TV REAL SCREENINGS FESTIVAL
Stunning natural vistas, archive-rich history, deep-dive biographies and insightful factual entertainment feature in the latest edition of the TV Real Screenings Festival. Clicking on each show title below will take you directly to the trailer.
The challenges in the global content sector have given rise to a newfound openness to collaboration, one that is on display in ZDF Studios’ new two-part Time: A Journey Through Thousands of Years, which “captures the type of fresh thinking about content and partners required to get co-production deals done,” says Ralf Rückauer, VP Unscripted. The co-production of ZDF with CMG, ARTE and ZDF Studios “is also a reminder that European, particularly German, public broadcasters are resilient funders of factual programs.” Rückauer also highlights the five-part Fateful Planet, a ZDF Digital Medienproduktion for Curiosity Stream in association with ZDF Studios and ZDFinfo, which “explores the rise of humanity, reconstructs the major events that created our unique habitat and shows how life has bounced back after catastrophic events.”
Among All3Media International’s brand-new premium factual offerings is the 90-minute Becoming Madonna. Rachel Job, the company’s senior VP of unscripted, bills it as an “absorbing insight into her astonishing career, life and talent. With Optomen and Sky as creative partners, the show has delivered an utterly compelling view of the early years of someone who has become a cultural icon across the world.” Job also touts new series with the popular Monty Don and Guy Martin: the five-part Monty Don’s British Gardens and the two-part Guy Martin: Arctic Warrior. Capitalizing on the success of series like Yellowstone, Great American Land Listings from Bright North “offers exclusive access into the booming Wild West of ranchland real estate,” Job says. Rounding out the company’s selections is a new season of Getting Filthy Rich with Olivia Attwood.
The special Unearthed—The Mystery of the Shaman Woman has notched up a slew of award wins for its investigation into the mysterious burial of a woman and her baby 9,000 years ago in Bad Dürrenberg. Nikolas Hülbusch, Director Unscripted at ZDF Studios, is also showcasing to the company’s clients the five-part wildlife and nature series Wild Talk. “Off the Fence has done it again by producing another brilliant series, beautifully filmed and full of intriguing stories,” Hülbusch says. “These documentaries are made for prime time to be enjoyed by all the family.”
NHK Enterprises arrives in London with a diverse factual slate, including the current-affairs special Decoding the Chinese Document Leaks, exploring global misinformation tactics. Akiko Nakano, senior manager of international sales, also showcases the science and history doc FRONTIERS: Quest for the Ancient Sin City, referring to it as “a mix of archeology and astrophysics, and a story of trying to solve how an urban center from 4,000 years ago could have been destroyed, possibly at temperatures people of that age could not possibly have created themselves.” Behind the Scenes: Detective Conan, meanwhile, profiles the manga author Gosho Aoyama.
Albatross World Sales is promoting several new wildlife properties, including the six-part series Beaches of Europe and the film Among the Wolves, “a deeply moving and philosophical story—not just about wolves but also about creativity, solitude and the beauty of nature,” says Lisa Anna Schelhas, sales director. On the history front, the company is launching Liberation Diaries. “The stories of the female heroes that stayed home during the Second World War come to life in this title that beautifully crafts animations around the moving diaries of three women who couldn’t be more different, but all tell a story about survival, resilience and hope during especially dark times under patriarchy,” Schelhas says.
A production of Doclights in association with WDR and Terra Mater Studios, the three-part Welcome to the Forest rounds out ZDF Studios’ nature and wildlife highlights in the TV Real Screenings Festival. “Using cutting-edge technology, the series shows how forest creatures venture into sunny clearings to find food,” says Margarita Garcia, Director Unscripted. “As climate change reshapes our world, we meet foresters and scientists working to increase biodiversity. Discover how we can protect, enjoy and benefit from our forests for the future.”
