It’s April and the industry seems to be returning to some kind of normality, with people able to travel by air and in-person events and markets back on the agenda. So it’s a good time to showcase some of the new programming on offer via C21’s Digital Screenings.

On the factual front, this month’s playlist has plenty on offer, particularly given recent events in Ukraine. Putin’s Road to War (PBS Distribution) offers the inside story of what led to Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine, the events that shaped the Russian leader and the grievances that drive him, while The End of a Superpower: The Collapse of the Soviet Union (Autentic Distribution) is a topical look at the decline of the USSR, a gigantic confederation of states, back in 1991 and its consequences.

More history that has relevance to today’s headlines comes with After Chaos (Terranoa), which brings back to life the fate of four emblematic cities razed to the ground by intensive bombing during the Second Wold War. State-of-the-art visual effects allow viewers to see how Le Havre, London, Warsaw and Berlin re-invented themselves in record time.

Ross Kemp: Shipwreck Treasure Hunter (Abacus Media Rights) is a four-part adventure history series in which presenter and actor Ross Kemp fulfils a life-long dream to dive on shipwrecks to recover treasure, while Explore Japan (Japan International Broadcasting) showcases a wide range of topics about Japan and its many well-known and lesser-known ‘worlds.’

For natural history buyers, there’s Ice & Fire: Tracking Earth’s Climate Crisis (CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution), which documents how, in the last 150 years, humans have become a geological force of nature, challenging and changing the face of our planet.

Documentaries with more of a social angle are also in the mix, with In My Own World (Vice Distribution), a series that explores the fringes of society and the individuals who must align their microcosmic universe with the ordinary world, while Trust Me (Off the Fence) shows how an avalanche of biased news and misinformation is undermining trust in society.

Along the same vein, I’m Fine (Not) Really (The Television Syndication Company) looks at the unhealthy relationship between elite athletes and their fans and how society’s ever-growing expectations have contributed to the rising level of mental health issues in sport today, while Sweetling (Dutch Core Media) is a doc about two lovers dealing with dementia.

The last documentary title on this month’s playlist is Remembering – Marilyn Monroe (3DD), which celebrates the life of the star and acknowledges that to be a Hollywood great is to fly too close to the sun.

More on the factual entertainment side comes The Travelling Auctioneers (DCD Rights), in which auctioneer Christina Trevanion and craftsman Will Kirk take their travelling auction house on the road to help families cash in on their hidden treasures via remote auctions, while Gino’s Italian Adventure (All3Media International) follows Gino D’Acampo as he embarks on a personal journey across Italy, to explore the roots of his upbringing and his passion for food.

Britain’s Beautiful Rivers with Richard Hammond (Hat Trick International) sees the former Top Gear presenter traverse the UK to explore Britain’s most beautiful waterways, while reality series End of the Rope (Beyond Rights) offers an exclusive peek into the high-octane, nerve-shredding world of rope access technicians in the US.

Entertainment formats on this month’s playlist include My Boyfriend is Better (CJ ENM), a new music format from Wonwoo Park, the original creator/writer of The Masked Singer, and Tunnel of Love (Sony Pictures Television Formats), a matchmaking format where your best friend picks your suitor.

For buyers looking for scripted series, our April playlist encompasses everything from period drama to contemporary series, with the focus squarely on European product, given the importance of European programme markets this spring.

The General’s Men (Asacha Media Group) is an Italian drama based on the true story of the Special Anti-Terrorism Unit created by Italy’s General Dalla Chiesa in response to the attacks launched by the Red Brigades during the 1970s.

Signora Volpe (Banijay Rights) is another Italian series, this time about a woman who appears to have an unspectacular career in the civil service but is, in fact a British spy, while Dark Lake (Bavaria Media International) follows a metropolitan cop mom who moves from city to country with her son and is soon faced with strange new demons.

More female-led action comes from Berlin Legal (Studio Hamburg Enterprises), about Germany’s most successful media lawyer who navigates the political arena with her law firm as surefootedly as she does the glamorous world of the rich and famous. El Inmortal – Gangs of Madrid (Beta Film), meanwhile, is set in 1990s Madrid and was inspired by true events and the life of the leader of the Los Miami gang.

The Palace (Global Screen) is a German period piece set in 1980s East Berlin where young dancer Christine suddenly comes face to face with her doppelganger: the twin sister she knew nothing about. Another German series, Plan B (Red Arrow Studios International), asks if you could go back in time and change the course of events for a more favourable outcome, would you choose to do so.

Stories to Stay Awake (ZDF Studios) is a series in which four top Spanish directors – Rodrigo Cortés, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Paula Ortiz and Paco Plaza – bring Chicho Ibáñez Serrador’s iconic horror series back to life with a modern cinematic edge. Belgian series Hacked (DFW International), which is also being highlighted this month, follows three teenagers at the mercy of a stalker who makes increasingly challenging demands in return for their privacy.

From France comes Infiniti (StudioCanal), which blends a sci-fi crime thriller with political intrigue and a classic love story woven together, echoing the current global space race. About Saturday (Wild Bunch TV) follows a woman who is challenged to go on a date with a random guy but the evening ends very badly.

UK drama Holding (ITV Studios), meanwhile, is a darkly comic story of love, secrets and loss exploring the complexities and contradictions that make us human. The series is based on talkshow host Graham Norton’s acclaimed novel.

Drama from around the world this month includes Happily Married (Cineflix Rights), which charts the unlikely tale of Quebec’s most infamous criminal foursome, while After The Trial (Entertainment One) is a gripping crime drama about four very different people who meet while serving jury duty on a murder trial.

My Beautiful Man (Mainichi Broadcasting System) follows a friendless high-schooler at the bottom of his class who befriends a classmate ranked at the top, while Next of Kin (A+E Global Content Sales) is a sci-fi series about a young woman who joins forces with a cybersecurity agent to discover why her DNA was stolen.

Comedy series on offer include #FBF (MarVista Entertainment), about a teen who accidentally takes her mother’s laptop and realises she has everything she needs to be her mum for the day. High jinks ensue.

For buyers of kids’ content, April’s playlist features Detention Adventure (Blue Ant International) in which the team tries to uncover the secret hidden within Group of Seven member Lawren Harris’s painting, while for younger viewers there’s Lucas the Spider (Cake), a CGI series for the whole family featuring the adventures of a warm-hearted and gentle jumping spider, based on the worldwide viral YouTube hit.

That’s all for April, stay tuned for more Hot Properties in May!

It’s April and the industry seems to be returning to some kind of normality, with people able to travel by air and in-person events and markets back on the agenda. So it’s a good time to showcase some of the new programming on offer via C21’s Digital Screenings.

On the factual front, this month’s playlist has plenty on offer, particularly given recent events in Ukraine. Putin’s Road to War (PBS Distribution) offers the inside story of what led to Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine, the events that shaped the Russian leader and the grievances that drive him, while The End of a Superpower: The Collapse of the Soviet Union (Autentic Distribution) is a topical look at the decline of the USSR, a gigantic confederation of states, back in 1991 and its consequences.

More history that has relevance to today’s headlines comes with After Chaos (Terranoa), which brings back to life the fate of four emblematic cities razed to the ground by intensive bombing during the Second Wold War. State-of-the-art visual effects allow viewers to see how Le Havre, London, Warsaw and Berlin re-invented themselves in record time.

Ross Kemp: Shipwreck Treasure Hunter (Abacus Media Rights) is a four-part adventure history series in which presenter and actor Ross Kemp fulfils a life-long dream to dive on shipwrecks to recover treasure, while Explore Japan (Japan International Broadcasting) showcases a wide range of topics about Japan and its many well-known and lesser-known ‘worlds.’
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