Behind the Scenes of Detective von Fock / ATV ’s Müge Akar
Spirit of Collaboration
A renewed fondness for collaboration is evident across all sectors of the global media business, and the scripted space is no exception.
Amid budgetary woes and rising production costs, everyone is looking for smarter ways to fund shows and shorten development timelines.
CONTENTS
DETECTIVE VON FOCK’S JEVGENI SUPIN & ARUN TAMM
Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher
Mansha Daswani Editor-in-Chief
Jamie Stalcup Managing Editor
Grace Katich Associate Editor
David Diehl Production & Design Director
Simon Weaver Online Director
Dana Mattison Sales & Marketing Director
Genovick Acevedo Sales & Marketing Manager
Ute Schwemmer Bookkeeper
Ricardo Seguin Guise President
Mansha Daswani
Associate Publisher & VP, Strategic Development
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That includes increased activity around scripted formats, a segment that IP owners from across the globe are looking to tap into. While big American and British shows do dominate the scripted-formats game, a wealth of other players are finding opportunities in this space, including the biggest names in Türkiye. ATV’s Müge Akar told Turkish TV Festival delegates about that company’s tape-sales business and expanding remake opportunities. You can watch her interview from that event in this edition. Co-productions are also still paramount in the international scripted business, especially for smaller territories. This edition includes a behind-the-scenes look at Detective von Fock, an Estonian, Latvian and Italian collaboration that ZDF Studios is bringing to markets worldwide. “We need to co-produce because otherwise, it would not be an economically feasible project,” producer Jevgeni Supin told us. “But it’s not just a co-production because of money. It’s an organic coproduction.” —Mansha Daswani
The producer and director, respectively, of the period drama on offer from ZDF Studios talk about receiving support from Creative Europe’s MEDIA strand and Eurimages, the benefits of working with the international co-pro model, achieving historical accuracy and the global appeal of the Estonian, Latvian and Italian collaboration.
ATV’S MÜGE AKAR
The head of sales at ATV shared with viewers of the Turkish TV Festival the strategy for bringing the broadcaster’s hit series to channels and platforms across the globe.
All3Media International
The Gold / Mudtown / Boarders
All3Media International arrives in Budapest with an eclectic scripted slate. The company now has two seasons of The Gold, in which Tannadice Pictures and Objective Fiction chronicle the true events of the Brink’s-Mat robbery in 1983 and the decade-long chain of events that followed. From Wales’ Severn Screen, there’s the crime drama Mudtown, which follows a magistrate whose maternal instincts clash with her commitment to upholding the law. All3Media International is also showcasing the popular YA hit Boarders, a coming-of-age drama from Studio Lambert.
Inter Medya
Eshref Ruya / Valley of Hearts / Heartstrings
Inter Medya continues to see strong traction on its dramas in Central and Eastern Europe. Recently, the Turkish distributor landed a deal in Romania for Heartstrings. The drama is about two families whose lives are upended when their babies are switched at birth. Another new highlight from the company is Eshref Ruya , a show from TIMS&B Productions. Also from TIMS&B is Valley of Hearts, which recently landed slots in Central and Eastern Europe following its strong performance in Italy.
Eshref Ruya
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Jevgeni Supin & Arun Tamm Detective von Fock
By Jamie Stalcup
ZDF S tudios has brought the period drama Detective von Fock , a cross-cultural collaboration between Estonia, Latvia and Italy, to the world stage. The series, made up of two four-episode seasons, follows Paul von Fock as he solves various crimes, from murders and stolen fortunes to fake identities and imitation paintings, with the help of femme fatale Maria von Nottbeck.
The show is based on an Estonian series of light-crime nov els. Producer Jevgeni Supin of Zolba Productions was instantly attracted to the conceit. “I saw huge potential; it’s a very interesting setup and setting, and in Estonia, it’s a period that had not been brought to the screen.”
With a few scripts ready and some financing in place, Supin approached director Arun Tamm about the project. Within a year, the team had wrapped production on the show.
The project benefited from the international funding model that underpins it, Supin said. “In the contemporary world, we need to co-produce because otherwise, it would not be an economically feasible project. But it’s not just a co-production because of money. It’s an organic co-production. Our story takes us to Germanspeaking territories, to South Tyrol, for instance. We are a nation on the shore of the Baltic Sea. You can make a fish soup out of one fish. It will be a very good fish soup. If you add two or three more different kinds of fish, it will still be fish soup, but the taste will be completely different. That’s the biggest value of our co-production here.”
“I wanted it to feel intimate in its cinematography but also expansive.” —Arun Tamm
Detective von Fock was the first Estonian series to receive support from both Creative Europe’s MEDIA strand and Eurimages’ pilot program for series co-productions. “That’s a huge step for us, not only for Estonians but for the Baltic countries overall,” Supin said. “We are a small nation, and receiving this kind of support is a sign that what we do is relevant and of value, and there is a demand for our stories.”
Tamm discussed the look he wanted to deliver in the show. “I wanted it to feel intimate in its cinematography but also expansive. I chose wide lenses to see the scenery, and then handheld camera work to bring authenticity and reality into the scenes.”
Müge Akar ATV
By Elizabeth BowenTombari
From epic period pieces like The Ottoman to romantic dramas like A Little Sunshine and The Nightfall , ATV, through its sales operations, led by Müge Akar, has been bringing top-notch Turkish series to broadcasters worldwide, steadily expanding its geographic footprint.
“The journey of Turkish dramas began in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and after that success, Lat in America reacted; the Chilean channel Mega was the first to acquire a Turkish title,” says Akar, head of sales at
ATV. “The fact that Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market are huge and very important changed things for Turkish dramas and how they travel. After their success in Latin America, we’ve seen [the same results] in Spain, Italy, Portugal and many other countries in Europe and Asia, regions that have also followed this pattern.”
“Format licensing is becoming a new trend for us. We have licensed a few formats before, and now we have also closed a new deal for an adaptation in Mexico.”
Akar also touched on the range of the ATV offer, which encompasses long-running volume series like For My Family , as well as shorter-run productions. “Clients are looking for both the classical and new types of series now.”
Italy, Portugal and Africa are among the territories ATV sees strong growth potential in, Akar said. She is also bullish on the scripted format landscape for Turkish dramas.
“Format licensing is becoming a new trend for us,” Akar said. “We have licensed a few formats before, and now we have also closed a new deal for an adaptation in Mexico. It’s also another side of the business, which is exciting and very good to take a look at.”
