D8 doc looks Back To The Future

MIPCOM: French DTT channel D8 is partnering on a one-off event documentary inspired by the Back To The Future movie franchise.

The move continues its strategy of getting involved in the international distribution of shows, as it did with fact ent format Mum of The Week.

London-based distributor Can’t Stop Media is launching one-hour doc Back To The Present in Cannes to mark the 30th anniversary of the first movie next year by exploring how much of the technology forecast in the films actually became a reality.

The launch ties in with the original film, in which Marty Mc Fly (Michael J Fox) lands on October 21, 2015 having travelled forward in time. The doc will use extracts from the movies and all rights have been cleared for the international market.

Back To The Present is produced by Paris-based Allo Houston Productions, a new subsidiary of kids’ producer OuiDo (Alvin!!! And the Chipmunks, Sonic) focusing on live-action programming.

Can’t Stop Media has helped packaged the show and is distributing it for D8 and Allo Houston.

Canal+-owned free-to-air channel D8 is ramping up its ambitions in the content industry by funding the development of original shows and retaining significant coproduction shares. Its aim is to be associated with their international distribution and benefit from the revenues they generate abroad.

“We want to invest in the development of formats that can sell internationally,” said the president of D8, Ara Aprikian, in an interview with French daily Le Figaro last week.

As examples, Aprikian cited Mum of The Week, a Can’t Stop Media format developed with D8 that has already been sold to broadcasters in a number of territories, including Kanalturk in Turkey and TVN in Poland. The French version is produced by Equilibre Productions.

With the French advertising market yet to recover, local broadcasters are looking to get more involved in the international content business and benefit from its potential revenue. D8 was unavailable for further comment about the extent of its plans.