Canadian television show to debut in French speaking countries

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Wednesday, May 9, 2007

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CBC Television's hit show Little Mosque on the Prairie is set to debut in France, Switzerland, and French-speaking African countries.

The show, which is owned by WestWind Pictures, is a comedy about a Muslim family living in Canada's Prairies, in a largely Muslim populated fictional town called Mercy, Saskatchewan. It deals with day-to-day life between the North American culture and Muslim culture and has been featured around the world with reviews from The New York Times to The Daily Telegraph.

French television company Canal+ Group will distribute the show's first season in July to non-subscribers of Canal+, a channel which viewers must subscribe to watch. French voice-actors will dub the show in all three regions' local French dialect.

"Little Mosque On The Prairie's international success is a testament to the quality of Canadian talent and how it is embraced around the world," said Kirstine Layfield, executive director of network programming with CBC Television.

Mary Darling of Westwind Pictures said the show creates a good understanding between both cultures.

"When people came in the booth and sat down to talk to us, the first sentence wasn't: 'Hey, hilarious show, love the jokes, what a laugh.' Instead, it was viewed as a show that's needed beyond comic relief. People are looking at it to break down barriers, build bridges, create understanding, and find a voice for people who are unheard or unrepresented," Darling said.

The series premiere gained 2.1 million viewers; it gained an average of 1.2 million viewers for the first season. The second season is already in filming and is set to air this fall.