Vote of confidence for the Cyprus film program

On Tuesday, the national investment agency Invest Cyprus issued a statement congratulating another foreign production for choosing Cyprus as the location for its shoot.

"Earlier this week, it was revealed that a four-part series entitled Love Rat would be filmed in Cyprus," the agency stated.

According to the agency, Love Rat, a fantasy that transforms into a terrifying psychological thriller and is produced by Chalkboard's scripted sister company, Clapperboard, and distributed internationally by Entertainment One (eOne), has recently been announced by Channel 5, the third-largest commercial TV station in the UK and owned by leading global media and entertainment company, Paramount Global.

Chalkboard, which previously produced Cold Call in 2019 and Storyboard Studios in Scotland, are partners in Clapperboard Studios, a fictional label.

Additionally, Clapperboard has created a wide range of dramas for Channel 5, including the critically acclaimed The Teacher, the comedy-drama The Madame Blanc Mysteries, and the highly successful Intruder.

The development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution, and sale of entertainment content are further specialties of Entertainment One Ltd (eOne).

EOne's experience covers film and television production and sales, production, distribution, and brand management of children's and family properties, as well as other digital content. EOne is a subsidiary of the global play and entertainment corporation Hasbro.

Love Rat has been preapproved for the Cyprus Film Scheme, often known as Olivewood, in the meantime.

The production will start shooting in Cyprus this month, and Channel 5 will screen it in 2023.

Ramon Tikaram, Alexis Georgoulis, Neil Morrissey, and Sally Lindsay make up the ensemble cast.

The four-part series, will follow newly divorced Emm,played by Sally Lindsay (The Madame Blanc Mysteries), as she embarks on a brief holiday romance with attractive hotel owner Niko, played by Alexis Georgoulis (The Durrells), on the idyllic island of Cyprus.

She learns that Niko and his accomplice George, played by Ramon Tikaram (Pennyworth, Brassic, The Great), have conned her out of her life savings, and with the help of her ex-husband Pete, played by Neil Morrissey (Line of Duty, Unforgotten), she sets out on a perilous expedition to recover her money.

Sebastian Cardwell, Deputy Chief Content Officer, UK at Paramount, ordered Love Rat for Channel 5.

The lead writer is Polly Buckle from "A Discovery of Witches," while the director is Katherine Churcher from "Grantchester" and "Killing Eve."

Sally Lindsay joined the cast and said, "Love Rat is a brilliantly entertaining story, full of twists and surprises; it really turns the topic on its head which is what drew me to the project."

"Emma is an interesting and layered character that everyone will be rooting for as she takes control of her situation and her destiny," she continued.

Sebastian Cardwell, Deputy Chief Content Officer at Paramount UK, commented on the newest addition to Channel 5's schedule, saying, "I’m really happy to work once more with the creative and talented team at Clapperboard Studios to bring Love Rat to screens, and with a stellar cast including Sally Lindsay, who our viewers know and love as Jean White in The Madame Blanc Mysteries and in Cold Call prior to that."

This psychological thriller is "expanding Channel 5’s original drama slate, this psychological thriller promises to be one to remember," he continued.

"In developing Love Rat, we were determined to avoid some of the cliches and tropes you might expect when exploring such a provocative subject matter," said Mike Benson, Managing Director of Clapperboard.

"Polly and the team have done a brilliant job adding nuance, surprise and authenticity to the story and characters – and of course, it’s lovely to be working once more with the multi-talented Sally Lindsay," he continued

The head of Invest Cyprus' Filming unit, Lefteris Eleftheriou, expressed his satisfaction that Cyprus was chosen as the shooting location.

Eleftheriou added, "We are thrilled that Channel 5 and Paramount have approved and are now supporting a production in Cyprus."

"Olivewood is steadily gaining traction as an audiovisual production destination. Invest Cyprus will continue to promote and support international productions that recognise Cyprus’s benefits and choose it over many other locations," he added.

By fLEXI tEAM