Beyond Rights reveales its autumn slate, where is launching more than 200 hours of fresh unscripted content, among new titles and returning series across a variety of different genres, as well as a new kids’ series.
The line up will join the 2021 MIPCOM edition, and for its first full year in business, Beyond Rights signals a heightened focus on premium factual with the acquisition of two powerful new feature docs and a milestone investigative series.
Leading the autumn slate are feature docs Facing Monsters and MILKED, both 1×90 min. Facing Monsters, from sister company Beyond West, Red Eye Productions and Veerhuis Pictures, is a shot film which story deep into the psyche of enigmatic free surfer Kerby Brown as he pursues the ultimate ferocious and deadly ‘slab’ waves along the coast of his native Western Australia. While MILKED is a topical, investigative film, led by young activist Chris Huriwai, that exposes the whitewash of New Zealand’s multi-billion-dollar dairy industry. Featuring interviews with high-profile contributors such as Dr Jane Goodall, environmentalist and former actress Suzy Amis Cameron, and Cowspiracy co-director Keegan Kuhn, the filmreveals the behind-the-scenes reality of the kiwi dairy farming fairy-tale.
As the tenth anniversary approaches, The Costa Concordia: Why She Sank, 2×60 min from ITN Productions, will tell the story behind one of the biggest maritime disasters since the Titanic in forensic detail. Combining exclusive first-person testimony from survivors and rescuers with previously unseen footage, graphic reconstruction and expert insight, the documentary series investigates why she sank in January 2012 with the loss of 32 lives, what lessons should have been learned from previous disasters, and if such a catastrophe could happen again.
Motor MythBusters (8×60 min), produced by Beyond Media Rights. With former MythBusters presenter Tory Belleci, along with mechanic Faye Hadley, and engineer Bisi Ezerioha, this series delivers undiscovered facts and applies rigorous science to everything from Hollywood car stunts to everyday automotive questions that grind the gears of car owners and enthusiasts.
In history, Bismarck: 24 Hours to Doom (1×90 min), based on Iain Ballantyne’s best-selling book and produced by Screen Story, tells the story of the WW2 battle in the North Atlantic between Germany and Britain following Bismarck’s sinking of HMS Hood. Previously unseen testimony, stunning CGI and a countdown clock add up to hour that brings viewers closer to the reality of this famous wartime event than ever before.
Also new for autumn is Animal Emergency, a 5×60 min obs-doc series from Scratch Films, set in Ireland’s premier vet hospital, and Pooch Perfect USA(8×60 min), the American version of the popular competitive dog grooming series. Produced by Beyond Media Rights, this entertaining new title is hosted by Hollywood star Rebel Wilson. Reality series Britain’s Biggest Families (1×60 min) completes the key new unscripted titles.
Finally,the lead kids’ show for autumn is new animated series Nina & Olga (52 x 7). Produced by Enanimation & Mondo TV Producciones Canarias, in partnership with Rai Ragazzai, the series has been inspired by Olga the Cloud,the internationally best-selling, classic book series by Nicoletta Costa.
Connie Hodson, head of partnerships and business development at Beyond Rights commented: ‘During a year that has seen both production hiatuses and reduced commissions, we are thrilled to launch such a healthy slate this autumn, welcoming a number of new producer partners to the Beyond Rights business, as well as supporting our existing partners with their successful returning series. Premium factual is an important part of our business, so we are especially proud to launch two such compelling and intelligent new feature documentariesas Facing Monsters and MILKED. With a wealth of new opportunities on linear channels and a constant demand from SVOD platforms for unique and powerfulstories, told in-depth, we are confident that these two remarkable and memorable films will readily find new homes in the international marketplace this autumn’.
