DNI stages prison break doc

Discovery Networks International (DNI) has acquired a one-off documentary about one of the world’s most infamous and daring prison escapes.

Alcatraz: Escaping The Rock tells the story of three inmates who vanished from Alcatraz

Alcatraz: Escaping The Rock (1×60’) was originally commissioned by WNET for US pubcaster PBS from producer Hoggard Films.

Coproduction agency and deficit finance specialist Drive has secured a pre-sale with DNI for Benelux, the Nordics, Asia Pacific and CEEMEA.

The doc focuses on the case of bank robbers Frank Morris and Clarence and John Anglin who launched a raft made from a patchwork of raincoats into the lethal waters of San Francisco Bay and disappeared from Alcatraz without a trace, leaving behind a cold case that has baffled law enforcement for more than half a century.

The programme follows a team of Dutch scientists who have developed a 3D modelling programme that allows them to illustrate the precise tidal movements on the night of the escape. The team make a replica raft using original materials, and attempt to re-enact the prison break to prove that the inmates could have survived their attempt.

The programme will air on DNI this spring.