Edward Berger To Address Israeli Film Lab; German Industry Bodies Merge; Eccho Rights Buys ‘I Am Mother’; ZDF Studios Strikes U.S. Output Deal — Global Briefs
Edward Berger To Address Israel’s Sam Spiegel International Film Lab
All Quiet on the Western front helmer Edward Berger is to host a masterclass at the launch of the 12th edition of Israel’s Sam Spiegel International Film Lab. Coming amidst the devastating Israel-Gaza crisis, the lab, which has in the past unearthed big Israeli hits, has also unveiled its projects lineup, including shows from Poland, the Netherlands, Croatia, France, Hungary and Israel. Berger will give a masterclass to all participants, fresh off the back of his Oscar for Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front and coming as war rages in Israel. “We believe in the power of storytelling, freedom of speech and creative expression, to be able to hold complex situations like the current war in Israel, and believe an international meeting point for young filmmakers is of major importance these days,” said Mor Eldar, the lab’s director.
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German Industry Bodies BVV & VdF Merge
Two of Germany’s leading industry trade bodies BVV (Federal Association of Audiovisual Media) and the VdF (Association of Film Distributors) have merged to form the All-Screens Verband Filmverleih und Audiovisuelle Medien. Based in Berlin, the body will focus on shaping how German content is marketed and comprises the country’s film distributors, indie program makers and distributors, sales companies from major studios and technical businesses. Oliver Koppert from Constantin Film has been elected chairman of the board following a meeting on November 30, with Dirk Lisowsky from Universal Pictures Germany as his deputy. Leila Hamid (X Distribution), Nicole Masters (Tobis Film), Tobias Riel (Paramount Pictures Germany), Stefan Mesner (Leonine Distribution) and Phil Friederichs (Turbine Medien) complete the board. “At a time when the consumption and distribution of audiovisual content is subject to rapid change, it is all the more important that a strong association helps shape the further development of a future-oriented media landscape,” said AllScreens Managing Director Peter Schauerte.
Eccho Rights Buys ‘I Am Mother’
Sweden’s Eccho Rights has acquired worldwide distribution rights to Turkish drama series I Am Mother (original title Sand?k Kokusu). The series, which debuts on Turkey’s Show TV on Wednesday (December 6) comes from O3 Media and has a cast including ?zge ?zpirin?ci, (Woman, First and Last), Demet Akba? (Bir Demet Tiyatro, Sevdaluk); Metin Akdülger (Magnificent Century Kosem, Persona) and Necip Memilli (The Pit, Dila). I Am Mother tells the story of Karsu, a resilient mother of three who relocates from Adana to Istanbul, and starts anew in the bustling city after enduring a life-altering trauma. Distributor Eccho Rights has developed a reputation for shopping popular Turkish dramas around the world, especially into the likes of Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America.
ZDF Strikes Output Deal With Big Media
ZDF Studios has struck an output deal with New York’s Big Media for German-speaking territories. The first show greenlit under the pacts historical investigation series Scanning History, which will count ZDF’s doc channel ZDFinfo as an editorial partner. ZDF Studios will get early-stage creative consultation on projects coming through the partnership, with a minimum of 12 original hours of Big Media’s content airing on ZDF’s networks going forwards. ZDF’s commercial arm has also acquired 80 hours of Big Media shows, including Warriors Way, Empire Games and M.A.D. World. In the past ZDF Studios and Big Media have worked together on the likes of The Celts Untold Stories, Knights Templars and FIRST IN: CIA vs Bin Laden. “In these times where there is competition from multiple streamers, broadcasters and apps for audience share, it is vital to establish a pipeline for high-quality content that is exclusive in our market,” notes ZDF Studios’ Nikolas Huelbusch. “Our long cooperation with Big Media has provided us with that competitive edge. This new agreement allows us to have first-look rights and be even more active in the development of shows well-suited for our market.”
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