Italian Animation Indie Graphilm Regains Full Ownership

Following the liquidation of Cyber Group Studios, Rome-based animation studio Graphilm Entertainment has regained full ownership of the company and will now operate once again as a fully independent Italian production studio.

As part of this process, Graphilm has also regained Cyber Group Studios’ quota in the animated IP McFire Family. This development allows the company to continue the production of Season 1 of the series, which has already been commissioned by Rai Kids (Italy).

In parallel, Graphilm has recently signed a contract with Rai Kids (Italy) for the pre-acquisition of Season 2 of Nefertine on the Nile (Nefertina sul Nilo), while Rai Com, the commercial branch of the Italian pubcaster, has secured worldwide distribution of both seasons of the show and will represent the title on the international market. The second season of the show took form as a co-production between Graphilm Srl (Italy) and CGS 3D (Tunisia), in collaboration with Rai Kids.

The first season of Nefertine on the Nile has already been broadcast by Rai YoYo and RaiPlay (Italy), Česká televize (Czech Republic), MTVA (Hungary), RTP (Portugal), First Channel (Armenia), WIZ (Israel), Mediacorp (Singapore), Canal+ Cha Tate (Myanmar), and Majid (United Arab Emirates).

“Graphilm keeps carrying on its mission to create original, high-quality content with strong international appeal, navigating the deep changes brought by new technologies, and remaining committed to promoting and preserving Italian and European creativity and talent,” said Maurizio Forestieri, the company’s Director & CEO.

Producer Anna Lucia Pisanelli added, “We firmly believe that the mix of talent and expertise, together with the sharing of values and vision, is the key to addressing the challenges of the global market. With this in mind, we aim to strengthen and expand our relationships with international co-producers and broadcasters, focusing on strategic alliances that place content excellence at the center.”

Graphilm was founded in 1988 by Forestieri, an award-winning director. Over the decades, the studio has produced television series, short films, feature films, video clips and TV commercials, collaborating with leading Italian, European and international partners. Graphilm’s works have been screened and awarded at major Italian and international film festivals, including Rockie Awards, Cannes Film Festival and the Berlinale, and the company’s mission remains producing strong IPs with an international appeal and bringing made-in-Italy contents on the global spotlight.

Over its long history, Graphilm has built a substantial and internationally recognized catalog of animated and audiovisual works. The studio’s library includes the French–Italian co-production Alex Player (2024); the award-winning short film TO BE (2024); the award-winning medium-length film The Case (La Custodia, 2021), winner of more than 40 awards worldwide including a Rockie Award; the Belgium-Italian coproduction Nefertine on the Nile S1 (2021) ; and Hannukkah – The Festival of Lights (2019); the TV series Boo Boom (2016) distributed worldwide by Beta Film (Germany); and more.

The studio’s current production pipeline includes Season 2 of Nefertine on the Nile, McFire Family, the serialization of the coming-of-age cyberbullying short film TO BE, and additional titles that will be announced in due course.

animationmagazine.net