Sky launches Missile From The East

Sky Documentaries in the UK has commissioned a premium documentary about the late East German professional Grand Prix motorcycle racer Ernst Degner.

Herbert L Kloiber

Coproduced by Munich-based Night Train Media and London’s Salon Pictures, Missile From The East (1×90’/1×52/2×45’) tells the story of how Degner risked his life by defecting to West Germany during the Swedish Grand Prix in 1961.

After finishing the race, Degner drove his racing car to Denmark, where he caught a ferry to West Germany and met up with his family, who had already safely defected.

Abacus Media Rights is distributing the doc, which is directed by Justin Stokes and produced by HLA Productions’ MD Mike Wells and Salon Pictures’ founder and MD Nick Taussig.

Night Train’s founder Herbert L Kloiber is exec producing with head of content development and coproduction Olivia Pahl.

Missile From The East is the first factual production for Night Train, which former Tele München Group MD Kloiber launched early last year.

Kloiber said: “Worldwide demand for distinctive local and international documentaries has never been greater and this incredible high-stakes true story – a Rush meets Bridge of Spies – instantly struck us as something dramatic, heartfelt, new and aspirational that audiences worldwide can enjoy.”