Nat Geo buys France 3 Hitler doc

National Geographic Channels International has acquired worldwide rights to Hitler’s Death Army: Das Reich.

The two-part factual series looks at the final year of the infamous German elite division Das Reich, which is known for mass murders during World War II.

The 2x60mins series, from Patricia Boutinard Rouelle’s Nilaya Productions and with a budget of €1.1 million (US$1.3 millon), has already played on France 3 and Arte, gaining 2.3 million and 1.1 million viewers, respectively.

Nat Geo will play the specials later this year in 170 territories and 43 languages following a deal with distributor Zed, which has secured further deals with Smithsonian Canada and Radio Canada.

The deal marks the third time Paris-based Zed has sold a WWII-themed programme to NGCI, following CC&C and Frédéric Lumière’s Sacrifice D-Day and Cinétévé’s Hitler’s Last Year.

In related news ahead of next week’s Sunny Side of the Doc event in La Rochelle, France, Zed has acquired Frank Sinatra or America’s Golden Age, a Sinatra biopic for its arts an culture slate.

France 5 commissioned the doc, which comes from Marie Drogue (Ma Drogue à Moi), and will debut it on December 12, which would have been the late crooner’s 100^th birthday.

Zed is eyeing presales and is in discussions with broadcasters in Canada, Germany, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.