Streamer Sohu Video and five regional broadcasters pick up ZDF Studios series 

VOLTAIRE IN LOVE

Voltaire In Love

Chinese streamer Sohu Video and a raft of local broadcasters have picked up a French-language period drama from Germany’s ZDF Studios.

Voltaire In Love (4 x 52 minutes) is from Siècle Productions in co-production with France Télévisions and stars Thomas Solivérès (The Intouchables) as the titular philosopher.

Sohu Video picked up the show from Paris-based distributor Bolytics, which also struck deals with five major regional channels: Sichuan TV, Guizhou TV, Shandong TV, Henan TV, and Jilin TV.

The series – whose cast also includes Christa Theret, Eric Caravaca and Hippolyte Girardot – explores Voltaire’s early life and evolution, set against the backdrop of 18th Century Europe.

It was produced in 2020 and debuted in France a year later, with Alain Tasma directing and George-Marc Benamou producing and writing.

Bo Zhang

Bolytics founder Bo Zhang

Bo Zhang, founder and chief exec at Bolytics, said the deals “underscore a rising appetite in China for high-quality, international scripted content”.

Bolytics was launched by Zhang to take European content to buyers across Asia.