Munich - Global Screen, a Telepool brand, has sold the top-rated mini-series "Dark Woods" to a strong line-up of international territories including Japan (NHK Enterprises), CIS (Mauris Film), Poland (Canal+), Czech Republic (Ceska Televize), Slovenia (RTV Slovenija), Latvia (Latvian Television), Lithuania (LRT), India and sub-continents (BookMyShow) and French-speaking Switzerland (RTS). Significant deals for the UK, Australia, Scandinavia and Portugal are expected to close before MIPCOM, whilst sales to North America (Topic Media), France (Canal+) and Spain (Cosmo TV) were revealed earlier this year.
“We are thrilled to announce the next slate of deals for this highly original series”, states Julia Weber, Head of Acquisitions & Sales at Global Screen. “With its mix of crime and drama, the excellent acting and a unique, gripping atmosphere, "Dark Woods" is a perfect match for all clients looking for high-end European content. The outstanding ratings in Germany – it was the most-watched programme in ARD’s catch-up TV in 2020 – along with rave reviews tipped the scales in more than one negotiation.”
Bavaria Fiction’s Maren Knieling, Executive Producer, adds, “We are pleased to see this mini-series travel even further around the world. "Dark Woods" is event TV programming at its very best and a mini-series which we are extremely proud to have created as it gives victims of crime a voice. It is richly shot, suspenseful and totally engrossing as the storyline swings between different decades recounting one of Germany’s most gripping unsolved murder cases.”
The German TV Award winner and Seoul International Drama Award nominee, "Dark Woods" is inspired by real-life-events and starts out in the summer of 1989, when the sister of high-ranking Hamburg police officer Thomas Bethge (Matthias Brandt) disappears from her house in Lower Saxony, near where gruesome double murders have taken place. Bethge is faced with the most difficult task of his life: he wants to find his sister, but as a Hamburg police officer he is not allowed to investigate in Lower Saxony. He then seeks support from his colleagues Anne Bach (Karoline Schuch) and Frank Behringer (Andreas Lust). Bethge’s quest for justice continues long after his retirement for almost 30 years as he and his team eventually, through painstaking and meticulous research, finally get on the track of a suspected serial killer.
From International Emmy Award-winning writer Stefan Kolditz (“Generation War”, “Naked among Wolves”) and directed by Sven Bohse (“Ku’damm 56”), "Dark Woods" stars Matthias Brandt (“Babylon Berlin”), Karoline Schuch (“Balloon”, “Luther and I”), August Wittgenstein (“Das Boot”, “Deadwind”), Nicholas Ofczarek (“Pagan Peak”, “The Team”) and Hanno Koffler (“Never look away”, “Pagan Peak”) in the lead roles. "Dark Woods" is produced by ConradFilm and Bavaria Fiction on behalf of NDR and ARD Degeto for Das Erste. Commissioning editors are Christian Granderath and Sabine Holtgreve (NDR) and Carolin Haasis (ARD Degeto); executive producers of the 3 x 90’/ 6 x 45’ event are Marc Conrad (ConradFilm) and Maren Knieling and Jan S. Kaiser (Bavaria Fiction).
