Deutschland 83 to Become the First Ever Original German-Language Drama to Broadcast on a US Television Network
Berlinale / New York, NY – February 9, 2015 –FremantleMedia International (FMI) and SundanceTV today announced a ground-breaking partnership that will see the network co-produce the major new eight-part drama, Deutschland 83 with UFA Fiction. The series will become the first ever German-language drama to be aired on a major US network.
Created by Anna Winger and Joerg Winger, Deutschland 83 is executive produced by UFA Fiction’s Joerg Winger and Nico Hofmann and directed by Edward Berger and Samira Radsi. The series is a UFA Fiction production for RTL Television in Germany, co-produced by SundanceTV in the US and distributed by FremantleMedia International.
The series is set to have its exclusive World Premiere during the inaugural Berlinale Special Series at the 65th Berlinale International Film Festival.
Sarah Barnett, SundanceTV President, stated, “Deutschland 83 is a fresh and heart pounding thriller set against the remarkable political backdrop of 1980s East and West Germany. It’s evocative and emotional and we are delighted to be collaborating on a show of such daring and originality. FremantleMedia International is a terrific partner and we are excited to bring this series to US viewers.”
Lisa Honig, SEVP, Television & Digital Distribution, North America, FremantleMedia International said, “We are thrilled to be working with Sundance TV on this high-tension, intense and yet wonderfully relatable drama. The Deutschland 83 story, popular soundtrack and unique filmic style all blend perfectly to create an outstanding piece of drama. Anna and Joerg did a tremendous job – I have never seen anything quite like this.”
Deutschland 83 is a gripping coming-of-age story set against the real culture wars and political events of Germany in the 1980s. The drama follows Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) as the 24 year-old East Germany native is pulled from the world as he knows it and sent to the West as an undercover spy for the Stasi foreign service. Hiding in plain sight in the West German army, he must gather the secrets of NATO military strategy. Everything is new, nothing is quite what it seems and everyone he encounters is harboring secrets, both political and personal.
Anna Winger and Joerg Winger, co-creators of Deutschland 83 said, “Deutschland 83 was born of a transatlantic relationship. Conceived at our German-American kitchen table in Berlin, written by an American with an international team, made in Germany with a diverse and remarkably talented cast and crew. We are thrilled to be the first German series on TV in the United States and honored to follow in the footsteps of the other great series on SundanceTV.”
# # #
NOTES TO EDITORS
The idea for Deutschland 83 came from the German-American husband and wife duo Anna Winger and Joerg Winger. Anna Winger, the US writer behind the novel, This Must Be the Place, whose essays have appeared in publications such as the New York Times Magazine and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, serves as co-creator and writer. Joerg WInger, a producer at UFA Fiction responsible for one of the most successful and long-running crime series on German television, Soko Leipzig, serves as co-creator and executive producer.
About SundanceTV
SundanceTV is making and celebrating television as distinctive as the best independent films. Working with today’s most remarkable talent, SundanceTV is attracting viewer and critical acclaim for its original scripted and unscripted series. Launched in 1996 and owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc., SundanceTV delivers on the spirit of founder Robert Redford’s mission to celebrate creativity. www.sundance.tv
ABOUT FREMANTLEMEDIA
FremantleMedia is one of the largest creators, producers and distributors of television brands in the world. It is responsible for many of the world’s highest rated prime time entertainment, drama, serial drama, factual entertainment and kids & family programming, with capabilities that extend from content creation to licensing, digital and branded entertainment, gaming and home entertainment. The FremantleMedia Group (which includes FremantleMedia International, FremantleMedia Digital & Branded Entertainment, FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment, FremantleMedia North America, UFA, FremantleMedia UK, FremantleMedia Australia, Ludia, @radical.media and Original Productions, among others) has an outstanding global network with operations in 28 countries, creating over 8,500 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 60 formats and airing 400 programmes a year worldwide. The company also distributes more than 20,000 hours of content in over 200 territories. FremantleMedia has some of the world’s most famous and long running formats in its catalogue, and globally produces such programmes as: Idols, Got Talent (co-produced with Syco in the UK and the US), The X Factor (co-produced with Syco in the UK and the US), Take Me Out, Hole In The Wall, Family Feud, The Price is Right, Farmer Wants A Wife, Through the Keyhole Gute Zeiten Schlechte Zeite, Wentworth, Neighbours, Generation War, Salatut Elamat, Grand Designs, Project Runway, Tree Fu Tom and Strange Hill High. FremantleMedia is part of RTL Group, the leading European entertainment network, which is in turn 75.1 percent owned by the international media company Bertelsmann. www.fremantlemedia.com
About FremantleMedia International
FremantleMedia International (FMI) is the global distribution division of FremantleMedia, one of the leading creators, producers and distributors of television entertainment brands in the world.
The division is responsible for global sales across Linear Television, Digital and Home Entertainment platforms of finished content, format sales in non-production territories as well as acquiring and developing new programmes for the international market. In addition to the world-class FremantleMedia production families around the globe, FMI works with the highest calibre creative talent, producers, channels, licensees and studios to create, finance and distribute the best content in the business. FMI’s catalogue contains more than 20,000 hours of content; a diverse and exciting range of programming spanning drama, comedy, factual, lifestyle and entertainment. Managed by a powerful distribution network spanning nine international offices and supported by a best-in-class brand management team, FMI’s content has sold to more than 150 countries around the world. For more information please visit www.fremantlemedia.com.