ContentAsia December 2021

Page 17

Brought to you by Fuji TV

The Window

Window of opportunity Fuji TV sees scripted co-development as a golden opportunity to expand its international footprint. New drama, The Window, is just the beginning, the Japanese commercial network says.

Japanese commercial broadcaster, Fuji TV, comes off its first interna-

website at thewindow.com. The show also has its own Instagram ac-

tional co-production, The Window, with a giant appetite for more, as

count, thewindowtv.

well as a renewed commitment to the old Japanese saying: “Kouki issu bekarazu”. Roughly translated, this means ‘when an opportunity comes along, even if it doesn’t seem big, don’t miss it because it could be a

The series is scheduled to release in Japan in 2022-2023. Voiceover actors have not been announced. Fuji TV producer Yuri Akimoto describes the Tokyo-based national net-

golden one’. And, of course, the network has high hopes for pick ups

work’s experience with this first-of-a-kind project as wonderful, despite

across the region.

all the pandemic-related production challenges. “While international

The 10-episode character-based thriller, set in the high-stakes transfer

co-production can sometimes be difficult in terms of differences in

window between professional football seasons, stars Samuel Jordan

mostly business cultures and communications... throughout the project,

in the story of 17-year-old football wunderkind, Jordan Burdett. What

we were able to share the same goal and values through many won-

starts out as a tug-of-war between his brother and an agent over his first

derful meetings in person and online with everyone. We could not have

professional contract evolves into a “bigger, darker story... that goes

done this if it were not for this collaboration team,” she says.

beyond winning and losing games to explore the full, dark circus of this

Covid-19 containment measures presented the team with some of its biggest challenges during the three-year development and produc-

multi-billion dollar business”. Japanese actress Yuriri Naka plays Noriko A Sari, an assistant at sports agency Septre and a friend of lead character Jordan Burdett’s brother, Kieran (played by Tommy Bastow). German-Korean heartthrob Teo Yoo plays heir Jae Yeon Cho, whose father owns the Manchester

tion process. “There are many things that we wanted to but could not do due to the pandemic,” Akimoto says. These include set visits, more in-person meetings and face-to-face discussion. “Also, in terms of shooting, there were a lot of compromises that needed to be done in order to make things happen under severe

Football club and who struggles to show his

circumstances, but I am very thankful that these were overcome with

power and worth to the world.

creativity and patience and flexibility. We are proud of how we man-

Written by James Payne and directed by Adrian Shergold, The Window, is produced by Germany’s Boogie Entertainment and ZDF Enterprises along with Fuji TV and Velvet

aged the situation and how we came up with such an entertaining series,” she adds. Nearing the end of a long journey that began at Mipcom in 2017, Akimoto says no one around the casual dinner table on the night could

Films in Belgium. ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE)

have imagined where “that one conversation, just a small idea” could

and Fuji TV are distributing the series

have ended up as an incredible project.

internationally.

“So I guess our learning from this process is that you never know

Episode one previewed during

where the chances are so keep looking and value any opportunity big

Mipcom in Cannes in October

or small, casual or formal,” she says, adding: “And don’t be shy to share

2021, along with dedicated

your ideas!.”

Yuri Akimoto

17


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ContentAsia December 2021 by ContentAsia - Issuu