Sinking Ship partners with Paper Owl Films on Finding Audrey movie

Canada’s Sinking Ship Entertainment and Northern Ireland’s Paper Owl Films announced today their new partnership on the latter’s movie adaptation of the bestselling Sophie Kinsella novel, Finding Audrey.

The two award-winning companies are co-developing the project, with Paper Owl Films producing and Sinking Ship Entertainment distributing internationally.

The movie adaptation is being envisioned as a family film, and is in the advanced stage of development ahead of Kidscreen in February 2022.

Based on Sophie Kinsella’s bestselling novel of the same name, Finding Audrey is the heartfelt, meaningful, and sometimes hilarious story of a teenage girl suffering from social anxiety disorder. After a triggering bullying incident at school, Audrey is unable to venture out of her house and hides from the world with the help of dark sunglasses.

This new family film tells the story of Audrey’s journey to recovery, with the help of her chaotic but loving family and a boy named Linus. Finding Audrey mixes live-action, animation and special effects to create a quirky, comedic, and emotive viewing experience that will resonate with today’s families.

Sophie Kinsella says: “I’m thrilled to have worked with Paper Owl Films on this exciting and imaginative adaptation of Finding Audrey. I can’t wait for fans of my book to see the characters come to life on screen, and also for a wider audience to meet Audrey and her family. I hope viewers will really engage with the storyline and the issues surrounding teenage mental health.”

“Using Sophie’s novel as our springboard, we’ve deliberately included a mix of live action, animation and special effects in Finding Audrey to create a highly engaging and emotive viewing experience for our family targeted audience,” says Grainne McGuinness, Creative Director at Paper Owl Films “Together with the characters’ mix of perspectives and their evolution within the story, we hope this adaption will continue Sophie’s mission to blow the lid off existing social attitudes to mental health.”

Kate Sanagan, Head of Sales and Distribution from Sinking Ship Entertainment adds: “We’re excited to be partnering with Paper Owl Films on this important project. We were immediately drawn to Finding Audrey’s perceptive take on mental health and teenagers, and we are confident that the series’ creative and engaging format will resonate with both broadcasters and audiences worldwide.”

Jetpack acquires worldwide rights for new Paper Owl Films preschool shows

Global kids’ content distributor Jetpack Distribution has acquired the worldwide rights for three brand-new pre-school animated shows from the award-winning Northern Ireland-based animation outfit, Paper Owl Films.

Comprising 26 two-minute episodes (with series two in development), Ladybird & Bee (pictured) tells the charming stories of the natural world as seen from the perspective of two tiny best friends, with viewers learning things about them and their habitats along the way. Commissioned by Irish public service broadcaster RTÉjr, Ladybird & Bee launched in Irish in March, and will launch in English on 4 October.

With 52 eleven-minute episodes planned and due to go into production late 2023, Mr Dog is based on the best-selling books by Ben Fogle about a globe-trotting pooch who solves other animals’ problems in lovable, funny and often mischievous ways.

Finally, Florida – also comprising 52 eleven-minute episodes and set to be produced in late 2023 – highlights the wonders of engineering, and features a girl (the Florida of the title) who has come to live with Aunt G in her GEM (Gadgets of Everyday Marvel) shop, where the ‘gems’ are wonders of human invention and creativity. With imagination and plenty of optimism, Florida and her friends help these unwanted objects find a new purpose in the world.

These shows from Paper Owl Films make delightful, quirky and unique additions to our preschool catalogue,” says Jetpack’s CEO, Dominic Gardiner. “They are gently introducing young children to concepts such as teamwork, helping others, using creativity, exploring the world around you and looking at everyday objects in new ways. All are set in locations that preschoolers will find fascinating and intriguing. Something that we love to encourage in young audiences.”

Jetpack Distribution was founded in 2014 and it has gone on to become a leading global distributor of kids shows including Master Moley, Clangers, Chuggington, Mighty Little Bheem, WolfTalking Tom and Friends, Yoko, Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed and Kitty is Not a Cat. The company distributes an extensive catalogue of award-winning kids’ properties through a wide variety of channels, from traditional broadcasters to digital platforms.

Paper Owl Films’ Creative Director, Gráinne Mc Guinness, says: “We’re honoured that Jetpack is distributing these shows that are very close to our hearts. Paper Owl Films is committed to delivering memorable content that has a positive impact on young preschoolers – whether that’s as simple as a giggle or helping them learn valuable lessons through fun and funny content. This ranges from the beauty of natural biodiversity balance with best ‘beasties’ Ladybird and Bee, madcap animal rescues with Mr Dog, or being inspired by Florida’s confidence and commitment to a better world for everyone she meets.”