ORF Enterprise, the company based in Vienna, continues its efforts to diversify and strengthen its content portfolio. With fiction content, ORF also offers history and nature documentaries, factual documentaries and a selection of cultural titles to satisfy the interests of a diverse audience. Among its new highlights are two products in its Drama section: School of Champions and Kafka, which are presented at ATF 2023 with exceptional production value, demonstrating its commitment to high quality content.
‘Our international commitment is a fundamental part of our strategy, and our participation in events such as ATF reaffirms this commitment. As usual, we are actively working to establish and strengthen partnerships with international partners and buyers. We are committed to offering high quality content to all buyers, with substantial output from a wide variety of genres’ said Armin Luttenberger, Head of International Content Sales at ORF Enterprise.
The market launch of the first full season of School of Champions, produced by ORF/BR/SRF, celebrates the creative collaboration of young filmmakers, an established Austrian production company and three public broadcasters. It is scheduled to premiere on television in early 2024. The series tells the stories of first-year students at a prestigious ski academy. In this intense scenario, they navigate the fine line between love and jealousy, loyalty and betrayal, ambition and frustration in 8 exciting episodes. As a worldwide distributor, ORF Enterprise offers an attractive package, and has already committed to producing a back-to-back season.
Further down the road, the highly anticipated event series entitled Kafka, will premiere in June 2024, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the death of writer Franz Kafka. The series is a co-production of ORF and ARD; and is directed by accomplished filmmaker David Schalko (Braunschlag), who has also co-written the scripts with Daniel Kehlmann (Measuring the World). With invaluable input from Kafka biographer Reiner Stach, this production promises to be faithful to the story. The exceptional cast includes Joel Basman in a transformative role as Kafka, along with David Kross as Max Brod, Nicholas Ofczarek as Hermann Kafka, and Liv Lisa Fries as Milena Jesenská.
‘We are also looking forward to premiering a series of nature and history documentaries from «Universum», ORF’s historic brand. In parallel, our collaboration with Austrian producers and promotion of Austria’s new incentive scheme, FISAplus, exemplify our dedication to the local industry. These initiatives are testament to our desire to foster collaborations and explore new opportunities for future projects,’ added Armin Luttenberger.
Premium documentary fans will enjoy 5 hours of History titles from ORF Universum, as well as 6 hours of Nature highlights from ORF Universum, one of which is Untamed Vietnam – Wildlife Reborn, which chronicles in two captivating episodes the stories of Vietnam’s incredible and endangered wildlife, from its northern forests and mountains to the lush Mekong Delta.
On the other hand, Secret India – The Real Jungle Book explores the real-life counterparts of Rudyard Kipling‘s iconic characters from The Jungle Book in the Indian wilderness. Shot on location, the documentary delves into the daily and seasonal challenges faced by the region’s animals, showing their natural behaviors and the influence of seasonal changes, while highlighting the fascinating wildlife that inspired Kipling’s timeless stories.
For those who prefer journeys into the past, this season’s Universum History titles offer insights into obscure and lesser-known moments in European history: Pride and Persecution approach the milestones of the early gay and lesbian movements in Austria and Germany, as well as their early end with the rise of National Socialism. This two-part documentary chronicles the struggle for recognition that began in Vienna and Berlin during the interwar years, following the stories of Margarethe Csonka and Josef Kohout.
Finally, The Dark Side of Maria Theresa delves into the 1744 expulsion of the Jews from Prague by Empress Maria Theresa and the relentless efforts of Prague’s Jewish community to reverse the decree. The film is a timely reminder of the dangers of intolerance and religious persecution amid rising racism and anti-Semitism in Europe.
