CoPro International Scripted Television Conference Set For Tel Aviv
EXCLUSIVE: The first CoPro International Scripted Television Conference will be held in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday, May 29. Organized by the CoPro Foundation, the annual event aims to expand the reach of Israeli storytelling internationally. The one-day event will host 200 Israeli execs, producers and creators alongside professionals from the global TV biz. Execs signed up include Miriam Luciow, VP of Global Content at FOX Entertainment Studios, Yuliya Fischer, Head of Drama at ZDF Studios, and Morad Koufane, Head of Drama Co-Productions at France Télévisions, while Israeli’s local broadcasters will showcase their upcoming projects and share content strategy. Also attending are the likes of Dana Stern, Avi Issacharoff, Natalie Marcus, Sharon Levi, Atar Dekel and Yuval Nathan. Non-profit org CoPro seeks to foster the creation of Israeli TV by engaging international investors, TV networks, film funds, distributors and producers. “The CoPro TV conference is a professional platform for the Israeli television industry, including broadcasters, production companies, and creators. It aims to host international partners and provide up-to-date, high-level industry content,” said Pnina Halfon-Lang, Executive Director of CoPro. “Especially during these times, when the global industry is facing production cutbacks and the local market is grappling with challenges due to the ongoing war, the need for professional dialogue and a meaningful event that highlights the strength of Israeli content is more important than ever.”
Hulu Buys UK True-Crime Series ‘Murder By Medic’
Watch on Deadline
Hulu has acquired Murder By Medic, a true-crime series from UK producer FirstLookTV. The streamer has picked up U.S. rights, along with Shout! Studios, from London-based Sphere Abacus. Other buyers include Hearst Networks’ Crime and Investigation Channel in the UK and Ireland, Greece, CEE, Benelux and Middle East; T+E for Blue Ant in Canada, Sky Deutschland for Austria, Germany and Switzerland and Palatin for Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The 50-part series tells the stories of what happens when. medical professionals try to kill not cure. “We’re delighted that Shout! Studios and Hulu have acquired Murder by Medic,” said Lucy Middelboe from FirstLookTV. “This series is proof that there are opportunities out there for compelling content when produced with the international market in mind.” In related news, Sphere Abacus’s parent, Sphere Media, has promoted Judith Beauchemin and Marianne Culbert to VP of Production, and Executive VO, Operations in the Kids & Family division. At the same time, veteran Sphere Kids & Family Creative Director Ghislain Cyr is retiring. Beauchemin is also expanding her duties to include French-speaking territories. The moves have been designed to bolster Sphere’s production service business, for which contracts with the likes of U.S. broadcaster BYUtv on the animated comedy adventure Saving Me.
Channel 4 & SBS Discovery ‘Secrets Of The Flying Scotsman’
London-based content financier and distributor BossaNova Media and Argonon’s BriteSpark Films are woking up a two-part doc on the Flying Scotsman, with the UK’s Channel 4 and Australia’s SBS on board as pre-buyers. Secrets of the Flying Scotsman, which has been produced for the international market, will explore the famous locomotive. Earlier this year, Channel 4 and SBS also pre-boarded another BossaNova and BriteSpark two-parter, Tsunami: The Day the Wave Hit. Nick Godwin from BriteSpark is the exec producer and Edmund Buckley is the director. It’s the second in BossaNova’s Secrets of… strand following Secrets of the Lost Liners, which takes a deep dive into great ocean liners that were lost at sea over the last 100 years. Hearst Networks acquired both seasons of the show, which is from Content Kings, with several other buyers also joining.
Underground Slate To Release Nabin Subba Film In UK
Underground Slate, an emerging British film distributor, will release Nepali film A Road to a Village in the UK. The 2023 pic from director Nabin Subba had international premieres at Toronto and Busan and will now get a UK run in selected cinemas from July. Set against the backdrop of rural Nepal, A Road to a Village explores the impact of modernization on traditional life, as a small family faces the arrival of a new road and the disruption it brings. “Nepal and the United Kingdom maintain one of the longest-standing and most resilient diplomatic relationships globally, characterized by mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation,” said Chandra Kumar Ghimire, Ambassador of Nepal to the UK. “The historical bilateral connection encompasses both governmental relations and the people-to-people ties. The UK premiere of Gau Ayeko Bato [A Road to a Village] presents a narrative of the evolving landscape of development.” The release marks the first in a slate from Underground Slate, a Bristol-based start-up distributor focused on bringing independent and often overlooked films to key markets.