ZDF Enterprises will arrive in Cannes with the brand new name ZDF Studios (as of April 1st) and a suitcase packed full of exciting new titles for the international TV market. “The past 12 months have been very productive for us as a studio and for our partners. Our diverse range of entertaining titles have links to a number of countries giving them an international appeal," Fred Burcksen, the company‘s President and CEO, said.
Recently celebrating its rebranding process, the distributor consists of 30 subsidiaries and affiliated companies responsible for developing, producing, marketing, and licensing top-quality TV content internationally. The genres it plans to cover at MIP include drama, wildlife, natural history, documentaries, and children. "Production teams have been busy filming in locations such as Canada, Spain, Belgium, France, Germany, and throughout the beautiful continent of Africa delivering first-class content that we are proud to represent at MIPTV," Burcksen said.
The wildlife documentary "The Margay and me" is one of only 6 finalists of 111 submissions from 79 companies in 27 different countries for the MIPDoc Project Pitch. In addition to this, the drama series "Dear Vivi" is part of the official selection of MIPDrama 2022, the annual premium showcase of the most anticipated high-end drama series, providing international buyers an exclusive first look at a curated selection of upcoming drama series.
The company's slate of dramas will kick off with Chicho Ibáñez Serrador’s "Stories to Stay Awake," a horror series exploring new cinematic language and unique film narratives. Produced by Prointel e Isla Audiovisual and Viacom for Spanish Broadcaster RTVE. The show will be accompanied by "White Night," produced by Poxcom for Radio Canada, which showcases a murder mystery as two sisters and their brother struggle to cope with an imbalance of power wielded by a person who is no longer alive
The slate also includes "Between Two Worlds," a three-part series showcasing the powerful story of friendship between two women who both strive to create a future for themselves during a time of great change and conflict with the old order: the conservative forces of politics, the Church and society. The title is produced by FFP New Media GmbH in co-production with SWR, ARD Degeto, NDR, and WDR. Its unscripted catalog includes "Africa from Above." Covering Africa's nature and wildlife, the title is produced by Off the Fence production for ZDF Enterprises in association with ZDF, Arte, ORF, and UKTV.
Wildlife filmmaker and long-time Africa expert Reinhard Radke is credited with "Lions versus Hyenas." A similar title, "Lions versus Hyenas," produced by Doclights / NDR Naturfilm in association with NDR, is also set to launch. "Going CIrcular," Produced by Off the Fence for CuriosityStream in association with ZDFEnterprises, ZDF, and Arte, also made the cut, alongside "Pettson and Findus, produced by TV-Loonland AG, and Happy Life Animation AB / Edel Kids and B-Water Animation Studios, and "Tilda Appleseed," which has season two underway. The new live-action series "Theodosia", produced by Cottonwood Media for ZDF, ZDF Enterprises, France TV, HBO, Globo, and TVA/Québecor, wraps up the list.