NHK teams up with Espresso for premium docs

Espresso Media International has signed a new licensing deal with NHK. “We are very happy that we can now present these five titles on NHK's documentary slots,”  Producer, NHK, Content Value Development Center, International Coproduction & Acquisition, Tomoko Okutsu said.

Through this deal, Japan’s public service broadcaster will air five of Espresso’s latest releases, including Woman," which exposes the widespread abuse of power, misogyny and racism evident in sex testing in sports, which impacts women with naturally
higher testosterone levels. These practices are currently in news headlines, following Caster Semenya’s recent successful appeal in the European Court of Human Rights.

"A Crack in the Mountain," which recently received a critically acclaimed UK theatrical release, and examines a local community divided over developments to an undisturbed natural wonder in Vietnam, "Kaepernick & America," a biopic on the man, his protest and the current state of America, co-directed by Tommy Walker. "Zero Gravity," an uplifting documentary following a diverse group of middle- school students competing to code satellites aboard the International Space Station.

"Moscow’s Dirty Gold Rush," an investigative current affairs documentary exposing the networks of power, greed and violence linked to oligarchs at the heart of the Kremlin.“We find these titles focus on diverse subjects which would surely be enjoyed by our audiences in Japan," Okutsu said. "We hope to continue the collaboration with Espresso that has been professionally efficient and very supportive.“

In addition, Espresso have licensed "The King of North Sudan" to World Great TV. This documentary is the stranger-than-fiction story of how one American father’s loving gesture to make his daughter a ‘real-life princess’ spirals out of control when he starts his own tiny kingdom on a desolate patch of land. The title will air on Japanese program World Great TV, followed by a
studio discussion including Jeremiah Heaton, the subject of the film. 

Espresso have also established a new relationship with the SVOD platform Asian Documentaries. The first title to become available on the platform through this relationship will be "The Weight of Water," which explores how communities in Nepal are already being impacted by flooding and drought, all made worse by the localised injustice of the climate crisis. “It is a pleasure to be working again with NHK, particularly as two of our newly licensed documentaries are currently in the limelight,” David Hooper, MD at Espresso said. “Category: Woman is a powerful exposé of human rights abuses in sport, made ever more timely by athlete Caster Semenya’s recent appeal case; whilst the beautifully shot A Crack in the Mountain finds a great home at NHK following several weeks of theatrical success in the UK.”