MIPCOM ’12: NGCI picks up “Apocalypse: World War One”

October 9, 2012 by Kevin Ritchie

National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) has picked up global non-standard television rights (excluding France, Canada and the U.S.) to the four-part documentary series Apocalypse: World War One from France Télévisions Distribution.

Commissioned by the French broadcaster to mark the 100th anniversary of the war’s outbreak in 2014, the project had a budget of €5 million (US $6.5 million) and was produced with rarely seen and fully-colorized archival footage. It is a coproduction between Paris-based indie prodco CC&C (Clarke Costelle & Co), Idéacom international, France Télévisions and TV5 Québec in Canada.

Two earlier installments in the CC&C-produced colorized archive series – Apocalypse: The Second World War and Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler – also aired globally on NGCI.

The latest installment in the historical franchise was written and directed by Isabelle Clarke and Daniel Costelle. Roughly 50% of the footage featured in the film is previously unreleased and includes unedited home movies shot by soldiers at war. The producers amassed more than 500 hours of footage from assorted international cinemathéques and footage companies, as well as from private collections.

Apocalypse: World War One will premiere on France Télévisions-owned network France 2 in 2014 and air in four parts that cover key periods during the war: “Rage” (1914), “Fear” (1915), “Blood” (1916 – 1917) and “Alive!” (1917-1918).

CC&C and France Télévisions have two more Apocalypse projects in the pipeline: Apocalypse: Cold War and Apocalypse: Stalin.

Tags: Apocalypse: World War One, CC&C, Clarke Costelle & Co, France Televisions, Ideacom international, National Geographic Channels International

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