Japan’s NHK reveals deals for Snowman Race, Deep Ocean on first day of Sunny Side

Run Against Time: The Snowman Race in Bhutan

SUNNY SIDE: Japanese public broadcaster NHK made a big splash on the first day of Sunny Side of the Doc here in La Rochelle, with a series of high-profile deals announced for the two documentaries it is showcasing here this week.

French distributor Gedeon Programmes has boarded Run Against Time: The Snowman Race in Bhutan (1×49’), a coproduction between NHK and BBS in Bhutan. It has already secured a deal with French broadcaster Ushuaïa TV, which was announced here at the film’s world premiere last night.

The Snowman Race is known as the world’s toughest trail race, covering 186km of mountainous terrain in the Bhutanese Himalayas over four nights and five days. The doc marks the first time an international broadcaster, in collaboration with BBS, has been able to film exclusive and complete coverage.

The distribution deal with Ushuaïa TV was made through Gédéon Programmes and its distribution outlet Terranoa. Ushuaïa TV plans to broadcast the doc as part of special programming to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

Meanwhile, the BBC in the UK and Taiwanese public broadcaster PTS have acquired fellow NHK doc Deep Ocean: Kingdom of the Coelacanth, which is also being showcased at Sunny Side this week.

Coproduced with Germany’s ZDF, Franco-German cultural broadcaster Arte and OceanX in collaboration with CMMAI, the doc has captured, in 8K, the world’s first video images of a group of coelacanths and their behaviour.

The team filmed the lobe-finned fish in their natural habitat off the coast of Sulawesi Island for the 1×52’ project. Including this one, NHK’s Deep Ocean team has created eight documentaries, and David Attenborough has narrated all the English versions.