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C21 DIGITAL SCREENINGS

Hot Properties February 2021

Programming Profile

Hot Properties for February 2021

02-02-2021

As the pandemic rages on, with many of us under further restrictions rather than enjoying the hoped-for loosening of lockdowns, broadcasters and streamers have the opportunity to entice huge captive audiences with their content.

 

We’ve selected stand-out titles from leading international distributors for February’s Hot Properties playlist on C21 Digital Screenings, to refresh global schedules and keep house-bound audiences entertained.

 

For buyers looking for unscripted, February’s playlist appeals to various tastes. NENT Studios UK’s Joe Biden: The Comeback King is a telling portrait of the man who beat Trump to become America’s 46th president. And Blue Ant International’s The Royal Documentaries is a collection of films providing an inside peek at royalty by looking at their lives through a lens of historical context and cultural significance.

 

For some much-needed armchair travel, Autentic Distribution’s Snow Lords: The Series, follows teams as they challenge nature against the clock to open the winter ski season in the Valleys of Trentino in the Italian Alps. Rick Stein’s Cornwall, from Banijay Rights, sees the TV chef reveal the Cornwall he knows and loves, sharing the road less travelled while championing the food, history, music, art and culture of the county that is a unique part of the British Isles. More travel comes in the form of season two of Passion Distribution’s The Architecture the Railways Built, in which presenter and railway aficionado Tim Dunn uncovers the stories behind some of the most stunning railway architecture across the UK and Europe.

 

Shark Terror: USS Indianapolis from Cineflix Rights tells the incredible true story of the brave crewmen who survived being torpedoed, only to face an even more terrifying peril. After delivering components for the first atomic bomb, which would help bring the Second World War to an end, a mighty US Navy cruiser is attacked, leaving 900 men clinging to floating debris as sharks move in for the kill. For a lighter look at the oceans, In Touch with a Giant Pacific Octopus from ZDF Enterprises follows marine biologist and wildlife filmmaker Florian Graner as he reveals the private lives of the strange creatures with nine brains and eight arms that can stretch to 10 metres.

 

Drive’s Strangest Things, explores the most remarkable and mysterious objects on Earth, hidden away in museums, laboratories and storage rooms around the world. The series uses the latest 3D graphics to rebuild lost or damaged artefacts, uncovering their enigmas, revealing the unbelievable and truly bizarre. History’s Greatest Mysteries, presented by Laurence Fishburne for A+E Networks, is more secret-busting content. Emmy winner Fishburne investigates some of the greatest mysteries of all time, from Shackleton’s ice ship to the Titanic and Roswell, providing new clarity to these larger-than-life chapters in history.

 

Outbreak: The Virus That Shook The World from Entertainment One explores the greatest public health catastrophe of modern times. And tells the story of how the pandemic broke out and spread, studying the science, politics and, above all, the stories of the victims.

 

Mexico’s Disappeared: Missing But Unforgotten from Ruptly investigates the huge number of missing people in Mexico, which as of September 2020 stood at 77,150. The programme explores how, in a country where violence often goes unpunished and where the lines between the authorities and organised crime can often be blurred, the chances of locating the lost are crushingly slim, with culprits ranging from gangs to police and the military. In this captivating documentary, the families of the missing tell of their struggles and determination to find their loved ones.

 

For lighter content, season seven of Married at First Sight Australia from Red Arrow Studios International follows the couples as they join one of the world’s leading relationship shows. And in Sony Television Formats’ Battle of the Couples, 10 famous couples living in a remote luxury villa battle against one another in a fierce competition of strategy and strength. Some of them have been together for years, others have only recently fallen in love, but they’re all convinced they’re made for each other.

 

For scripted content, February’s playlist features several escapist titles, including a mix of must-see crime drama. Season two of The Bay from ITV Studios is a beautifully crafted crime hit, from award-winning writer Daragh Carville. It picks up with detective Lisa Armstrong at a low ebb, forced to do menial police work while she watches her colleague Med Karim go from strength to strength. But a new case involving a shocking murder within a loving family brings her unexpectedly back to the front line.

 

WaPo Berlin from Studio Hamburg Enterprises sees detective chief superintendent Jasmin Sayed heading up a newly founded department, solving crimes on water and land in the city of Berlin. And StudioCanal’s Paris Police 1900 offers a modern and gritty representation of the (not so) Belle Epoque, set in the frenetic streets of Paris in the early 20th century.

 

Other scripted content comes in the form of Sony Pictures Television’s Coyote, the story of Ben Clemens, who after 32 years as a border patrol agent is forced to work for the very people he spent his career trying to keep out of the US. And courtroom drama Freedom to Kill from Bavaria Media International features a powerful female cast as it unearths international corporate intrigue and the intricacies of the international arms trade.

 

And finally, for younger audiences, February’s playlist doesn’t disappoint. BOT & the Beasties from Cake is a preschool comic adventure from Ragdoll Productions, creator of Teletubbies, In The Night Garden and Twirlywoos. Odd Squad Mobile Unit, from Sinking Ship Entertainment, sees Ms O recruit kids to be part of an elite team of Odd Squad agents that travel the world solving odd cases. Pixie Fix and the Lost Dewdrops, from Happy Family Entertainment, follows cute forest creature and guardian of the Evergreen Forest, Pixie Fix, who lives in the trunk of a 1,000-year-old oak tree, solving problems for the forest inhabitants.

 

Meanwhile, Hardball from Australian Children’s Television Foundation follows Mikey as he moves from New Zealand to Western Sydney, finding himself in the thick of the ultra-competitive schoolyard game of handball. And rounding off this month’s titles is Chuggington from Jetpack Distribution. The hit preschool franchise centres on three young train engines, referred to as Chuggers, which come to life in the world of Chuggington, taking kids on fun and exciting adventures of friendship and teamwork, promoting diverse characters and kindness.

 

Enjoy the Hot Properties playlist for February 2021!