modern writing, we aim toreach a wide audience with a taste for stories based on real events,' said Alexia Laroche Joubert, Banijay France director and Screen Line Productions' Frederic Lussato. 'Screenline made a remarkable entry into fiction with 'Cult' and we are committed to maintaining our high standards in order to offer stories that are both powerful and immersive, meeting the expectations of the market and the ambition of Banijay in this field.'
Jacques Aragones and Roxane Rouas-Rafowicz, managers and founders of StudioFact Media group and Ivan Sadik, managing director of StudioFact Stories, said 'the story of Aurélie B. fits perfectly withthe StudioFact DNA: Telling the real story, with all its highs and lows, as close to the facts as possible.'
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