NATPE GOES ALL VIRTUAL

NATPE Miami 2021​​ will be held entirely online from January 19 to 22 due to restrictions surrounding the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The online​​ NATPE Miami​​ will run Tuesday through Friday with each day featuring a full schedule of sessions focused on content business drivers. Key themes for each day will cover revenue (investment, advertising and subscription), audience (research, marketing and promotion), content (acquisition and distribution sales) and production (new content). Additional topics will include station groups, web series, global, Latin Summit and the industry awards shows.​​ NATPE​​ has also announced the creation of three new events:​​ NATPE​​ Segregation, Segmentation & Storytelling;​​ NATPE​​ Sports and​​ NATPE​​ News.

NATPE​​ Segregation, Segmentation & Storytelling is set for February 16, 2021. It will explore the role of Black talent, writers, showrunners, producers and directors and the impact of their work on TV audiences and advertisers.​​ NATPE​​ Sports will be held on March 23, 2021. The two-hour event will focus on the changes and adjustments to the production of live sports content for TV and video and the growing struggle to attract new sponsors and fans​​ and retain traditional television audiences and advertisers.​​ NATPE​​ News is set for April 7, 2021. The one-day event will explore the paradigm of fake news, disinformation and bots disrupting the traditional news cycle.

CONTACT:​​ NATPE/Content First, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Tel. 1-310-453-4440. Fax 1-310-453-5258. Web ​​ www.natpe.org

COVID DOCUMENTARIES​​ 

NHK, Toyko​​ is distributing​​ “COVID-19: Battle on the Cruise Ship,”​​ focusing on the origins of the deadly virus in the​​ island nation. Japan’s first cluster of COVID-19 cases occurred aboard the Diamond Princess. The program takes an in-depth investigation into what happened inside, offering important clues for managing the crisis (1 x 50’). NHK is also distributing​​ “Visualizing the Virus,”​​ using hi-tech images and CGI to illustrate the mechanism of infection and giving viewers clues on what measures we can take to manage the “invisible plague” (1 x 50’)​​ 

CONTACT: ​​​​ NHK Enterprises, Tokyo, Japan. Tel. 81-3-5478-2586. Fax 81-3-3481-1453. Web:​​ https://www.nhk.or.jp/

IMARINE MAMMAL CAPTIVITY

CBC, Toronto is distributing​​ “The Last Walrus,”​​ a story exploring the global movement to end marine mammal captivity through the lens of former Marineland animal trainer, Phil Demers, now trying to free his beloved walrus, Smooshi, from the iconic amusement park. Phil’s story contrasts with the plea of scientists who tell us their research on the effects of climate change depends on having access to captive animals. Compelling footage of walruses in captivity, and in the wild, and rare archival images taken behind-the-scenes at Marineland form the visual backdrop of this stranger-than-fiction tale that asks one of the central questions of our time: how​​ far are we willing to go to hold onto what we love? (52’).​​ 

CONTACT:​​ CBC Int’l. Sales, Toronto, Canada. Tel. 1-416-205-3500. Fax 1-416-205-3486. E-mail​​ cbcis@toronto.cbc.ca​​ web:​​ www.cbc.ca/television​​ 

DISCOVERING RELATIVES​​ 

Boat Rocker Studios has produced “Relative Race,” a factual based reality series. In this race, unlike any other, four teams take a 10-day journey across the​​ country to discover new relatives and compete for a $50,000 grand prize. Five seasons available and one in production (60 x 60’).

CONTACT:​​ All 3 Media, London, UK. Tel. 44-20-7845-4389. Fax 44-20-7845-4360. Web:​​ www.all3mediainternational.com

HAPSBURGS

ORF, ZDF/ARTE, Česká televize​​ and​​ Interspot​​ have co-produced “Battle For Europe - The Rise Of The Habsburgs”​​ On August 26, 1278, one of medieval Europe’s greatest battles ended the long-running conflict​​ of two powerful dynasties and determined who would dominate Europe for centuries to come. In a battle between the King of the Germans and the King of Bohemia, Rudolf I of the House of Habsburg and Ottokar II of the Přemyslid dynasty, the candidate of compromise was pitched against the continent’s most powerful ruler. The victor of the Battle of the March established the foundations for the rise of an unparalleled dynasty that would determine the course of European history for the next six and a half centuries, ruling one of the world’s greatest empires: the Habsburgs (52’).​​ “1278 – The Battle For The Continent”​​ traces Rudolf’s rise at the original locations. The docudrama examines events from many different perspectives with inter-national experts including​​ prospecting archaeologist Wolfgang Neubauer of Vienna’s Ludwig Boltzmann Institute. His high technology re-imagines and re-evaluates the battle – fought between 15,000 mounted warriors – while new research sets events in the context of the brutal politics​​ of the High Middle Ages. The film recounts Rudolf’s rivalry with King Ottokar of Bohemia and his rise from princeling of the lands between the Rhine, the Black Forest and Lake Constance to ruler of All the Christians (43’).​​ 

CONTACT:​​ ORF Enterprise, Vienna, Austria. Tel. 43-1-87878-13030. Fax 43-1-87878-12757. Web:​​ http://contentsales.orf.at​​ 

VOLCANOES

Off the Fence, Amsterdam is distributing​​ “V-Day: Volcanic Planet”​​ a feature documentary that asks: What would​​ happen if all of the world’s volcanoes erupted on a single day? Today, some 40 volcanoes are currently erupting, and more than a thousand sleeping giants could awake anytime. We join scientists around the globe as they deploy the latest technology to understand and predict volcanic behavior. Spectacular footage of past and current eruptions, combined with CGI based upon the latest scientific discoveries, puts us​​ right in the heart of volcanoes. Then, by speeding up the action into a single day, we get a breathtaking new perspective on the remarkable forces that have shaped our planet for millions of years (120’).

CONTACT:​​ Off the Fence, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tel. 31--20-5200-222. Fax 31-20-5200-223. Web: ​​ www.offthefence.com

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