Historical epic Rise of the Raven had its Canadian premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival as a “Primetime” selection – the program that champions serialized storytelling from around the world.
This Friday, September 19, the series will become available to stream in Canada on CBC Gem. Rise of the Raven previously aired earlier this year on Hungary’s TV2.
Produced by Hungarian-Canadian Robert Lantos (Eastern Promises), the 10-episode series is based on the novels of historical fiction written by Mór Bán and tells the story of Janos Hunyadi (Gellért L. Kádár), a village boy from Transylvania, who, in the 15th century, becomes the fearless and much-feared commander of the Kingdom of Hungary.
Janos defends his country, “the gateway to Western Europe,” against the Ottoman invasion – and finds himself torn between family and duty as he re-shapes the history of the continent against geopolitical intrigues within his own ranks.
Rise of the Raven has an expansive cast, with each member speaking their native language, including Hungarian, Czech, German, and Turkish.
Rise of the Raven premieres Friday, September 19, on CBC Gem.
