Off the Fence experiences non-stop sales

Ellen Windemuth, Managing Director of leading independent production and distribution company Off the Fence, has announced a raft of deals in Eastern Europe and Turkey for the company’s top factual and wildlife titles.
The pay television channel, Spektrum TV & Ceska Programova, which broadcasts in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, has acquired a selection of episodes from the ‘Nature’s Greatest Moments’ series; a spectacular collection of 128 x 5 minute wildlife shorts produced by Talking Pictures/Aquavision/Off the Fence/BR/WDR/NHNZ. Each episode documents some of nature’s most remarkable feats, from the intricate creation of rich tropical coral reefs to the lumberjack skills of an Indian elephant and from the freezing conditions endured by the Antarctic Emperor penguins to the survival tactics of the Perengey Adder amid the inhospitable Namib Desert.
They have also picked up ‘Secrets of the Battleship Yamato’, (1 x 50 min) the Bang Productions/Off The Fence co-production with WGBH, ZDF, Discovery Asia and MDA, which tells the remarkable and tragic tale of history’s largest battleship. Now lying largely intact at the bottom of the South China Sea floor, the Yamato was intended to be an unbeatable asset to the Japanese Navy, until air power surpassed naval power. Rather than see their technological masterpiece confiscated by the Americans, the Navy made a final flamboyant gesture, sending 3000 officers on one last, impossible mission.
Channel 7 in Turkey will be broadcasting the groundbreaking series ‘Animals Like Us’ (5 x 50 min, Saint Thomas Productions) which, supported by evidence from renowned scientists and psychologists, reveals the true nature of animals’ emotions and desires, dismantling old beliefs that mankind is a separate product in the evolution of species, and displaying the remarkable similarities between human and animal behaviour.
In Poland meanwhile, Ale Kino! has snapped up the brand new one-off investigative documentary marking the 50th anniversary of the death of James Dean – ‘The Day That James Dean Died’. This 1 x 50 min Zig Zag Production uses cutting-edge science and testimony from friends, family, crash witnesses and the original investigators to re-examine the tragic accident that killed one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars but spawned a legend; uncovering startling revelations that threaten to undermine the ‘live fast, die young’ image of the ultimate rebel who went out in a blaze of glory.
Ellen Windemuth said: “We have had an extremely successful year so far with sales to European territories, and are delighted to continue this trend with these new deals. The use of captivating subject matter and innovative filming techniques is inherent throughout our catalogue and creates programming which has the potential to captivate a wide range of viewers.”
(GB)