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Several previously announced documentaries about South Africa have been completed in time for the MIPTV market. They provide unusual insights into the host country for this year’s World Cup soccer championship. The five-part road movie “In Search of Southern Africa” (5x52’) takes viewers through South Africa, Botswana and Namibia – from desert and wilderness to coastal beaches. It is a journey to the roots of mankind. “The Cape of Good Voices” (52’) invites us on an adventurous bus ride through the provinces. A diverse troupe of opera singers heads out in search of new talent for the Cape Town Opera. “Helen Zille” (52’) paints a portrait of Africa’s only white, female mayor, who has enjoyed a political career in Cape Town and has served as the prime minister of the Western Cape Province since 2009. read more

The 2010 World Cup and the current UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen were both the subject of documentary films at this year’s German Screenings conference. International buyers of television programming were extremely interested in documentaries about South Africa and the 2010 World Cup. united docs found many takers for its approximately 18 hours of programming about South Africa and soccer. The environmental documentaries distributed worldwide by the Cologne-based company were also highly successful. A six-hour package of ecological programming was sold to France, including the 2009 MIPCOM highlights “Plug ‘n’ Drive” (52’), a fascinating feature about electric cars, and “Mission Possible” (45’), a presentation of two visionary personalities and their ideas about the daily routine of recycling. read more

The annual German Screenings conference will take place in Munich from 29 November to 3 December at the deluxe hotel Le Méridién. This engaging TV distribution trade fair is organized by german united distributors together with Telepool, Deutsche Welle and ORF, who will be presenting their new program highlights in a special presentation area. Some 100 TV buyers from 26 countries have signed on to view the latest German-language productions in individual screenings. This multi-faceted broad-range of offerings encompasses the entire spectrum of television entertainment, full-length features, made-for-TV movies and series, documentaries, wildlife formats on to musical programs and children's shows. ... read more

At the international TV trade fair in Cannes, united docs is presenting a broad spectrum of history documentaries featuring a wide variety of film styles. These high-quality HD productions relate moving stories, capture unforgettable moments and provide new impulses for the future. The best example is "The Picture of the Napalm Girl" (52'), an investigative one-off based on archive footage about the Vietnam War and the famous photo of then-nine-year-old Kim Phuc screaming and running for her life during a napalm bomb attack. "Louise" (also 52') on the other hand, features a high proportion of reenactments, portraying the unconventional queen of Prussia. ... read more

Documentary filmmakers and editors from all over the world converged at the twentieth annual Sunny Side of the Doc film festival in June 2009. united docs presented the historical documentary “The Night The Wall Came Down – Schabowski’s Note” as a work in progress. Forty minutes of the 52-minute international HD version of the film were shown, commentated by author Marc Brasse, producer Werner Vennewald and NDR editor Dirk Neuhoff. More than 50 international programming directors and filmmakers watched the film, which documents the chain of events leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall. ... read more

German documentary distributor united docs put in a successful appearance at the central and eastern Europe’s leading film trade fair. Films about historical personalities were particularly in demand at the DISCOP in Budapest. The HD production “Hitler & Stalin” (90’/2x52’) continues the success of its predecessor “Hitler & Mussolini” (90’/2x52’), which already enjoyed multiple broadcasts world-wide. A recounting of the enmities between Germany and Russia, “Hitler & Stalin” has been licensed for Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Slovenia as well as France and Scandinavia. There are also several queries from DVD distributors in these markets for both films. ... read more

At the 2009 MipTV exhibition, united docs makes a strong impression with excellently researched background stories about events that shaped world history. Upon the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German distributing company for documentaries offers an exciting, prime-time production by NDR and arte: “Schabowski’s Note” (60’) examines the chain of events during the decisive 24 hours of November 9, 1989. And the three-part “Back Then in the GDR – The Final Year” (3x45’/52’) and the worldwide search for the remains of the Berlin Wall “Where Is the Wall?” (52’) recall the closing days of the Cold War. ... read more

German Screenings, the largest trade fair for German-language television programming, is taking place this year for the 33rd time. german united distributors, Telepool, Deutsche Welle and ORF will present their programs from November 30 to December 4 in Le Méridién, Hamburg. The range on offer comprises German documentaries, features, comedies, family dramas, crime drama series, children?s programs, music and wildlife formats - some with English subtitles. Some 200 program buyers from across the world are expected to attend, when they will appraise the German TV highlights away from the public eye. ... read more