ZDF Studios secures global deals for Pernel Media's “Rise of Birds - Dinosaurs among us"

Pernel Media has closed a series of co-production and pre-sales deals on its science feature-length documentary "Rise of Birds - Dinosaurs Among Us."  ”We are delighted to be working again with our long-standing partner Pernel Media," Ralf Rückauer, VP Unscripted at ZDF Studios, said. "After three seasons of 'Ancient Superstructures' and ten episodes of 'Mega Building Collection', with this new title we are excited to soon have another exciting documentary from this highly talented team in our catalogue.”

Commissioned by France Télévisions for the weekly primetime slot “Science Grand Format," "Rise of Birds - Dinosaurs Among Us" has been co produced by PBS GBH’s NOVA and CCTV9 in China and pre bought by Ushuaïa TV in France, Radio Canada and NHK Enterprise in Japan. ZDF Studios has the remaining world rights and will be in charge of the global distribution. Consequently, several formats are being produced, a 90’, a 100’ and a 52’ in six different languages. “At Nova we love to tell the stories of scientific discovery that reveal the deep continuity of all life on Earth, as this film does so beautifully,” Nova Co-Executive Producer Chris Schmidt said. “How lucky we are, every time we look at a bird, to be reminded that dinosaurs are still among us!”

The documentary is written by Eric Pincas and Thomas Cirotteau, directed by Thomas Cirotteau and produced by Céline Payot Lehmann and Samuel Kissous.“Who knew that pigeons and chickens descended from the same branch as the infamous T-Rex? Dinosaurs are not extinct, they are all around us," Payot Lehmann, Executive Producer at Pernel Media said. "That’s how relevant and universal this story is.”

"Rise of Birds - Dinosaurs among us" is a global investigation that reveals the latest discoveries on the evolution of dinosaurs into modern-day birds, who have rose to be one of the most diversified species on the planet and the undisputed masters of the skies. Using CGI, the title brings back to life the extinct modern birds to illustrate the incredible evolution of birds over 200 million years, while taking the viewer on a journey through different geological eras, on the ground, in the water, and in the air."Today’s birds are dinosaurs," Steve Brusatte, world renowned American dinosaur expert said. “They’re every bit as much of a dinosaur as a T-Rex is!”