MIPCOM 2019 NEWS 3

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NEWS 3

Wednesday 16 October 2019

MEDIA MASTERMIND KEYNOTE Newen CEO Bibiane Godfroid

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MIPCOM PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR WarnerMedia’s Robert Greenblatt

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MEDIA MASTERMIND KEYNOTE Producer and showrunner Darren Star

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Global streaming service tests WarnerMedia man to the Max

Robert Greenblatt: “you have to differentiate to stand out”

MIPCOM Personality Of The Year Robert Greenblatt used his Media Mastermind Keynote yesterday to tell MIPCOM delegates that he has always embraced challenge — ever since he decided he wanted to be a Hollywood studio boss as a teenage fan of MGM musicals. But even he admits that his current role, as chairman of

WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer is “the biggest challenge” of his illustrious and varied career.

That’s quite an admission from a serial success story who helped launch Fox Network and then went on to transform the fortunes of Showtime and NBC. But now he’s attempting to build a global

streaming service, HBO Max, that can compete with Netflix, Amazon, Disney and Apple, among others: “It’s a whole new enterprise. It’s like working at a startup, but one with incredible scale.”

Greenblatt is not daunted by the challenge, describing the development of HBO Max as one of the most exciting things he has

ever done. “We get to bring all of the WarnerMedia assets together on one platform — the best TV library in the world, and the best film library in the world. At the same time, we’re investing in a lot of new shows across drama, comedy, reality and kids — everything from Ridley Scott’s Raised By Wolves to new series from the DC Universe.”

HBO Max will rely heavily on USstyle originals and library — with Greenblatt revealing plans for a musical TV spin-off of the iconic Grease franchise. But he also told MIPCOM delegates that the streaming service will be open to international co-productions and partnerships. “Great ideas originate anywhere and we’ve seen that with Our Boys and My Brilliant Friend on HBO.” Full details of the HBO Max lineup and strategy will be released later this month, but Greenblatt is convinced that WarnerMedia needs to make an aggressive play in streaming. “The future is direct to consumer, I’ve no doubt about it.” Having said this, he retains a strong belief in the future of linear broadcasting. “It’s declining but it’s still a good business, and complementary to DTC.” Greenblatt has participated in a phenomenal range of hits ranging from Beverly Hills, 90210 and Six Feet Under to The Voice, Dexter and The Sound Of Music Live.

His secret is to “always do things that other people aren’t. That philosophy is more relevant now than ever because you have to differentiate to stand out.”

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WarnerMedia Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt received the MIPCOM Personality Of The Year award from Reed MIDEM’s Paul Zilk Tuesday night

Darren Star of Darren Star Productions (left), with Personality Of The Year Robert Greenblatt

Betty Sulty-Johnson of Trace (left), with Bunmi Akintonwa of the Little Black Book Company

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Stephen Brown of Darren Star Productions (left), with Jennifer Clark and Kent Alterman of Paramount Networks, and Wendy Wang of ESR 24/7 eSports Network

Anna Horutz (left), with Anastasia Lisova of NTV Broadcasting Company

Jonathan Melber (left), Valerie Meraz, Jennie Morris and Jaime Ondarza, all of WarnerMedia Entertainment

Shiromoto Masaru (left), and Yukari Hayashi of JIB TV, with James Farrell of Amazon Studios

Sangeeta Godbole (left), of the Indian Government’s Services Export Promotion Council, with Thaole Entertainment’s Sophie Le

Turner’s Pierre Branco (left), with Laura Forti and Jennifer Kim of HBO Max, and Turner’s Tomas Yankelevich

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The regional winners of the second annual Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAA) were announced at a glitzy ceremony Tuesday night. Winners in markets across Asia Pacific, in 40 different categories, were unveiled at the exclusive event held at the Carlton. The winners will now proceed to the Grand Awards and Gala Final, to be held in Singapore in December. The awards form a showcase moment of the annual Singapore Media Festival, hosted by the Singaporean Info-Communications Media Development Authority (IMDA). Speaking to MIPCOM News, AAA president Michael McKay (pictured) said that the ceremony was the perfect setting in which to “promote Asia Pacific content to the rest of the world”.

TV Asahi’s co-director of international distribution, Yumi Shimizu (left), accepts the 10th annual MIPCOM Buyers’ Award for Japanese Drama from Yoshio Okubo, chairman of the executive committee of the Tokyo International Drama Festival. TV Asahi’s series Dele was judged most likely to interest the international buyers’ audiences in their home territory. Dele is a dark drama series about a computer programmer whose company deletes people’s unfavourable digital records. Wowow Inc’s Behind The Door also received an honourable mention.

The J-Creative party took place at the Majestic hotel Tuesday night, and also featured an appearance from Super Shiro, TV Asahi’s new animated property, and a clip of Kikyo – The Return, which was Tuesday’s World Premier 8K screening.

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Newen shares its strategy for success in evolving landscape BIBIANE Godfroid, president of TF1-owned studio Newen, and her senior executive team used their Media Mastermind Keynote to outline the company’s growth strategy and share their thoughts on the opportunities presented by new streaming platforms. Key to the company’s expansion, explained Godfroid, will be the ability to “tell great stories and access the best talent around the world”.

Initially focused on France, recent company acquisitions have transformed Newen into a key producer and distributor in Europe and English-speaking markets. While drama series like Versailles are core to Newen’s output, Godfroid stressed the importance of animation and unscripted in Newen’s strategy.

Explaining the company’s acquisition strategy, which has taken the company into seven terri-

Newen’s Bibiane Godfroid: adding animation and unscripted

tories through the addition of indies like Reel One, Godfroid said the key was to find common DNA. Newen managing director Romain Bessi added that the com-

pany is on the lookout for more European additions, though he did not specify in which territories. He talked up the company’s distribution capabilities, which provide it with cashflow to defi-

Star’s fantasy plays out in Paris show DARREN Star, creator of Sex And The City, Melrose Place and Beverly Hills, 90210, among others, talked sex, fashion and emotional rollercoasters in a scintillating keynote yesterday.

“All my characters have a lot of vulnerability and they are challenged by something relatable,” said Star in conversation with Jill Offman, executive vice-president of Paramount Network and Comedy Central.

“I like writing women because they are very open emotionally.

But I do think of them as people. Their experiences and their feelings are universal.”

Star unveiled his latest creation, Emily In Paris, which is currently shooting in the French capital with Lily Collins, and set to debut in 2020 on Paramount. The comedy-drama tells the story of

a twenty-something American woman who moves to Paris for an unexpected job, and is tasked with navigating the challenges of life in a foreign city while juggling her career, new friendships and love life.

“When we shot those two episodes of Sex And The City in Paris, that was always something I wanted to come back to,” Star said. “Living in Paris is a romantic fantasy for Americans. We’re all moving to different cities to work, we’re all living in different places. This is a story about having to start over somewhere else, which I think is actually incredibly relatable.”

Given today’s big-budget TV shows, Star added: “Television has become so expensive that it’s now possible to shoot an entire series in Paris. At one time,

that would only have been possible for a feature.”

Star said that Patricia Field, Sex And The City’s costume designer, was working on Emily In Paris.

“I decided a long time ago with Sex And The City that I would divorce myself from reality when it came to wardrobe. I figured the audience wouldn’t worry about where the clothes had come from, or if the character could afford them. Patricia likes to mix things up, always with a sense of being a little ahead of the curve.”

He added: “I’ve come to Paris over the years many times and I’ve been able to pour that into the character of Emily. But I think she’s having a tougher time of it than I am!”

Darren Star: creating relatable stories

MIPCOM News 3 • 10 • 16 October 2019

cit finance new productions.

Also participating in the keynote was Guillaume Thouret, managing director of Newen production company CAPA. On the subject of the new streaming platforms, he said they represented a strong new partner that had enabled the company to diversify its scripted output. “We made sci-fi thriller Osmosis for Netflix which I don’t think the French broadcasters would have commissioned.”

He acknowledged that working with Netflix means giving up global rights to shows but said “this is the rule of the game. It is not the only way we want to work, but we are happy with it”. He was also careful to stress that Netflix has not replaced traditional commissions: “Broadcasters still represent more volume.”

Bessi said Netflix’s firm position on rights can be frustrating, but argued that the market is changing as new streamers enter the fray and regulations change. “I expect we will see a more balanced relation with the platforms in the future.”

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dele wins the 2019 J-Drama MIPCOM Buyers’ Award dele, an 8 x 60 mins series produced and aired by TV Asahi, received the 2019 J-Drama MIPCOM Buyers’ Award at the J-Creative Party held at MIPCOM, on Tuesday, October 15.

The other nominees:

The Award celebrates its 10th anniversary. It was created in 2009 by The International Drama Festival in Tokyo and MIPCOM. Every year, it distinguishes a recent Japanese drama with the highest potential in the international market. The winner is picked by a jury of a dozen industry buyers and professionals attending MIPCOM.

• Stepmom and Daughter Blues / TOKYO BROADCASTING SYSTEM TELEVISION, INC.

“We are very proud to bring Japanese series to MIPCOM and to give them exposure to international buyers” says Shingo Saito, Secretary General of the Bureau of the International Drama Festival in Tokyo. We want to convince producers that if you make a drama that is popular abroad, then you can do more business and sell more Japanese content.”

• Natsuzora - Natsu’s Sky / Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) • Your Turn to Kill / NIPPON TV

• What Did You Eat Yesterday? / TV TOKYO Corporation • Daughter of Lupin / Fuji Television Network, Inc • Behind the door / WOWOW, Inc. • Perfect Crime / Asahi Television Broadcasting Corporation • Perfect World / KANSAI TV • My Husband’s Wives / Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation

dele.LIFE is an unusual company run by paralyzed and wheelchairbound computer programmer Keiji Sakagami. Clients sign up to the company and after they die, dele.LIFE deletes all their digital records on their computers and smartphones. Keiji Sakagami works with a freelance jack-of-all-trades, Yutaro Mashiba, whose job is to verify the clients’ death. They are not supposed to look at their clients’ files, but when they feel something strange in the death of a client, they cannot help getting involved.

“We are honoured to receive the J-Drama MIPCOM Buyers’ Award. The theme of digital property left after death is more relevant than ever. ‘dele’ was born out of the collaboration between TV Asahi and writer Takayoshi Honda. We are thrilled that the story has appealed to international buyers and we hope that it will reach more audience around the world” says Yumi Shimizu, Head of Content Sales at TV Asahi.

About The International Drama Festival in Tokyo: The International Drama Festival in Tokyo was launched in 2007 and has been held every October since then. It aims to recognise excellence in Japanese drama and to increase its international exposure. Its awards are based on the quality and exportability of Japanese production. The Festival also organises the MIPCOM Buyers Award and J-Series Festivals in Asian countries.

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‘Our users are not passengers in the content journey’

Kay Madati, global vicepresident and head of content partnerships, Twitter

THE TWITTER keynote at MIPCOM yesterday brought together diverse voices from the world of content making, broadcast and online to explore how the iconic blue bird is changing the future of television.

Kay Madati, global vice-president and head of content partnerships, Twitter, called on programme makers and broadcasters to “extend your audience-reach strategies into a multi-platform world,

and make money doing it”.

He said: “We want to bring your premium content on to our platform. Our users are not passengers in the content journey on Twitter. They are the drivers.”

Madati noted that “Twitter works with over 950 partners on a global basis, marrying premium content with our platform”, and underlined the brand’s “great value proposition for content makers”.

Citing viral events surrounding

Bhav Chandrani, partnerships controller, ITV

Game Of Thrones, Madati explained how HBO worked directly with Twitter, supplying exclusive content “that allowed us to be an extension of the linear television experience”.

Madati invited Bhav Chandrani, partnerships controller at ITV, on stage to illustrate further how multi-media connections were being forged. Chandrani told the audience how “the chat on Twitter around Love Island has always gone crazy”, but how it had also shifted debate on to broader and important themes, including female no-shame sexuality and gender politics, generating massive interest from advertising partners.

Paul Rehrig, general manager, Eurosport Digital, discussed strategies for bringing highlights and commentary to Twitter, before unveiling an exclusive deal for the

Toyko 2020 Olympics. “Eurosport will be publishing highlights exclusive to Twitter throughout the Games to extend key moments into the conversations taking place about the Games,” he said.

Madati defined Twitter as “the conversation platform”. Chandrani agreed. “Twitter’s positioning is very much complementary to television,” he said. “It seemed like an obvious partner to work with. The definition of the water-cooler moment came from people talking about television the morning after broadcast.”

Madati stressed that Twitter’s strategy was about meeting the needs of users who have multiple digital homes. “This is not supposed to be about moving eyeballs from one place to the other,” he said. “This is about making the experience around content that much bigger and more robust.

And advertising wants to follow the conversation as it moves from Twitter to content-rich platforms and back again.”

Paul Rehrig, general manager, Eurosport Digital

MIPCOM News 3 • 12 • 16 October 2019

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EARTH MOVES FOR NETWORK NINE IN BBC PLANET DEAL BBC STUDIOS and Nine have agreed a long-term partnership for the BBC Planet franchise which gives Nine the Australian premiere rights for the biggest naturalhistory series from BBC Studios in the coming years.

The first show to air will be the eight-part series Seven Worlds, One Planet. Other titles in the deal include Perfect Planet, Green Planet, Frozen Planet II and Planet Earth III. “Nine has been a wonderful supporter of our premium landmark programming over many years,” Deb Tod, head of content sales and coproductions for BBC Studios ANZ, said. “This long-term agreement allows us to strengthen the relationship and work together at a deeper level. We look forward to working with Nine to create unique event television that will bring people together.”

“Nine is thrilled to have secured the exclusive premiere rights for a long-term commitment in Australia,” Kieren Pittard, head of content acquisitions, Nine Network, said. “This is an exciting opportunity to partner with the leaders of natural history programming and distribution.”

Nine Network’s Kieren Pittard (left) and BBC Studios’ Deb Tod

Women in media review progress in advancing equality in industry NEWEN CEO Bibiane Godfroid introduced the annual MIPCOM Women In Global Entertainment lunch at MIPCOM with an update on Pour les Femmes dans les Medias (PFDM).

The organisation was founded in 2012 by MediaClub’Elles’ Laura Lemens Boy and TV presenter Francoise Laborde to promote gender equality in France’s media industry. “It is an honour for me to be among so many women who, like me, have succeeded in a field that remains very masculine,” she said in her opening remarks.

“I am here as the president of Newen, a French production and distribution company, but also because I signed the first PFDM charter against sexual harassment.”

The aim of PFDM is to advance the position of women in the media, in top management and in TV — both on and off screen.

In France women represent 52% of the population, while in the media they represent only 35%,

Aline Marrache Tesseraud (left), Caroline Lang, Bibiane Godfroid and Laurine Garaude: promoting gender equality in the media industry

Godfroid said. “They are very active in newsrooms and on film sets, but they are often absent from management positions.”

This year the PFDM has issued a charter on action against sexual harassment and sexist behaviour in the workplace. “In my company a phone number is now available for people to report any abuse,” Godfroid said.

“The PFDM was inspired by our first Women In Global Entertainment Lunch,” Reed MIDEM television director Laurine Garaude said, address-

ing the Lunch. She said the new charter has been signed by 20 top CEOs from leading French media groups, and she acknowledged Caroline Lang of Warner Bros. International TV and Aline Marrache-Tesseraud of Universal Music France, as part of the PFDM executive bureau, for their work on the charter. l MediaClub’Elles and MIPCOM are jointly holding a mentoring breakfast for women in the industry starting at 08.30 today.

Cannes red carpet for Nippon creatives TWO CREATIVES from Nippon TV’s content production arm, AX-ON, are at MIPCOM to help promote their respective shows to the international market. Director Takuya Honda and producer Fumiya Watanabe are behind two hit Japanese formats: Red Carpet Survival and Celebrity Lawyers.

And it is the first time either man has been to MIPCOM. “There’s a whole world out here that I didn’t know existed, despite having a successful directing career in Japan,” said Honda, whose Red Carpet Survival is now three episodes into its opening run on Nippon TV. The basic premise is that a celebrity, protected by a phalanx of contestant bodyguards, has to make it to the end of a red carpet while a range of enemies,

from snipers to robots to crazed fans, attempt to push them off the runway. “We’ve even had a real crocodile,” said Honda, who devised the format himself.

While Red Carpet Survival, which launches internationally this week, has only just started its climb up the ratings, Celebrity Lawyers has dominated Nippon TV’s 21.00 Sunday-evening slot for the last 18 years. In the show, celebrities consult a panel of lawyers about hypothetical legal problems — such as whether you could sue your jealous wife for deleting your social-media accounts.

“Celebrity Lawyers is the number-one rated Sunday night show across the whole of Japan,” said Watanabe, who is gauging potential international interest in the format this week.

MIPCOM News 3 • 14 • 16 October 2019

“If anybody reading this thinks a light-hearted, funny and relatable show about lawyers and celebrities would work in their territory, please get in touch with me,” he said.

Nippon TV’s Takuya Honda (left) and Fumiya Watanabe

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Super Shiro, the superhero dog inspired by the long-loved franchise Shin chan, made its debut on the red carpet on Monday. At the same time, the series officially launched in Japan and China. Super Shiro and its producers, who made their appearance on the red carpet, were filmed and interviewed for the special occasion to be broadcast on the news the next morning in Japan. First reactions received over SNS in Japan for the fast-paced slap-stick animation proves it has already captured the hearts of kids and adults alike. Pictured are the producers: TV Asahi’s Takahiro Kishimoto (left); Futabasha’s Kensuke Suzuki; and Science SARU’s Eunyoung Choi

British broadcaster and author Simon Mayo spoke at the Co-Productions: Going Global & The Generation Alpha Audience MIPJunior session where he explained that his book series, Itch, which is brought to TV by Komixx Entertainment, is about “young people working out what to do with the resources the earth has given us”

Lauren Faust (left), series creator of DC Super Hero Girls, described the new series as about “balancing life as a superhero with teenage life”. She was interviewed at the MIPJunior session The Rising Power Of Female Superheroes, by executive editor, World Screen & TV Kids, Kristin Brzoznowski

MIPCOM News 3 • 16 • 16 October 2019

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1970s Amsterdam police series Van Der Valk has been revamped, and the cast made a Cannes appearance. Pictured are: Luke Allen-Gale (left), Marc Warren, Maimie McCoy and Elliot Barnes-Worrell. The series was commissioned by All3Media Interational and ARD Degeto, and produced by the UK’s Company Pictures, with co-production partners ITV, NL Film and PBS Masterpiece

RuPaul Charles, host and executive producer of runaway success Ru-Paul’s Drag Race, gave a MIPCOM Keynote speech, after which he was presented with the Variety Vanguard Award, a recognition of significant contribution to the global business of entertainment. Pictured are: Laurine Garaude, director of the Reed MIDEM television division (left); RuPaul; and Cynthia Littleton, managing editor television, Variety

At Tuesday’s Big Talent, Bigger Ideas session UK TV presenters and producers Ant and Dec discussed brainstorming formats and spin-off successes in conversation with Stephen Mulhern, the host of their surprise hit In For A Penny. The format was born out of their variety show Saturday Night Takeaway, and features fun, bite-sized games, which thrive online and for social. Pictured are Stephen Mulhern (left), Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly

Keshet International brought actor Sophie Cookson to Cannes to promote her new starring role in The Trial Of Christine Keeler, about the 1960s British political sex scandal, a series destined for BBC One

SeaBelievers’ Brien Arono introduced a character from his company’s CGI animation series SeaBelievers at MIPJunior, and sponsored the MIPJunior Opening Party. The series aims to bring environmental issues alive for four- to seven-year-olds.

Stars of The Warrant, Imagicomm Entertainment’s feature film and MIPCOM screening — Jennifer Wenger and Casper Van Dien — walked the red carpet into the MIPCOM Opening Night Party

MIPCOM News 3 • 17 • 16 October 2019

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Argentina’s wealth of talent in sharp focus at Snack ’n Screen A TALENTED line-up of Argentinian producers pitched their projects to delegates yesterday afternoon, in a Snack ‘n Screen event organised as part of the Latin American creative powerhouse’s MIPCOM Country Of Focus activities.

Introducing the session, Ralph Haiek, president of INCAA (Instituto Nacional de Cine Y Artes Audiovisuales), said: “The 11 projects being presented and pitched are a small demonstration of the unlimited resources on offer in Argentina. In addition to all of the production and directing talent, Argentina offers great crews, locations and strong support from the government.”

Haiek added that Argentina has created “an ecosystem of production, development and

Ralph Haiek, president of INCAA

Creativity is key to Taiwan delegation THIS YEAR’s Taiwan delegation consists of six of the country’s top creative houses, as well as the New Taipei City Government, which bills itself as the capital city of international Chinese documentary series.

Cannes first-timer Lai SueHuey, chief of New Taipei City’s information department, is in Cannes for the first time to promote the New Taipei City Documentary Film Award, which will be announced later this month from a shortlist of 12 films. The winning director will receive a cash prize of $10,000, to be used for filming and editing, along with a six-month mentorship from a professional documentary-maker.

“New Taipei City also offers a range of exchanges and cooperation opportunities, and

is a very documentary-friendly place,” Lai said. “At MIPCOM, we are also looking for overseas distribution partners for our documentaries.”

Also at MIPCOM for the first time was Sheila Kuo, executive drama producer and executive assistant to the CEO of the Trans-World Television Production Company, which specialises in drama, nonscripted and event organisation.

“It’s very interesting to gain an international perspective not only of content trends but also of the latest developments in 5G and 8K technology,” said Kuo, who is showcasing the 10 x 60 mins drama The Summer Temple Fair. “And I’m interested in MIPCOM’s Streaming Offensive focus, because we’re also working out how to harness the potential of the new platforms, rather than

view them as a threat.”

Also exhibiting under the

exhibition that makes it a great country to do business with.”

Argentinian producers work successfully across all genres, though they are best known on the global stage for their scripted output. Among the projects on show were Mamita, a comedy drama about an edgy young woman who is so fed up with the pressure for her to have a baby that she pretends to have one, delivering tips to other expectant mothers via a social media blog. The show, from Mediapro Argentina and Nah! Contenidos, was presented

by Mediapro Argentina content director Jimena Hernandez, who said it would appeal internationally because “it deals with universal themes that we can all relate to.”

Also being pitched was a dark comedy thriller entitled Whatever Happened To Bonorino? Produced by acclaimed indie Underground Producciones, the eight-parter tells the story of four Buenos Aires misfits who get dragged into a series of crime capers after they discover the body of an old school friend.

Taiwan banner are Muse Communication, Engine Studios, ELTA Technology, Children’s Playground Creative and Aurora Digital Media.

Taipei Multimedia Production Association’s Gillian Lu (left), New Taipei City Government’s Yang-Jin Li and Lai Sue-Huey, Trans-World Television Production’s Sheila Kuo and Aurora’s Jumping Chiang

MIPCOM News 3 • 18 • 16 October 2019

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Historic simulcast for YTV’s story of love and texting IN TODAY’s world, those who master the art of texting shall master the art of love.

YTV’s Masahiko Furukawa: love lost in translation

This is the conceit at the heart of Yomiuri Telecasting Co’s (YTV) latest drama, Texting In Tokyo, which will be simulcast in China and Japan when it is released early next year.

The industry first is the result of a collaboration between Chinese streaming giant Bilibili, YTV and Japanese platform Tsutaya TV. “The broadcast model for Texting In Tokyo builds on our longstanding distribution relationship with Bilibili,” said Masahiko Furukawa, YTV’s international sales manager. “There are a lot of advantages to collaborating with a huge platform like Bilibili, particularly in terms of their reach and promotional power.”

F u r u k awa a d d e d t h a t , although Bilibili has invested in Texting In Tokyo, it is not a co-production: “Bilibili advised us on a few cultural details that they thought might be lost on Chinese viewers, but otherwise they were happy for this to be a

purely Japanese creative project.”

And he is confident that Chinese audiences will love the warmhearted, gender-clash drama as much as their Japanese counterparts — not least because the lead actor, Yuki Furukawa, is already a star in China. “Also, the text-dating culture in China and Japan is very similar,” Furukawa added. “Young people everywhere now use messaging apps like LINE as a tool for love.”

True to its name, Texting In Tokyo is set in the Japanese capital.

Seven young people meet at a day-long cookery course. They come from different backgrounds but their relationships quickly turn sour because of the different ways in which men and women communicate by text.

Texting In Tokyo, which is executive produced by Kana Sasaki and produced by Norie Taga, is available as both a finished programme and a scripted format.

Star-studded ‘mystery without a cop’

Tomohisa Yamashita

JAPANESE superstar Tomohisa Yamashita was at MIPCOM for the launch of The Head, the new crime series from The Mediapro Studio.

Yamashita plays Aki, a scientist on an isolated Antarctic research base where all but two scientists are brutally murdered — and both survivors accuse the other of the slaughter.

Alexandre Willaume (Below The Surface, Rita, Those Who Kill) plays the commander of the base, fighting to uncover the truth of what happened. He is also searching for his wife, who has disappeared in the aftermath.

“What intrigued me about this story is that it’s a murder mys-

tery without a cop,” Willaume said. “My character doesn’t have the tools a cop has. Will he find his wife alive, and if he does, can he live with what he discovers?”

Veteran actor John Lynch plays one of the two murder suspects, and young unknown Katharine O’Donnelly plays the other.

Director Jorge Dorado (Giants, The Pier) found O’Donnelly after a long search. “I saw her tape, then I rang her and asked if she felt ready to lead this series in a 10-week shoot and she said yes. I knew she was lying.

But she was very impressive and I’m really proud to introduce her to the world.” The Head is produced by The Mediapro Studio and Hulu Japan.

MIPCOM News 3 • 19 • 16 October 2019

LAGARDERE TAKES NTV DRAMA FRANCE’s Lagardere Studios Distribution has acquired worldwide distribution rights for drama series Five Minutes Of Silence from Russian commercial broadcaster NTV. “The deal manifests a great step into the international markets and, most importantly, into French TV space, which has proven to be quite challenging for Russian content,” said NTV general producer Timur Weinstein.

“We’re very excited that our hit series is now represented by such market leader as Lagardere Studios Distribution. We hope this is a beginning of a successful, productive partnership between our two great companies that will open European markets for NTV shows.”

The deal covers multiple territories and includes acquisitions and format rights.

‘Five minutes of silence’ refers to the code used by first responders seeking accident victims trapped underground. Set in a small border town, the series follows a young man who risks his life to save others and is transformed from a spoiled brat into a real hero. It combines dramatic rescues, emotional family stories, and exciting stunt sequences shot in beautiful locations.

The first two seasons scored over 14% average viewing share.

Five Minutes Of Silence (Lagardere Studios Distribution)

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YOUR MOMENT’S TIME HAS COME PHILIPPINE broadcaster ABS-CBN has launched a new primetime talentshow format that it hopes will shake up the competition in the perennially popular genre.

Your Moment features both a dancing stage and a singing stage, with the judges and the audience positioned on a rotating set in between.

“It will have international appeal, as it will be the best of two shows in one,” said ABS-CBN’s business unit head of TV production, Reily Pablo L Santiago Jr. The show features duos or groups giving two-minute performances. After 20 seconds, 60 seconds and 90 seconds, the judges pass verdicts, which appear on an on-screen ‘emotion-metre’.

The format has been developed by ABSCBN in partnership with the Netherlands’ FritzProductions. Filming is almost completed on the first season, which will debut on ABS-CBN on November 9.

“Singing and dancing are eternally popular and especially in the Philippines,” FritzProductions’ Anuska Ban said. “We think there’s a gap in the international market to rival the established formats and renew audiences’ interests in talent shows.”

FritzProductions’ Anuska Ban and ABS-CBN’s Reily Pablo L Santiago Jr

Mango TV at the epicentre of China’s online content boom MANGO TV is one of China’s leading online content platforms and the only internet-video platform under China’s Hunan state broadcasting arm. As part of MIPCOM’s Streaming Offensive conference strand, a Mango TV showcase was presented on Tuesday by the Chinese government’s State Council Information Office, National Radio and Television Administration, and Mango TV. Jihong Zhou, deputy director, Department of International Co-operation, National Radio and Television Administration, said that new media and internet content now represented “the most vibrant field” in broadcasting in China, with Mango TV boasting 50 million fee-paying users.

Meanwhile, 66% of the platform’s users are under the age of 24, according to Huaijun Cai, general manager of Mango Excellent Media Company and president of Mango TV. He added that the online platform is “the most watched

and loved platform among young people”, with its special appeal to young demographics helping it to become “the most influential internet and radio platform in China”.

Mango TV is also targeting international users with a new app that has already clocked up some 11 million downloads across 195 countries. Huaijun confirmed that the platform has been initiating more international co-productions

and is “looking for super partners”.

One recent collaboration with the Discovery Channel has produced new reality format The Day I Ran China. Vikram Channa, Discovery’s vice-president of content and production, Greater China and Korea, said that TV would “never be the same again” after the programme, in which young innovators from around the world realise their start-up vision in China.

National Radio and Television Administration’s Jihong Zhou

NLziet advocates strength in unity A CASE study of the challenges facing NLziet, the on-demand OTT platform, as it evolves in the current streaming-TV age was the subject of the session called OTT Opportunities – Local Alliances And Global Battle.

The platform is known as the Dutch equivalent of Hulu because it belongs to rival TV companies: public service broadcaster NPO, commercial network RTL Nederland and content-production giant Talpa TV, which owns SBS Broadcasting Group.

During an on-stage interview, managing director Niels Baas explained how NLziet plans to grow at a time when several global SVOD services are scheduled to be launched by media and tech juggernauts, including The Walt Disney Company and Apple.

Speaking to Steve Russell, head of OTT and media management at broadcast-services provider Red Bee Media, Baas admitted: “One of the hardest parts is knowing that the company belongs to three broadcasters who are rivals. Meanwhile, broadcasters in general also feel threatened by the new streaming wave and it’s difficult for them to adopt such a new role.”

However, the companies accept that they cannot avoid investment in streaming, which can be costly.

“As standalone operations, each one would have a limited number of titles to compete against the big players, so it was better for the three to combine their resources,” Baas said.

The ultimate goal is to be a scalable operation. “In the OTT world, scale is essential. If you don’t have

MIPCOM News 3 • 20 • 16 October 2019

scale, you can’t compete against the big players,” he said.

NLziet’s Niels Baas: “scale is essential”

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VIENNESE CRIME DRAMA HEADS UP HUAWEI PACKAGE ORF-ENTERPRISE has sold 130 hours of crime dramas to Huawei Video for Italy.

This includes 17 feature-length episodes of the long-running Tatort, in which two Viennese detectives investigate socio-politically relevant criminal cases across Austria, plus all nine seasons of Four Women And A Funeral, which follows four amateur sleuths bringing excitement to their tranquil village.

The first four seasons of Fast Forward, featuring divorced single mother and criminal investigator Angelica Fast, are also in the deal.

“We are very excited to be offering Tatort to our Italian users,” Jaime Gonzalo, vice-president of Huawei consumer cloud services Europe, said. “This high-quality, emblematic content will enrich our portfolio, ensuring we offer the best to our users.”

Huawei Video was launched in Italy and Spain in October 2018, giving users a large library of video content to watch on their Huawei smartphones and tablets.

The ORF-Enterprise content will be accessible on Huawei and Honor devices in Italy, San Marino and the Vatican City for 12 months.

“The recent deal with Huawei shows once again that fictional content from Austria has become an international bestseller,” Armin Luttenberger, head of content sales international, ORF-Enterprise, said.

Tatort (ORF-Enterprise)

Illuminated Film reaches for the stars in co-pro with Zodiak Kids

The Illuminated Film Company’s Iain Harvey with Benoit di Sabatino of Zodiak Kids Studio and Nick Harvey of The Illuminated Film Company

THE ILLUMINATED Film Company and Zodiak Kids Studios are to co-develop and co-produce a 52 x 11 mins animated TV series for a target audience of four- to seven-year-olds, based on the new series of children’s picture books, titled Look Up!, published

by Penguin Random House.

The Look Up! books feature a young girl, Rocket, who wants everybody to look up from what they’re doing and reach for the stars.

Consequently, the working title for the TV series is Rocket. Zodiak Kids will own all distribution rights for the completed series.

“MIPCOM is a great market to be signing our development deal with Illuminated for the fantastic book series Look Up!,” Zodiak Kids CEO, Benoit di Sabatino, said.

“All of us at Zodiak Kids are thrilled to be working on such a creative show following our longstanding relationship on the awardwinning series Little Princess.”

Iain Harvey, producer, Illuminated, added: “We’re looking forward to working with Benoit and Zodiak on this. It’s a five- to 10-year marriage because of the development time and long-term value involved in an animated series.

“From the moment I saw a proof of the book, I knew this was a challenging, inspiring and important project for all at Illuminated, and the director of the latest Little Princess series, Sue Tong. Zodiak Kids are natural partners and we value their editorial experience as we progress the books from concept into production.”

RUSSIA’s Okko Studios, part of Okko Entertainment and the wider digital holding Rambler Group, presented a number of ready-made and in-production projects as part of Russia’s Country Of Focus series of events at MIPCOM. The wide range of content presented included comedy, crime drama and action-adventure titles. Presenters included Okko Studios CEO Ivan Gorodetskiy (left) and Okko studios general producer, Sofia Kvashilava.

Banijay takes on Guinness challenge FRENCH media giant Banijay Group is to team up with Guinness World Records (GWR) to produce and distribute its record-breaking challenge contest format across a number of global markets.

Both companies are at MIPCOM and yesterday met to mark the signing of the deal, which signifies a major step forward in the expanding presence of the

Guinness World Record format.

Banijay Group senior vicepresident of format acquisitions, Carlotta Rossi Spencer, shook hands with Karen Gilchrist, director of visual content at Guinness World Records, to mark the start of the year-long partnership.

Commenting on the deal, Rossi Spencer said: “The partnership

MIPCOM News 3 • 22 • 16 October 2019

with GWR was a no brainer.

With a brand that resonates worldwide, a format that is both scalable and hugely versatile, and an incredibly well-established audience and fan-base, the potential for a collaboration was obvious. Already we’ve seen the show perform well in Italy and are now looking forward to travelling it further across our footprint.”

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Abu Dhabi media hub targets creators with express rebate “WE’RE in a large growth phase,” said Katrina Anderson, director, commercial services at Abu Dhabi’s twofour54 media hub. “We just announced our deal with NBC — we’re actually working on the first soap opera for the region,” she said of the deal to produce the soap Innocence for the MENA region. “It gives us more building blocks to keep

growing the industry we’ve been creating over the last 11 years.”

Leading film and TV production companies are already heading to Abu Dhabi to shoot their projects at twofour54’s award-winning backlot, a 300,000 square-metre facility in which more than 80 major productions, including Furious 7 and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, have already been shot.

Katrina Anderson (second right) with the twofour54 team

“We’re here to let people know that Abu Dhabi is open for business,” Anderson said of twofour54’s return to MIPCOM with a new stand, and news that global content creators can utilise the Abu Dhabi Film Commission’s 30% rebate on production and post-production spend when working in the vast media hub; and a newly announced 30% express rebate for short-form content.

“We can turn around storyboard approvals in two to five days,” Anderson told MIPCOM News of the new express rebate. “That’s something the international attendees here can talk to us about.”

Both rebates are applicable to feature films, television dramas and series, documentaries, and telemovies shot in Abu Dhabi; as well as post-production, digital content services, visual effects (PDV) services for projects shot inside or outside Abu Dhabi. It also applies on travel and accommodation.

Kubrick leads Musketeers to market

Media Musketeers’ Sebastien Janin (left), Chris Law, Patrick Swiderski and Andy Docherty

MEDIA Musketeers is at MIPCOM on the back of an equity investment by Paris-based Alliance Entreprendre, which has acquired a 20% share of the recently established production company.

The financial commitment will enable Media Musketeers to deliver

its ambitious strategy, under which it plans to release up to eight TV series a year, representing an aggregate production output of €1bn over the next five years. The first of these high-end projects is Stanley Kubrick’s God Fearing Man, co-produced with ForLan Films, which is now in development.

A second eight-part series entitled Pulse is also in development and due to start shooting in early 2020.

At MIPCOM, Media Musketeers is negotiating pre-sales, licences and co-production partnerships for both projects.

Patrick Swiderski, Media Musketeers’ managing partner for finance, said Alliance Entreprendre’s investment and sector knowledge would help the fledging company based in France, the UK and the Netherlands to bring

its projects to life. “It will enable us to speed up the process of supporting broadcasters and giving creative freedom to producers,” he added.

Under the deal, Alliance Entreprendre’s Antoine Bodet and Benjamin Duprez will join the Media Musketeers board. Bodet, managing director of Alliance Entreprendre, said: “With the help of our investment, Media Musketeers will be able to create and own IP for distribution in the international television market.”

The Alliance Entreprendre partnership is Media Musketeers’ second major investment deal in five months. In May, the production company signed a slate financing deal with Paris-based Entourage Ventures, which invests in media and entertainment firms.

MIPCOM News 3 • 23 • 16 October 2019

OZER IS ADDED INGREDIENT IN LANDMARK LAUNCH CHICKEN Soup for the Soul Entertainment (CSS Entertainment), a growing media company building online VOD networks, has announced the launch of Landmark Studio Group in partnership with 30year entertainment industry veteran, David Ozer.

Landmark, headquartered in New York, with offices in LA, is a fully integrated entertainment company focused on the ownership, development and production of entertainment franchises. Ozer will serve as Landmark’s CEO. “It’s incredible what Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is creating in the AVOD space, and I’m excited to launch Landmark as an important studio operation for tomorrow’s media consumers,” Ozer said. “We are poised to become a significant player in the global content marketplace.”

Landmark will develop, produce, distribute and own all of the IP it creates, Ozer said.

The studio will be independent, having the ability to sell its content to any network or platform, while also developing and producing original content for CSS Entertainment’s recently acquired Crackle, an AVOD network.

Landmark’s current projects in development include scripted drama The Fix, documentary series The History Of Gangster Rap, and supernatural horror series Safehaven. Landmark also plans to produce stand-up comedy specials and animated series.

Landmark CEO David Ozer

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WINDOWING NOW AT CORE OF VIACOM STUDIOS’ BUSINESS LAUREN Marriott vice-president of sales at Viacom International Studios, reports that the Awesomeness TV catalogue has been well received over the last six months, especially by AVOD and SVOD platforms. “And that means that windowing Is now at the core of our business,” she said.

“That said, first windows generally go to Viacom’s channels, but given that Nickelodeon is increasingly acting as a producer for other platforms, including Netflix and Hulu, of course then they have the first window.

For example, Pinky Malinky was commissioned by Netflix, and Light As A Feather, Stiff As A Board was produced for Hulu.”

Awesomeness TV shows that have performed particularly well include Zac And Mia, a story about two teens who meet while in hospital battling cancer: “It’s not an easy topic, but the story is so strong and has genuine social resonance,” Marriott said. “In light of its relevance to society, it has proved to be particularly popular with public service broadcasters. The BBC just acquired the show for the iPlayer.”

Other popular Awesomeness shows include T@gged, featuring Instagram star Noah Centineo, who also appears in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, alongside Lana Condor, in one of the most watched films on Netflix in 2018.

Viacom International Studios’ Lauren Marriott

Public broadcaster KBS gears up to meet challenge of streamers FORMER KBS producer Hun-Hee Lee has returned to the company, Korea’s national

KBS’ Hun-Hee Lee

public broadcaster, to help it navigate what he calls the “terrestrial crisis” faced by broadcasters around the world up against streaming services and internet video.

Lee worked as a producer at KBS on variety shows, including the hit Happy Together – Metal Tray Karaoke, then left in 2006 to work with private production companies. Now he is back in the public sector as the executive managing director of its second production division.

One of his priorities is ensuring secure revenue streams from its drama and variety productions.

“For this MIPCOM we’re focusing more on formats than finished programmes, both scripted and unscripted,” he

said. “The Good Doctor is going well in Turkey and America, and we are going to make a contract with the US for Doctor Prisoner. This is a new format that aired this year. On the unscripted side, there is Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend, among others.”

He stressed, however, that this activity was focused as much on raising KBS’ profile on the international market as securing sales.

Another important KBS initiative is the Wavve OTT platform, launched in partnership with the other Korean terrestrial broadcasters and telecommunications company SKT. Lee added that Wavve would be launching original content in 2020.

SOUTH Korean entertainment group GH E&M Korea and Poland’s Inbornmedia finalised a co-production agreement for a new documentary at the Korea Pavilion on Tuesday. The two companies will produce Frederic Chopin (Experiencing The Composer), about the 19th-century composer and pianist, in Ultra HD/4K and with audio in 5.1 surround sound.

Pictured are: Seong Hwa Kim, GH E&M Korea CEO (left) and Maciej Pawelczyk, CEO, Inbornmedia.

Toei licenses top film roster for Japan TOEI COMPANY now represents New Regency’s extensive catalogue of theatrical features for television in Japan. Titles include Academy award-winning films like Bohemian Rhapsody, The Revenant, Birdman and LA Confidential.

“We are very proud that New Regency selected us to represent them in Japan,” Hideo Suzuki, managing director, international sales and acquisitions, Toei Company, said. “We met at MIPTV this year, and we have now signed an agreement and

started to license their films.”

Suzuki credits Mark Kaner, former president of 20th Century Fox TV Distribution, for recommending Toei to New Regency.

“Mark is a legendary figure in the entertainment business and a very good friend,” Suzuki said.

“He has a real understanding of Japanese culture and our company, and we have been very grateful for his support. We look forward to another great relationship with New Regency, and particularly with Charlotte Thorp.”

MIPCOM News 3 • 24 • 16 October 2019

Hideo Suzuki, managing director, international sales and acquisitions, Toei Company

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TVNOW READY FOR GLOBAL SCREEN’S BURIED TRUTH MUNICH-based distributor Global Screen (a subsidiary of Germany’s Telepool) has sold two of its series to TVNow (part of the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland).

“TVNow took seasons 1 and 2 of Swiss drama series Buried Truth as well as French production After The Crash,” said Nico Wirtz, chief marketing officer at Global Screen, said. “Global Screen has also recently sold After The Crash to Slovakia, Poland, Spain and Iceland.”

Alexandra Heidrich, head of TV sales & acquisitions at Global Screen added: “After The Crash recounts an emotional story with a surprising twist at the end which fascinates our clients. It’s a really strong and gripping mini-series. Plus we now have the second season of Buried Truth, which is our most successful series from a Swiss producer. The development of the female lead has a particularly strong appeal for our clients and we hope that we can continue the story for a third season.”

Best-selling crime stories will be seeing you soon on TV THE TWISTS and turns of Mary Higgins Clark’s globally loved crime novels will be coming to TV for the first time, thanks to a deal struck between Montreal-based producer and distributor Reel One Entertainment, LA-based producer Element 8 Entertainment and Paris production company La Sabotiere.

Each season will be inspired by a different Mary Higgins Clark novel. The first is based on her New York Times bestseller I’ll Be Seeing You, telling the story of Patricia ‘Trie’ Collins, an ambitious young TV journalist whose skills are put to the test when she returns to her hometown to investigate the disappearance of her father. Her stories are known for their strong female characters.

“Early in my career I loved watching crime series,” Higgins Clark said. “I enjoyed challenging myself to solve the mystery before it was revealed at the end.

I’m delighted that my stories will

be used to entertain a new generation of TV crime series fans.”

US screenwriter and author Ilene Rosenzweig is attached as writer and executive producer, and the series will be shot in

New York and Toronto in 2020.

The partners are in discussion with broadcasters in the US and Europe, and pitching to buyers this week in Cannes. Reel One International will distribute.

Mary Higgins Clark: entertaining a new generation of fans

French take on Palatin Media’s aliens

Buried Truth (Global Screen)

MEDIAWAN has licensed the new sci-fi series Spides from German producer Palatin Media for French-language territories.

Set in Berlin, Spides (8 x 60 mins) follows a young woman who wakes from a coma after taking a mysterious drug that turns out to be a factor in the disappearances of numerous missing teens. As Nora tries to find out who drugged her, she uncovers an invasion of aliens drugging young humans to take over their bodies.

Mediawan Thematics’ managing director Richard Maroko has high hopes for the series.

“Given the strong appetite for sci-fi in French-speaking territories, Spides will reinforce our catalogue and bring a European

touch to the genre,” he said.

Palatin Media CEO Bernd Schlotterer added: “We couldn’t have found a better partner than Mediawan to ensure the best possible exploitation of Spides in France.”

Spides was produced for NBCUniversal International Networks

and stars Florence Kasumba (Avengers, Black Panther), Rosabell Laurenti Sellers (Game Of Thrones) and Falk Hentschel (Legends Of Tomorrow).

Mediawan has all rights for Spides within French-speaking territories after the first window on pay-TV on Universal.

Spides: feeding appetite for sci-fi in French-speaking territories

MIPCOM News 3 • 26 • 16 October 2019

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Indian Pavilion promotes switch from services to original content A THRIVING India Pavilion at MIPCOM confirms that there is more to the country’s creativity than the Bollywood film industry.

Organised by the state-owned Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) and partly funded by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the pavilion provides a platform for both large and small companies seeking international buyers and partners.

“Bollywood knows how to take care of itself internationally; this is about the smaller but equally talented Indian companies,” Sangeeta Godbole, SEPC’s director general, said.

The pavilion launched at MIPCOM last year with 37 delegates; this year, the number has leapt to 60, including 18 new companies.

“Traditionally, India has a reputation for being good at offering ser-

One Take Media Company’s Anil Khera

Cannes meeting key to collaboration INDIAN entertainment and education specialist Aadarsh is in Cannes to promote a new kids show currently in post-production, as well as a slate of creative projects, including a bio-pic covering the extraordinary life of the company’s own vice-president.

Aadarsh is showcasing the Purple Turtle series alongside distributor Cyber Group, four years after meeting the company in Cannes at an early stage of the project.

The company is seeking potential broadcast partners in markets across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and China.

The producer is nearing completion of the first 36 x 7 mins episodes of the show — which is aimed at kids aged from two to four — out of a total 52 episodes in the first season.

The long-term collaborative project, which started off as a book series to which Aadarsh

holds the IP, has brought in numerous partners, including Emmy award-winning writers Dev Ross and Karl Geurs.

Aadarsh is also at an early stage and seeking co-produc-

tion partners for a bio-pic of the life of its own executive producer, Ankita Shrivastava, an athlete, blogger and TEDx speaker who donated a portion of her liver to her mother who

Aardash’s Manish Rajoria (left) and Ankita Shrivastava

MIPCOM News 3 • 28 • 16 October 2019

vices, like subtitling and VFX, to the various creative sectors,” Godbole said. “But we’re also creators of great original IP.” To this end, the SEPC has brought to MIPCOM its first-ever India IP Guide, which is filled with completed titles and those in development.

Among the delegates benefiting from the pavilion is Anil Khera, founder and CEO of Mumbai-based production and distribution venture One Take Media Company.

Khera said that securing a MIPCOM booth has been good for business. Among deals already signed is the sale of The Great Indian Global Kitchen (240 x 30 mins) to a US company.

“It’s been great; countries like China, Korea and Canada had pavilions, so why not India? We hope to have a bigger stand next time — with a bigger government subsidy too,” Khera added.

The SEPC’s other mission is to liaise with other country pavilions that might want to visit India to see domestic creativity on the ground.

was in a coma brought on by hepatitis.

Shrivastava, who is the youngest liver donor in the world, has taken part in numerous athletic tournaments for people who have donated organs, including the World Transplant Games, held in the UK this August.

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Bartlett weaves Life stories into major new BBC drama

Drama Republic’s Jude Liknaitzky (left) and Roanna Benn with Mike Bartlett

IT SEEMS the ‘Attenborough effect’ now extends to high-end drama.

“I was thinking about those Attenborough documentaries that start off with the planet spinning in space and then zoom into a bug on a leaf,” said Mike Bartlett, the multi-award-winning writer of Doctor Foster and King Charles III. “And then I thought, I wonder what the drama version

of that would be…”

The answer is the BBC’s upcoming epic Life, which tells a multi-layered story of four very ordinary lives that turn out to be anything but. Written by Bartlett and produced by Drama Republic — the team behind Doctor Foster — the 6 x 60 mins series is presently shooting in Manchester and is slated to air on BBC One next year.

The series follows the lives of the residents of a large house divided into flats, whose worlds are separated by thin walls. There’s 70-year-old Gail, played by Alison Steadman, who’s trapped in a zombie marriage. There’s university lecturer David (Adrian Lester), who’s happily married to Kelly (Rachael Stirling) — until he falls for one of his students (Saira Choudhry). There’s Pilates teacher Belle (Victoria Hamilton),

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Wednesday 16 October 2019 www.mipcom.com

whose ordered life is disrupted by her chaotic 15-year-old niece (Erin Kellyman). And then there’s pregnant Hannah (Melissa Johns), who has to choose between her dependable live-in partner Liam (Joshua James) and charismatic Andy (Calvin Demba), the father of her child.

“The tension in the show is that the stories start out separately but then, as the narrative develops, all the little strands come together into one big story,” Bartlett said.

In addition to being a “gripping, roller-coaster ride of a drama”, Jude Liknaitzky, chief creative officer of Drama Republic, said one of Life’s strengths is its cross-generational appeal: “One strand is the story of an elderly lady; another is about a couple in their twenties. You’re seeing a cross-section of women at very different points in their lives.”

For Drama Republic’s chief executive, Roanna Benn, Life’s tonality is perfectly pitched: “At times it’s high drama, but it’s also got funny bits. It’s not trying to be a comedy drama, but a true reflection of the range of human emotions.”

Bartlett agreed: “Like Doctor Foster, it’s about things that the audience sitting at home on their sofa might know a little bit about. When we were making Doctor Foster, we used to say it was Greek tragedy in a kitchen.

You could say Life’s a big Ibsen drama starring everyday people.”

Life was commissioned by BBC Drama controller Piers Wenger and director of BBC content Charlotte Moore. BBC Studios will handle the international distribution.

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PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT Publishing Director Martin Screpel Publishing Manager Amrane Lamiri ADVERTISING CONTACT IN CANNES Silvia Ferreira: +33 7 78 35 43 99 Reed MIDEM, a joint stock company (SAS), with a capital of €310.000, 662 003 557 R.C.S. NANTERRE, having offices located at 27-33 Quai Alphonse Le Gallo - 92100 BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT (FRANCE), VAT number FR91 662 003 557. Contents © 2019, Reed MIDEM Market Publications. Publication registered 3rd quarter 2019. Printed on PEFC Certified Paper.

MIPCOM News 3 • 29 • 16 October 2019

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PINK POODLE TOP FOR MIPJUNIOR SCREENINGS A WEREWOLF trapped in the body of a pink poodle prowled the screening rooms of MIPJunior this year as 100% Wolf: The Legend Of The Moonstone, from Studio100 Media, was the most screened programme at the event. The comedy adventure series for six- to 10-year-olds is produced by Flying Bark Productions for ABC Australia and SuperRTL Germany.

The second most viewed programme was Guru Studio’s Pikwik Pack. Mystery Lane from France’s Hari International was third.

No fewer than 27 of the 30 most screened titles were animations, with just three live-action series in contention. Of these, the most screened was ZDF Enterprises’ teen vampire series, Heirs Of The Night, followed

by ABC Australia’s Itch, and Viacom International Studios’ Are You Afraid Of The Dark?.

The top three most viewed projects in development were Scrambled (DQ Entertainment International, India); Odo (Sixteen South, UK); and Otto’s Tall Tales (Creative Conspiracy, Belgium).

MIPJunior welcomed 1,500 participants this year, with 600 buyers, and a total of 1,300 programmes presented. Hot topics of discussion were diversity, environmental programming and working with the streaming companies.

100% Wolf: The Legend Of The Moonstone (Studio 100 Media)

Parrot sings the praises of most in-demand shows worldwide MIPCOM delegates were given a sneak peek yesterday of the most in-demand shows of 2019 so far at an event hosted

by Parrot Analytics.

The runners and riders in the second edition of Parrot’s Global TV Demand Awards, which take place in Miami in

January, were showcased in the form of “race charts” illustrating the movement of series in six of the 12 award categories over the course of the year.

The categories covered were Most In-Demand Superhero Series, Comedy and Documentary Series, In The World,

Parrot Analytics’ Rebekah Zabarsky

and Most In-Demand Exports From Latin America, Asia and Europe.

“As we’re getting into the last quarter of 2019, Parrot is taking a look at how some of the biggest series in the world are doing so far,” Rebekah Zabarsky, Parrot’s director of marketing and executive producer of the Awards, said. “It’s a race to the end of the year and we’re looking forward to soon revealing the most in-demand series in the world.”

Zabarsky said Parrot had decided to highlight the contenders in six of the award categories “to showcase how the TV landscape continues to change, with new premieres and established series battling it out for viewers’ attention across all platforms around the world”.

For more information on the top-10 titles in the six categories mentioned, please visit: globalTVdemandawards.com

Last call for David Lyle scholarships THE DAVID Lyle Foundation, the not-for-profit organisation that helps young executives to build successful careers in the international television business, has announced the closing date for applications for its inaugural annual scholarships. Candidate proposals should be received

by Friday, November 15, 2019 and should demonstrate why a young executive would benefit from the opportunity.

The Foundation awards two annual scholarships, each valued at $10,000. The two successful candidates will receive a oneyear programme of education and development designed to fast-track their understanding of the global TV-content business. This includes subscriptions to key trade publications and organisations, and all-ac-

cess passes to leading content-industry events, worth in excess of $5,000.

Cheryl Clarke, president of the David Lyle Foundation, said: “This programme seeks not only to benefit individuals, but also, by nurturing innovative ideas, passion and talent, their organisations and the entire entertainment community. Our aim is to carry forward David’s spirt of generosity and altruism by making a positive contribution to our global cultural footprint.”

Clarke added: “We’ve received some excellent applications but, with just over a month to go before we close the call for the inaugural David Lyle scholarships, we’re asking senior executives to put forward their rising stars for this opportunity.”

MIPCOM News 3 • 30 • 16 October 2019

The David Lyle Foundation’s partners include Broadcast, C21Media, Edinburgh TV Festival, EMC, FRAPA, Realscreen, NPACT, PACT, NATPE, TBI and Reed MIDEM.

David Lyle Foundation’s Cheryl Clarke: “nurturing innovative ideas, passion and talent”

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PRIME PRESENTS POLSAT WITH THE FACTS PRODUCER-distributor Prime Entertainment Group has licensed a package of factual content to Polish media group Polsat at MIPCOM. Series covered include entertainment franchises Hollywood Stories and Close Up. The latter is a 105 x 26 mins series with portraits of stars such as Bradley Cooper, Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson.

This deal builds on a previous partnership between Prime Entertainment and Polsat around documentary titles such as Einsatzgruppen: The Nazi Death Squads and Benjamin Ferencz, the Nuremberg Prosecutor.

Prime Entertainment Group head of sales Alexandra Marguerite said: “Polsat has been a great partner for years and we have supplied a range of content for several channels within the group. The variety of our programme slate allows us to maintain this partnership.”

The deal was brokered

by Marguerite and Janek Wroblewski, TV rights acquisitions executive for Polsat.

Polsat’s Janek Wroblewski and Prime Entertainment’s Alexandra Marguerite

Death row show driven by true story brings Silvestre to Cannes THE PRODUCERS and cast of a drama covering the story of a real-life miscarriage of justice, which saw a Spanish man spend 25 years on death row in the US, are in Cannes to promote the show.

Movistar+ and Bambu Produc-

On Death Row star Miguel Angel Silvestre: show has deep connection to Spanish public

ciones were at MIPCOM yesterday for a special screening of On Death Row, alongside Canal+, which is handling international sales of the show.

Speaking to MIPCOM News, On Death Row star Miguel Angel Silvestre said that it was a show with a deep connection to the Spanish public, which was horrified as the details of the true case of Pablo Ibar, and the bungled trial that convicted him, emerged in the national news.

He said: “I remember it from when I was a kid. It was very shocking in Spain when the news came through and we found out that he was convicted for death row with no evidence. It was all based on one very blurry image.”

Spaniard Pablo Ibar was convicted of murdering a man and two women whose bodies were discovered in 1994 with multiple gunshot wounds in a sleepy neighbourhood in Miami, de-

spite no conclusive evidence being brought against him. His conviction sparked outrage in Spain, and a 25-year quest for justice by his family.

In May this year, Ibar was spared the death sentence following a retrial, but is still facing the prospect of life imprisonment despite no new evidence coming to light.

Silvestre said that the show, which debuted in Spain last month and reveals the “manipulations and contradictions” of the original trial, will have a wide universal appeal partly thanks to a wave of shows revolving around controversial murder convictions.

“It’s very international,” he said.

“With other shows like Making A Murderer we are finding the truth in so many cases. This is something that will be seen all over and recognised. People think it could happen to them.”

Prison drama breaks into Turkey FOLLOWING a deal with global producer and distributor Fremantle, Netflix is set to launch the first season of Avlu, the Turkish adaption of hit Australian prison drama Wentworth, this Friday, October 18.

Produced by Hayri Aslan and Limon Film, Avlu has become one of the most talked about dramas in Turkey. The deal with Netflix was brokered by Fremantle’s distribution arm based in Dubai.

“Avlu is a brave, modern and ground-breaking series that truly stood out in the mercilessly competitive Turkish drama market,” Jamie Lynn, executive vice-president, head of EMEA distribution, at FremantleMedia, said. “A format adaptation driven by the collective efforts of our Dubai office, Avlu’s bold female characters

and gritty storylines were an instant hit with local audiences and unlike anything the Turkish drama landscape had seen to date. Netflix

is the perfect partner for this new style of Turkish drama and we are delighted to now share this series with the world.”

Avlu: Wentworth remake ready to launch on Netflix

MIPCOM News 3 • 32 • 16 October 2019

news

Women take a lead on both sides of the lens in Red’s new mystery

Traces executive producer Nicola Shindler (left) with star Molly Windsor

THE MAKERS and lead actor from an upcoming crime thriller series led by an almost exclusively female cast and production team are in Cannes to kickstart international sales of the show.

Nicola Shindler, executive producer of Traces, and Molly Windsor, who plays the lead

role, are at MIPCOM alongside members of Red Production and BBC Studios, which is handling international distribution.

Based on an idea by renowned Scottish crime writer Val McDermid, Traces tells the story of a young forensic scientist in training, played by Windsor, who

learns of a case with striking similarities to the murder of her own mother several years before.

With elements of mystery, crime and a love sub-plot, as well as an exploration of the sisterhood and solidarity that Windsor’s character is shown by the women in her profession, Traces

Mother and daughter pen 50s thriller IN 1950s Helsinki, a young Finnish politics student named Helena sees the CIA and KGB vying for control of neutral Finland. But as Helena joins an undercover organisation battling for Finland’s independence, elements of her own past start to bubble to the surface.

This is the setting for Shadow Lines (8 x 45 mins), a 10-part spy thriller co-written by leading Finnish screenwriters, Katri Manninen and her mother, Kirsti Manninen. The show is produced by Zodiac Finland, and distributed by APC. “We chose the most interesting period in Finnish history to set it — 1955, the year of the presidential elections,” said Katri

Shadow Lines’ executive producer Teea Hyytia (left); co-writer Katri Manninen; actors Emmi Parviainen and Olavi Uusivirta; and director AJ Annila

MIPCOM News 3 • 33 • 16 October 2019

documents the search for truth in many forms.

Speaking to MIPCOM News, Shindler said Traces has a “universal” appeal to audiences both inside the UK and internationally. “The show is inspiring. It’s about resolving things from a long time ago.”

Traces is currently in post-production and will make its debut on UKTV later this year and be broadcast over six hour-long episodes. The show was produced

by Red Production, with directors Rebecca Gatward and Mary Nighy at the helm, and written

by Amelia Bullmore, who has previous writing credits in comedy series Big Train, Scott & Bailey and This Life.

Windsor said that to assist in preparing for the role she had been able to visit real life forensic labs, and had a scientific adviser on set.

“That was one side of the role,” she added, “but there was also the drama side of it. Losing a parent and grief is such a personal thing. The women around her character are scientists but they are also friends. That’s how it was in real life when I visited the labs.” UK distribution is being overseen by Alibi.

Manninen. “But though Kirsti is a historian and knew the period, neither of us expected it to resonate quite so strongly with the present.”

But if you’re thinking Nordic Noir, think again. The Manninens portray the Cold War with humour and irreverence. “We weren’t filming the 1950s, but people’s memory of the 1950s,” said director AJ Annila. “And we did it in bright colours. The 1950s didn’t take place in black and white.”

“We weren’t sure how Shadow Lines would be received,” said executive producer Teea Hyytia, CEO Zodiak Finland.

“Finnish viewers tend to prefer their drama to be realistic.

But we premiered on Elisa earlier this month and people loved it.”

news

GREEN GOLD LINKS WITH JAPAN’S ADK ON 3D ANIMATION INDIA’s Green Gold Animation and ADK Emotions of Japan have formalised a partnership to co-produce and distribute the new 3D animated title, Nebula And The Big Blue Couch, at MIPCOM. The adventure-edutainment series for pre-schoolers features a group of toddlers and their compulsively texting babysitter who go on extraordinary adventures in science to discover the secrets of nature, space, history and the human body. The two companies plan to bring the show and brand bible to market in 2020.

“We are so excited to introduce kids and their families to this show where the bond of friendship takes a curious group of youngsters on a journey to answer some of the most perplexing — and yet, everyday — questions about the world around them,” Rajiv Chilaka, founder and CEO of Green Gold Animation, said.

ADK Emotions’ Takahiro Noda added: “This will be an incredibly fruitful endeavour for both parties and we cannot wait to see what the future holds.”

Balkans SVOD platform picks up Blood in All3Media drama slate SVOD PLATFORM Pickbox NOW, which covers Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, has acquired the first six-part instalment of Blood, a Company Pictures Production.

The psychological thriller was the UK’s Channel 5’s top-rated drama series of 2018 and stars Adrian Dunbar (Line Of Duty) and Carolina Main (Unforgotten). Blood is distributed by All3Media International, which is also launching a second series at MIPCOM. In addition, the deal with All3Media features four titles from leading scripted producer Two Brothers Pictures, including Back To Life, the latest comedy from the producers of Fleabag.

Created for BBC Three and recently picked up by Showtime in the US, Back To Life is a sixpart black comedy starring Daisy

Haggard (Episodes, Uncle) — who also wrote the series alongside Perrier winner Laura Solon — and Geraldine James (Sherlock Holmes).

“I’m very pleased to work with the All3Media International team on our first drama acquisition — their portfolio is packed with premium scripted titles,” Ranka

Ranka Horvat of Pickbox NOW (left); Sanja Bozzic Ljubicic of Mediatranslations, Mediavision and Pickbox; and Anna Maslowska of All3Media International

THE UNEXPECTED appearance of British royals Harry and Meghan has been drawing the crowds at MIPCOM, courtesy of Avalon Entertainment, the company behind the imminent revival of the renowned puppet satire series, Spitting Image.

Nebula And The Big Blue Couch (Green Gold/ADK Emotions)

North American deal for Studiocanal PARIS-based Studiocanal has sold the North American rights for French drama series Vernon Subutex and Danish comedy drama series Pros And Cons to Topic, a new North American SVOD platform which launches in November.

Beatriz Campos, head of international sales at Studiocanal, said: “We are continuing to build strong partnerships with broadcasters and platforms to extend

Horvat, acquisition specialist at Pickbox NOW, said.

“Strong partnerships with forward-thinking, dynamic distributors such as All3Media International are vital to our ongoing strategy to deliver exciting, intriguing and innovative content to Pickbox NOW’s growing subscriber base.”

the reach of our content around the world. We are sure dramas will appeal to Topic’s subscribers and look forward to working with them again.”

Starring Romain Duris, Vernon Subutex is a 9 x 30 mins drama series co-written and directed by Cathy Verney. The series opened with its premiere at the second CANNESERIES festival.

Pros and Cons was commissioned by Viaplay TV3 and pro-

duced by Danish production house SAM Productions. It tells the story of a couple of con artists who try to settle down and live a normal life in the suburbs of Copenhagen.

Topic is being launched by First Look Media, which describes itself as “dedicated to supporting creators at the forefront of culture”. From Academy Award-winning films (Spotlight) to television (Losers) and

MIPCOM News 3 • 34 • 16 October 2019

podcasts (Anthem), it explores a wide range of subject matter, both fiction and nonfiction.

Vernon Subutex (Studiocanal)

news

BIG BROTHER IS BACK AFTER THE BREAK IN GREECE ENDEMOL Shine Group has revealed at MIPCOM that iconic reality show Big Brother is set to make a comeback in Greece following a 10-year hiatus.

In a deal struck by Endemol Shine International sales director Tatjana Kostovski, the series will be produced and broadcast by Skai for transmission in 2020.

The announcement was made in Cannes to celebrate 20 years of the format’s success; with Greece becoming the fifth market to bring back the global hit in recent times. The format is also returning to Swedish screens after five years away on TV4. At time of writing, 18 markets are confirmed to air this year.

DATA FIRM STRIKES MEDIACREST DEAL US SPECIALIST TV data analytics firm Parrot Analytics has signed a deal with Mediacrest to assist with the launch of two new series at MIPCOM. The Spanish producer has appointed Parrot to help maximise the impact of the sci-fi drama Time Hunter and El Clasico, a cultural documentary of the histories of Madrid and Barcelona.

Parrot Analytics employs data analytics tools including audience demand surveys to enhance the way TV content is distributed and sold.

The company’s regional director for Latin America Alejandro Rojas said: “Armed with data that provides a better understanding of the popularity of content, producers like Mediacrest are able to make more informed decisions about what platforms — linear and digital — they should try to sell to and the value they should assign to that content.

Taiwan’s Aurora showcases its travel show with a twist TAIWANESE production firm Aurora is at MIPCOM for the first time, seeking international sales for its flagship travel lifestyle series Follow Alana.

Aurora marketing director Teresa Chou said Follow Alana was no ordinary travel show: “Alana was born profoundly deaf and only regained her hearing after cochlear surgery when she was two. When she travels, she experiences things differently to other people because her other senses are heightened.

Follow Alana is a great way to show that people who have suffered challenging conditions can still achieve things; it is a powerful way to share her stories.”

There are six seasons of Follow Alana, four set in Taiwan, one in Australia and one in Switzerland.

“There are 53 episodes altogether, all in English. Alana is from a bi-cultural family, so grew up learning to speak English. That’s one reason we think the show can

sell well internationally.”

Aurora attends Asian markets and has sold the franchise to southeast Asia. “But MIPCOM is a good opportunity to speak to buyers we wouldn’t meet at those markets.

We have been talking to European and African buyers,” Chou said.

Aurora was set up specifically to create and distribute Alana programming. There are more travel ideas in the works “but we may also look at other areas Alana is interested in, such as animals, environmentalism and vegetarianism,” Chou added.

From left: Aurora’s Yun Hsu, Yaya Lee, Teresa Chou and Jumping Chiang

Cineflix scoops pre-sales for zoo series CINEFLIX Rights has pre-sold newly acquired Australian wildlife documentary series Inside Taronga Zoo to Nat Geo Wild (US) and Channel 4’s More 4 (UK).

Inside Taronga Zoo (10 x 60 mins) follows the 240 keepers and vets caring for 5,000 animals in the zoo’s spectacular Sydney harbour location and out in the field.

From the complex task of moving large wild animals and conducting emergency surgery in a state-of-the art wildlife hospital, to the important work of rehabilitating and releasing animals back into their wild habitats in Africa and Asia, the series reveals life behind the scenes at one of the world’s most famous zoos.

“Audiences worldwide are fascinated by the daily lives and work of zookeepers and their relationships with the animals of all shapes and sizes,” said Kate Laffey, vice-president acquisitions, Cineflix Rights

who brokered the deal with McAvoy Media. “We’re confident the series will be snapped up by buyers internationally.”

The deal with Nat Geo Wild was brokered by Lucinda Gergley-Garner senior vice-president, sales, North America and Ger-

man-speaking territories, with Ben Noot, director, global acquisitions at National Geographic. Sandra Piha, senior vice-president, sales, pan-regional, UK, Eire, and Scandinavia closed the More 4 deal with Polly Scates, programme acquisitions executive at Channel 4.

Sealing the deal: Sandra Piha (left), Polly Scates, Ben Noot and Lucinda Gergley-Garner

MIPCOM News 3 • 35 • 16 October 2019

news

DOODLE TIME FOR IVY AND THE INKLINGS “VISUALLY stunning and jam-packed with comedy and heart,” is how Natalie Llewellyn, head of development at the UK’s Jellyfish Pictures, described the new CGI pre-school show she’s developing with Singaporean producer-distributor Bomanbridge Media.

Ivy And The Inklings (52 x 11 mins), created by multi-award winning scriptwriter Jo Clegg (Hey Duggee, Go Jetters, Lilybuds), follows a girl who expresses herself through doodles that come to life.

“This show highlights the importance of nurturing emotional intelligence in kids,” said Llewellyn. “It also celebrates the ‘A’ for Art in the STEAM curriculum.”

“This is our first kids animation, and we believe in it so much that we’re investing in it in advance of a broadcaster commitment,” said Sonia Fleck, CEO of Bomanbridge.

Jellyfish will manage development, as well as seeking broadcasters, pre-sales and potential co-production partners for the series, and sales outside APAC. Bomanbridge will oversee all APAC distribution.

ZDF and Red Balloon Film help Alea Aquarius save the planet ZDF ENTERPRISES (ZDFE) and Red Balloon Film have joined forces to develop and produce Alea Aquarius, adapted from the Tanya Stewner (Little Miss Dolittle) best-selling young-adult novels published by Hamburg’s Oetinger Publishing Group.

The collaboration will result in a 26 x 26 mins series and feature film, to be shot in English.

Screenwriter Maria von Heland will adapt the Alea Aquarius books, which centre on a mergirl called Alea and her friendship group, who want to save the planet from destruction.

Production is due to complete in 2021/22.

Against the backdrop of the

FridaysForFuture and Extinction Rebellion movements, Alea Aquarius’ focus on saving the oceans, protecting the underworld from pollution and promoting sustainability couldn’t be more topical.

“Environmental issues are a hot topic, especially among young people, and this series could not be more in tune with the times,” said Arne Lohmann, vice-president of ZDFE.junior and ZDFE. Dorothe Beinemeier, founder and producer of Red Balloon, added: “With Alea Aquarius, Tanya Stewner has succeeded in telling a story that meets the zeitgeist of an extraordinary gener-

ZDFE’s Arne Lohmann: “Environmental issues are a hot topic”

ation. It’s as if she guessed that Greta Thunberg would come along. Power to the children!”

TOKYO’s Flying Ship Studio has partnered with LAbased Verite Entertainment for its animated series for five- to nine-year-olds, Captain Bal. Verite will dub it into English and both companies will pitch it for sale to the international market. Island-dwelling Bal teams up with his dog, his sister and a giant salamander called Cuuna to become pirates and make some money — except they can’t stop helping people.

“Captain Bal is our first original property,” Emmy Ozawa, Flying Ship Studio producer, said. “With Verite’s expertise, we are in great hands to take the series to the next level and have a place in the global market.”

“As soon as I watched the pilot, I fell in love with it.

It was like nothing I had seen in any of the markets.

I knew I was watching something quirky, unique and funny with a lot of heart,” Donald Roman Lopez, president of Verite, said. Pictured are: Verite’s Donald Roman Lopez (left), Flying Ship’s Emmy Ozawa and Verite’s Rene Veilleux.

Jellyfish Pictures’ Natalie Llewellyn (left) and Bomanbridge’s Sonia Fleck

Fuji has global plans for Gachapin GACHAPIN, star of Hirake!

Ponkikki, a children’s TV staple in Japan for the last 46 years, is helping to introduce the show to the international market this week.

“We brought Gachapin to preview the fact that next year we will be focusing on international markets,” Toru Ota, senior executive managing director at Fuji Television Network, said.

“We intend to start with South East Asia because the visual culture is quite similar, and then we will target Europe and the US. We are well aware of how tough those markets are but we also know that the Japanese visual style is popular and respected by kids in those markets.” The show features a regular sports section where Gachapin and friend Mukku take on challeng-

es such as mountain-climbing.

“It gives us the possibility of creating a localised element in the show.” Ota said. “We also started a YouTube channel a year ago and Gachapin is very active on social media, so we’re confident we have a property that combines all the power of an established classic with the interactive and digital presence a modern series has to have.”

MIPCOM News 3 • 36 • 16 October 2019

Gachapin and Toru Ota at MIPCOM

30 mars – 02 avril 2020 Cannes, France

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ONE PLANET OFFERS RAFT OF 4K DOCS ONE PLANET, the Parisbased producer and distributor of programming dedicated to science, society, nature and the environment, is offering a range of 4K documentaries. Highlights include: Babies Diary (3 x 52 mins), co-produced with National Geographic and with the participation of France Televisions; Restoring The Wilderness (3 x 52 mins), a co-production with ARTE, profiling work to repair damaged ecosystems in Argentina, Mozambique and South Africa; How Cats And Dogs Conquered The World (2 x 52 mins), also co-produced with ARTE; The Last Secrets Of The Maya (1 x 52/90 mins); and Hyenas In The Mist (1 x 52 mins).

BAKUGAN EMBARKS ON A WORLD TOUR KIDS content specialists Nelvana and Spin Master have announced deals for animated series, Bakugan: Battle Planet (100 x 11 mins).

After launching on Cartoon Network (US) and Teletoon (Canada), the series now goes to Cartoon Network (Spain, Italy, Middle East), Gulli and Canal J (France, Africa), Pop (UK), Super RTL (Germany), RTL (Netherlands, Hungary, Croatia), Nine Go! (Australia), TVNZ (New Zealand), Star (Greece), 1+1 (Ukraine), PopTV (Slovenia), VMMa (Belgium), M6 (France, Africa) and Lithuana/ SIA (Baltics).

Bakugan:Battle Planet (Nelvana/Spin Master)

DFW International in Cannes to showcase best of Benelux

DFW International’s Angela Pruijssers and FilmWorks’ Willem Pruijssers

A MONTH after its launch, DFW International, Dutch FilmWorks’ new international sales division is in Cannes with a slate of premium entertainment from the Benelux region.

Specialising in TV drama, feature films, documentaries and kids programming, DFW is committed to creating “an international home for the finest programming from the Benelux,” said Dutch Film-

Works CEO Willem Pruijssers.

That mission has got off to a good start at MIPCOM, where DFW is prioritising two crime dramas — Women Of The Night (10 x 45 mins) and Stanley (4 x 50 mins) — and an intriguing eight-part documentary about looted art objects. “The Art Dispute is not only topical, given the growing conversation around art restitution and cultural owner-

ship, but it also looks at issue of looted art from an emotional and personal perspective, rather than simply an historical viewpoint,” said Angela Pruijssers, DFW’s vice-president of international sales and distribution.

Stanley is based on the life of infamous Dutch criminal Stanley Hillis, charting his path from gentleman bank robber to drug overlord, while Women Of The Night is a provocative drama set in a high-class escort agency.

Dutch FilmWorks is one of the largest independent distributors of filmed entertainment in the Benelux. Over the last two years, it has ramped up its investment in local film and TV productions, acting as a co-producer or co-financier on a range of successful titles, including Undercover, the first Dutch-language series to be exclusively available on Netflix worldwide.

MarVista romcom keeps it in the family A FOCUS at MIPCOM for MarVista Entertainment is feature film The Year Of Spectacular Men (1 x 102 mins), for which it has worldwide rights.

The romantic comedy turned out to be real family affair for firsttime director, Lea Thompson. She was first catapulted to fame playing Lorraine Baines in 1985’s Back To The Future. After many more movies she made the successful move to TV with four seasons of sitcom Caroline In The City, beginning in 1995.

The Year Of Spectacular Men sees Thompson in front of, as well as behind the camera, acting alongside her two daughters Madelyn and Zoey Deutch. Thompson’s husband Howard Deutch took a producing role, as did Zoey, while Madelyn wrote the screenplay and soundtrack.

Madelyn Deutch plays Izzy, a confused and somewhat chaotic young woman, who after graduating from college fills the following year with a series of unsatisfactory love affairs. She takes a trip from New York to LA to visit her way-more-together sister Sabrina,

played by Zoey Deutch, an actor living with her long-term boyfriend. The sassy comedy serves as an honest commentary on modern life, following a woman that MarVista describes as suffering from “a bad case of pre-realworld millennial-itis”.

Zoey (left) and Madelyn Deutch in MarVista’s The Year Of Spectacular Men

MIPCOM News 3 • 38 • 16 October 2019

news

INDIAN producer and global distributor DQ Entertainment (DQE) has signed a deal for its IPs with Escalade for the Malaysia territory.

The team from DQE and Escalade signed the deal on DQE’s stand at MIPCOM. Manoj Mishra, chief operating officer, DQE, said: “DQE and Escalade have been partnering with each other for over a decade now. Having signed a multi-property deal with them today, we look forward to taking our relationship further.” Pictured are: DQE’s Tapaas Chakravarti (left); Escalade’s Harissdin; DQE’s Manoj Mishra; Escalade’s Hashanal; DQE’s Swastik Patra and Vishnu Ravindranathan; and Escalade’s Zainul Abiding.

KI-HOON Gwak, director at RAPA (Korea Radio Promotion Agency), sealed a Memorandum of Understanding with Eric Lapointe, founder & general manager of Canadian media group And Now Global. It will see the two companies support each other by marketing, promoting and offering consultancy services for content created or distributed by either company. The signing ceremony took place at the South Korean pavilion yesterday.

DELEGATES from Jamaica’s animation and TV industry were out in force at MIPCOM yesterday, led by Renee Robinson (seated centre) of the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), part of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries (MICAF). The delegation, which is made up of eight Jamaican animation studios with a total of 23 local animated projects to showcase, has been in Cannes with the partial support of the Business of Sustainability for Studios (BOSS) programme, led by the Office of the Prime Minster of Jamaica and JAMPRO.

UK DISTRIBUTOR Banijay Rights and independent Canadian producer Arcadia Content have confirmed a deal that will see the two companies co-develop a number of factual science, tech and historical production projects. Yesterday marked the start of the co-production partnership which was officially signed this week in Cannes. The two companies are already in talks over a slate of TV shows. Banijay commercial director for factual, Andreas Lemos, said: “Arcadia Content is a real trailblazer in the factual world, producing entertaining and illuminating documentary films and series for leading broadcasters around the globe. We are delighted to be working closely together to co-develop and co-fund new projects, enabling them to create even more intriguing science and history programming for eager viewers.” Lemos (centre) is pictured with Arcadia’s John Wesley Chisholm and Banijay’s Emily Elisha.

MIPCOM News 3 • 39 • 16 October 2019

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WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER MEDIA MASTERMIND KEYNOTES

SCREENINGS

D2C TECH

11.00-11.30 GRAND AUDITORIUM

9.00-10.15 AUDITORIUM K

9.30-10.00 AUDITORIUM A

ITV STUDIOS

‘MELODRAMA’ Presented by FRIDAY! TV CHANNEL

EMOTIONAL DATA: MEASURING AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT

10.30-11.45 AUDITORIUM K

10.10-10.50 AUDITORIUM A

‘HEARTBEAT’

MEASURING THE IMPACT OF DIVERSITY ON AUDIENCE POTENTIAL

RUTH BERRY, MANAGING DIRECTOR GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION 11.45-12.30 GRAND AUDITORIUM

WORLD SCREEN TRENDSETTER AWARD: JED MERCURIO, SCREENWRITER & SHOWRUNNER (BODYGUARD, LINE OF DUTY, STRIKE BACK...)

Presented by TVP Polish Public Television 12.00-13.15 AUDITORIUM K

A conference track supported by Dolby

‘DRY WATER’ Presented by Portocabo 14.15-15.00 GRAND AUDITORIUM

FRESH TV FICTION 14.30-15.45 AUDITORIUM K

‘INTERNYET. THE KREMLIN’S WAR ON THE INTERNET’ Presented by Current Time TV and Digital Network 15.30-16.15 AUDITORIUM A

BEST OF SHORT FORM SERIES

ULTRA HD TV NOW: SONY 4K&8K

NETWORKING & EVENTS

FIRST TIMERS ‘HOW TO MIPCOM’

9.30-10.00 SONY 4K/8K THEATRE

8.30-10.00 VERRIÈRE GRAND AUDITORIUM

8.30 PARTICIPANTS’ LOUNGE GREEN, PALAIS -1

REVIVING ANIMATION INTO 4K

‘GETTING TO THE TOP’: INSIGHT AND TIPS FROM - AND FOR WOMEN IN MEDIA

NETWORKING BREAKFAST

10.00-10.45 SONY 4K/8K THEATRE

BBC STUDIOS: BUSY IN 4K 11.15-12.45 SONY 4K/8K THEATRE

Mentoring breakfast co-hosted with MediaClub’Elles By invitation only

SPECTACULAR MUSIC IN 4K 14.00-14.45 SONY 4K/8K THEATRE

15.30-16.15 VERRIÈRE GRAND AUDITORIUM

COLOURFUL FASHION IN 4K

WHY MEDIA SHOULD GET INVOLVED IN ESPORTS?

14.45-15.30 SONY 4K/8K THEATRE

AMAZING ENTERTAINMENT IN 4K 16.00-17.00 SONY 4K/8K THEATRE

4K PRODUCTION MASTERCLASS

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CONFERENCES & SCREENINGS HIGHLIGHTS

MEDIA MASTERMIND KEYNOTES ITV STUDIOS

11.00-11.30, Grand Auditorium

RUTH BERRY Managing Director Global Distribution

THE

TRENDSETTER AWARD

11.45-12.30, Grand Auditorium

JED MERCURIO Screenwriter and Showrunner (Bodyguard, Line of Duty, Strike Back...)

MARKET SCREENINGS

MELODRAMA

DRY WATER

HEARTBEAT

INTERNYET. THE KREMLIN’S WAR ON THE INTERNET

9.00-10.15, Auditorium K Presented by Friday! TV Channel

10.30-11.45, Auditorium K Presented by TVP (Polish Public Television)

12.00-13.15, Auditorium K Presented by Portocabo

14.30-15.45 | Auditorium K Presented by Current Time TV and Digital Network

VISIT MIPCOM.COM/PROGRAMME FOR FULL INFORMATION

news_wednesday.indd 2

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COMING NEXT

THURSDAY 17 OCTOBER SCREENINGS

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

ULTRA HD TV NOW: SONY 4K&8K

10.00-10.45 AUDITORIUM A

11.00-11.30 AUDITORIUM A

10.00-12.00 SONY 4K/8K THEATRE

BEST OF FRESH TV

WHAT DID YOU MISS?

SONY SIZZLE SESSION

11.45-12.45 AUDITORIUM A

TRENDING TOPICS: THE MOST BUZZ -WORTHY TRENDS OF THE MARKET

VISIT MIPCOM.COM/PROGRAMME FOR FULL INFORMATION

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10/10/2019 09:16

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ULTRA HIGH-DEFINITION MIPCOM 2019 TOP BILLING FOR 4K/HDR. 8K MAKING A RETURN AT CANNES The Excitement of 4K and 8K Ultra High-Definition

October 14-17 2019. AUDI I, Palais 4: The SONY 4K/8K UHD THEATRE Programme moderated by Chris Forrester, Journalist & Consultant

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 16 09.30 REVIVING ANIMATION INTO 4K TMS Entertainment, Japan

THURSDAY OCTOBER 17 10.00 SONY SIZZLE SESSION

Continuous screenings of the best in UHD from our speakers

10.00 BBC STUDIOS: BUSY IN 4K BBC Studios, UK

11.15

14.00 14.45

SPECTACULAR MUSIC IN 4K

Stingray Music, Canada Eagle Rock, UK MTV, UK Paramax Films, France Polycast, Netherlands VIMN-UKNEE

COLOURFUL FASHION IN 4K

FashionTV, France

AMAZING ENTERTAINMENT IN 4K

Kansai TV, Samurai Drama Channel, Japan Marjan Content Productions, US/Germany

16.00 4K PRODUCTION MASTERCLASS Sony Professional Solutions Europe

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Conference Partner:

Event Partner:

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