Scorpion TV documentaries head to multiple territories in Europe

Scorpion TV has closed a string of sales for two of its most popular documentaries, "Meeting the Beatles in India" and "A President, Europe and War." The first one, produced by Emmy Award-winning director/producer Paul Saltzman, has been picked up by Germany’s Koch Media, Italy’s Nexo Digital and Norway’s Film På Farta.

The 89-minute documentary, executive produced by David Lynch and narrated by Morgan Freeman, revisits 1968, when 23-year-old Saltzman spent a week hanging out with the Beatles at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

VRPO the Netherlands and YLE Finland are the latest European broadcasters to acquire France Télévisions’ topical documentary "A President, Europe and War", which provides a fascinating, fly-on-the-wall account of French president Emmanuel Macron’s handling of the Russian Ukrainian conflict in its first few months. The 115-minute film, which was licensed by SVT Sweden, VRT Belgium and NRK Norway in the run-up to its official launch at MIPCOM, chronicles Macron’s progression from political wrangling through last-ditch diplomacy to the tough negotiations needed to persuade the 27 EU member states to impose economic sanctions on Russia and provide military and financial support to Ukraine.

David Cornwall, managing director of Scorpion, said: “One measure of a good documentary is access — and it’s fair to say that both 'Meeting the Beatles in India' and 'A President, Europe and War' offer access on a scale that most filmmakers can only dream of. It was clear to me from the outset that both documentaries are exceptional in their own way — 'Meeting the Beatles' because it explores our shared cultural heritage and 'A President, Europe and War' because it offers a unique perspective on Europe’s worst crisis since the Second World War. I’m delighted, but unsurprised, that Europe’s broadcasters agree with me.”

In other sales news, ARTE France has picked up "The Forest Within Us", Attila Végh’s visually stunning 52-minute film about the Börzsöny forest in northern Hungary, which is home to all manner of natural wonders, including eagle owls, peregrine falcons, fire salamanders, wild cats and rare orchids. TVN Poland and Ur Sweden, meanwhile, have acquired "Under Cover", a 58-minute current-affairs documentary about homelessness.