BBC Three To Commission Current Affairs Docs
Fiona Campbell, BBC iPlayer and BBC Three Controller, told a crowd this morning at the Edinburgh TV Festival that she plans to commission five current affairs documentaries from indie production companies as part of a new young adult commissioning scheme. Campbell invited indies to submit pitches for docs, which will sit on both YouTube and iPlayer. “We are looking for a maximum of five stand-out films from five different Indies that uncover arresting characters, voices or perspectives that will resonate amongst 16-34s in the UK,” Campbell said. “We want Indies to come to us with ideas that explore a riveting world, tell a gripping story, or show confronting perspectives that reflect issues facing young Brits today.”
‘Dead Howling’ Lands ANZ Release
Rialto has picked up werewolf horror Dead Howling for theatrical release in Australia and New Zealand. The film is directed by John Soto and follows the story of Carter, a lone werewolf fighting for survival in a world overrun by zombies. Taking vengeance for his murdered family, he spends his days hunting down the living dead for sport, until he finds a new purpose after saving the lives of two humans seeking a rumoured sanctuary for survivors. However, despite Carter now joining them on their journey as a powerful ally, the group faces new and unimaginable danger when they discover that their undead enemy is beginning to evolve.
Seriesly Berlin Selects 16 For Pitch Competitions
Seriesly Berlin has selected the projects that will compete in its Co-Production Pitch and Writers’ Pitch competitions. Both will showcase eight projects, with the Co-Pro Pitch focused on those already in development and the Writers’ Pitch on early stage ideas. Among the projects is The Life Changers, a Taiwan-South Korea crime-thriller co-pro from Fu-Hsiang Hsu (Treat or Trick) and producer Danielle Yen (Your Name Engraved Herein), with executive producer TJ Park (Snowpiercer, Mother) and an international writers’ roo, attached. Birthright, from Nigeria, is billed as “a sweeping historical saga from CAA-repped Sundance Cultural Impact Fellow Kaelo Iyizoba, while The Last Baroness is from Slovakia, written by Biba Bohinská (Sestričky) and produced by Katarína Krnáčová, winner of the Berlinale Crystal Bear. German contributions include musical drama Tonight: Lola Blau, from Gabbie Asher (The Tattooist of Auschwitz) and co-produced by ZDF Studios. Zebras, a Franco-German co-pro, pairs Nadja Dumouchel with Nicolas Ducray, co-writer of the Karlovy Vary Crystal Globe winner As Far As I Can Walk. Elsewhere, there is Italian-Danish horror comedy The People We Eat, Dutch doc The Promise of India and Nordic mystery romance Villa Hilda. Each pitch will be seeking partners and financing. “The selected projects reflect the remarkable diversity of today’s creativity in serialized storytelling. Stories come from across the globe and cover a broad range of genres and subjects,” said Festival Director Dennis Ruh.
MFF & Co Teams With Globo For Telenovela Slate
L.A. studio MFF & Co has struck a deal with Brazil’s Globo to adapt a slate of daytime and prime-time telenovelas for North American audiences. MFF & Co, which has bases in Brazil and the U.S., will work with American writers. Among the titles ready for adaptation are International Emmy-winner Empire (Império), Silvio de Abreu’s classic telenovela Belíssima, The Other Side of Paradise (O Outro Lado do Paraíso), and All the Flowers (Todas as Flores), a melodrama with thriller-like pace from João Emanuel Carneiro, creator of Brazil Avenue. Overseeing development is Miura Kite, President of Global Content at MFF & CO, who was previously Executive Vice President of Global Television at Participant, where she was executive producer of Hulu’s Interior Chinatown, Netflix’s Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey and BBC’s Noughts + Crosses.