BBC Studios, CBS Studios International, AMC Networks, Keshet International, all3media international and many others highlighted NEM Zagreb’s day two
Zagreb, December 13th – The second day of NEM Zagreb put a spotlight on some of the most recognizable world-renowned broadcasters. BBC Studios and CBS Studios International showcased their newest content at exclusive screenings.
BBC Studios offered a glimpse of its newest show “Sanditon”, inspired by Jane Austen’s unfinished final novel. In addition to the exclusive screening, participants enjoyed Q&A with Kris Marshall and Rose Williams, who are starring in leading roles.„There is a certain element of modernism to this adaptation of Austen’s writing that will make it more appealing to today's audience. Also, neither of the sets was constructed in the studio in order to achieve authenticity“, said Kris Marshall.
„Austen’s subjects are still important today. She is addressing the issues of women’s place in society and family. Andrew Davies's adaptation made Charlotte an empowering young woman. For me, it is important for audience to see the strong female character and to see that it is not something new“, Rose Williams added.
CBS Studios International presented its newest show “The Moodys” and sparked up a holiday feeling with a little help from the eccentric Moody family and their attempt at a ‘perfect’ holiday.
The screening of Keshet’s “The Trial of Christine Keeler” was followed by insights from Keren Shahar, COO and president of distribution at Keshet International. In her talk with Sanja Božić-Ljubičić, CEO and owner of Mediatranslations, Mediavision and Pickbox, Shahar shared an experience of bringing a real-life story to the TV screen: „When you portrait real-life people, you have additional responsibility. In order to do the story justice, it needed to be produced predominantly by women. What attracted us to this project was the possibility to tell the story from Christine’s eyes.”
Harold Gronenthal, Executive Vice President of Programming and Marketing at AMC Networks, shared his expert view on adjusting to the ever-changing demand for TV content: „It has been nothing but change in this business since day one, making AMC a product of these transformations. Also, technology and audience will not stop changing. A more varied choice and empowerment for users is the most important change. AMC has transformed from a movie channel to a channel that produces shows and finally to a channel that both produces and owns shows.“
Gabrielle Tana, an Oscar and BAFTA nominated producerand the co-founder of Magnolia Mae Films, emphasized that the bright future of the independent film industry depends on audience: „With all the other changes in the industry, standards and quality have not and should not change. Streaming platforms are supporting new voices and keeping the industry vibrant and competitive. It is no longer about the cinema experience but audiovisual experience as well. When you make a film independently, you don’t know if it’s going to be distributed or not. With independent films, quality is more important than the studio and the distributor.“
Demand for original content
One of the key questions during the second day of NEM Zagreb was detecting projects with strong local potential andbroad international ambition. During the panel Non-English Content on a Global Stage, yes Studios from Izrael announced season three of its successful series Fauda. It will premiere during December and it is coming to Netflix in 2020.
Non-English content on a global stage, the popularity of Nordic TV projects and the success of Greek production were discussed by experienced professionals who gave their point of view. Focus was also on global production in the Balkan region and detecting local content with global potential.
Also, some of the most recognizable names of Croatian original production offered a glimpse into the variety and originality of local production. Emphasis was made on the quality of these projects considering the budget limitations. More on the latest trends in content financing andcommissioning is expected during NEM Zagreb’s day three.
See the complete NEM Zagreb agenda here: neweumarket.com/zagreb/agenda-2019/
