Almond Entertainment becomes a publishing agent for MAVKA brand

MAVKA brand and Nerd agency announced a partnership with Almond Entertainment to represent publishing rights for MAVKA in Romania, Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Turkey, MENA, India, China, Mexico, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Canada, and the U.S.

MAVKA. THE FOREST SONG brand, based on an animated movie, released across 148 countries during 2023-2024. Having earned more than $21 million box-office, Mavka has become one of the most successful indie animation releases of recent years. Now, it’s available on most VOD platforms and is being released on free TV. 

The feature film is based on a classic book “The Forest Song” by the famous Ukrainian writer Lesya Ukrainka. The plot and characters are connected to ancient images of Ukrainian mythology. Mavka — a Soul of the Forest and its Guardian — faces an impossible choice between love and her duty as guardian to the Heart of the Forest when she falls in love with a human — the talented young musician Lukas.

The animated movie is for a family audience with a core target of children 4-14 years old.  Brand values are caring for nature, authenticity, natural beauty, defending your home and values, and kindness in your heart. 

Nerd agency (FILM.UA Group) develops the licensing program for MAVKA brand worldwide. Mavka brand’s licensing program attracted over 50 licensees and launched over 450 SKUs, including apparel, jewellery, back-to-school products, toys, board games, cosmetics, and many more.  Besides, there are themed kids rooms, a licensed supermarket, and a themed water park is about to launch by the end of 2024. 

Mavka licensing program won the Bologna Licensing Award 2024, and the Mavka restaurant promotion case became a finalist of the Bologna Licensing Award 2024 and Licensing Excellence Award 2024. 

Publishing is a major category for the MAVKA brand, as the story is based on a classic book that is a part of the world literature heritage. The key partner is Ranok Publishing House, the largest Ukrainian publisher, which has already released 32 SKUs and is working on new ones. These include an illustrated original book, a novelization of the animated film, short stories, picture books, colouring books for kids and adults, eco-notebooks, and others. The print run of the Ranok Mavka publishing products is over 250 000 so far. And Ranok annual sales of the novelized MAVKA book are twice as high as Disney “Gravity Falls Diary 3”.

One of the biggest publishing houses in Italy, Mondadori Ragazzi, has a novelized tie-in book “Mavka e la foresta incantata” in their assortment.

Scaling the success of MAVKA in publishing will be supported by Almond Entertainment, an international leader in creative entertainment, initially focused on developing children’s content. Almond Entertainment’s works are distributed in 70 countries worldwide, with millions of copies sold. Almond Entertainment’s catalogue is distrited by leading global publishers, including Mondadori in Italy, Ciranda Cultural in Brazil, Dreams Art in Mexico, and Om Books in India. 

“I would sincerely recommend every adult to read the original book “The Forest Song” as it has deep senses and makes you think of the balance in your life. And it is proven that kids love the magical universe of Mavka, and are deeply engaged in its stories. Therefore we are happy to have  Almond Entertainment  on board to scale the Mavka licensing program in publishing across new territories” – Ph.D. Tetiana Ruban, CEO of Nerd agency.

“At Almond Entertainment we are sure about the publishing success of MAVKA. During the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2024 we have already scheduled a number of prospective meetings with the publishers that are interested in MAVKA. And we receive new inquiries for MAVKA publishing rights from different parts of the world.” – Dario Gulli, Creative Director of  Almond Entertainment

Almond Entertainment exhibits at the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2024 stand Halle 6.0/6.0/E18 on 16-20 of October, where publishers from across the world will have a chance to look at Mavka publishing products and learn more about partnership opportunities.

About Nerd Agency: A licensing agency from Ukraine that represents internationally “Mavka. The Forest Song”, “The Witch. Revenge”, and is a licensing agent in Ukraine for Robocar POLI, Gorjuss, Brave Bunnies and other IPs. Awards: Bologna Licensing Award 2024 winner, Licensing International Rising Star 2022 winner, Licensing International Excellence Award 2024 finalist. Nerd agency takes part in BLE 2024 with booth A138.

About FILM.UA Group:  FILM.UA Group is one of Eastern Europe’s largest media groups, offering a complete production cycle from development to distribution. The company collaborates with industry giants, delivering top-tier content to audiences in over 100 countries. Its portfolio features acclaimed titles like “Mavka. The Forest Song,” the anthology series “Those Who Stayed,” and the documentary “Citizens at War: A Year in Ukraine,” all of which have been broadcast globally. FILM.UA also takes pride in its animated projects “The Stolen Princess” and “Brave Bunnies,” as well as the successful dramas “Love in Chains” and “Hide and Seek.”