Cyber Group Studios takes majority stake in Italy’s Graphilm Entertainment

L-R: Maurizio Forestieri & Anna Lucia Pisanelli of Graphilm Entertainment

French animation producer and distributor Cyber Group Studios has acquired a majority stake in Italian animation studio Graphilm Entertainment.

The company says that the acquisition will allow it to expand and meet increased content demands in Europe and globally, while also providing Graphilm with development opportunities for its own productions, while making use of Cyber Group’s facilities and distribution network. In addition, Cyber Group will gain access to Graphilm’s catalog of kids and family content.

Graphilm was founded in Rome in 1988 by CEO Maurizio Forestieri and is behind projects including animated movie The Case, which was most watched Italian feature animation movie on Italian brodcaster RAI’s channels in 2021.

Cyber Group and Graphilm have worked together previously on the animated series Nefertine On The Nile, produced in partnership with RAI and are currently set to co-produce the upcoming Alex Player, a 26 x 22-minute original Cyber Group and Bee Prod creation commissioned by France Télévisions and RAI. The companies will also work on an original Graphilm creation entitled In the middle.

This latest acquisition for Cyber Group follows the announcement that it had taken a majority stake in UK animation house A Productions last month “as part of a wider business strategy to expand into new global markets.”

Maurizio Forestieri, founder and CEO of Graphilm Entertainment, commented: “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.”

Pierre Sissmann, chairman and CEO, and Dominique Bourse, COO of Cyber Group Studios, added 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.”