Following last night’s Channel 4 broadcast of the final episode of "My Grandparents’ War", DRG announced the first international deals for the critically acclaimed documentary series produced by Wild Pictures.
Jess Khanom, DRG’s SVP for Asia Pacific comments: “With its fresh biographical insight into some of the world’s leading actors – and indeed a first foray into documentary for each of them – My Grandparents’ War is a classy and considered series. It brings key moments in history alive by detailing remarkable accounts of heroic actions and succeeds in delivering revelatory new stories about the war, not only for the actors but also for viewers.”
Ben Nguyen, channel manager at SBS adds: “My Grandparents’ War is beautifully produced and of course features high-profile Hollywood A-listers that our viewers will be keen to watch. However, it is the exploration of universal themes and its moving reminders of bravery, comradeship and sacrifice during war that leave its most memorable impression.”
Jess Khanom continues: “As the last great global conflict, World War Two affected many countries, so we are pleased to see such early international interest in this format for localized versions. We anticipate many more over time and are delighted that the format’s breadth – which also allows for other major conflicts to be examined in this way – will see the Spanish Civil War receive the My Grandparents’ War treatment.”
Australia was the first territory to go into battle for the title, with SBS acquiring the 4 x 60 series. This was quickly followed by deals with NRK in Norway and RTHK in Hong Kong.
In each episode, a leading Hollywood actor re-traces the footsteps of their grandparents in World War Two. Commissioned to mark the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of war, the fascinating series sees British actors, Kristin Scott Thomas ("The Darkest Hour", "The English Patient"); Carey Mulligan ("Mudbound", "The Great Gatsby"); Helena Bonham Carter ("The Crown", "Harry Potter"); and Mark Rylance ("Dunkirk", "The Bridge of Spies"), each take emotional and very personal journeys to historic wartime locations - from the beaches of Dunkirk to prisoner of war camps in Asia. All the actors have unanswered questions about the scars war left on their grandparents and set about exploring how these six pivotal years changed the lives of their family and the world forever.
DRG has also concluded format option deals for "My Grandparents’ War" with two Banijay Group companies; KM Production in France and Cuarzo Producciones in Spain – with the latter expected to focus on the Spanish Civil War, as opposed to World War Two.