News round-up: Blue Ant takes ‘Spirit To Soar’ rights; OSN & Discovery in Beyond MENA deals; DocuBay takes factual shows

Spirit To Soar

Blue Ant takes ‘Spirit To Soar’ rights

Toronto-based Blue Ant International has acquired global distribution rights to Spirit To Soar, a documentary about racism towards Indigenous peoples in Canada.

The 1 x 60-minute doc follows Anishinaabe storyteller and journalist Tanya Talaga, as she explores the systemic racism facing Indigenous peoples in the Northern Canadian town of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The programme continues the story of her non-fiction book Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death And Hard Truths In A Northern City, which brought international attention to the tragic deaths of seven Indigenous high school students that went uninvestigated between the years of 2000 and 2011.

Produced by Makwa Creative in association with Antica Productions the film is slated to broadcast and stream on CBC and CBC Gem in Canada in Fall 2021.

“This documentary sheds light on a story that is based in Canada, but that has universal significance, as audiences around the globe reckon with systemic racism and cultural inequity,” commented Solange Attwood, EVP, Blue Ant International.

“Sharing Tanya’s personal journey as she explores the stories of the Seven Fallen Feathers from Thunder Bay adds to an incredibly crucial movement for reconciliation and change, especially given the discovery of thousands of unmarked graves of Indigenous children found at residential schools.”

Halifax: Retribution

OSN & Discovery in Beyond MENA deals

Broadcasters in the Middle East and Africa have acquired more than 270 hours of scripted and unscripted content, following deals with distributor Beyond Rights.

In the Middle East, OSN has acquired a 190-hour package of factual titles, including recent obs-docs Maternity 24/7 (6 x 60-minutes) and Hitched in Vegas (10 x 60-minutes), plus seven series of popular property and lifestyle title Love It or List It (174 x 60-minutes). Meanwhile, Discovery MENA has picked up the fifth series of Abandoned Engineering (12 x 60-minutes) for the Middle East and Africa.

AETN Africa has meanwhile taken series seven and eight of Love It Or List It (38 x 60-minutes), alongside two seasons of Filthy House SOS (18 x 60-minutes); BBC Africa has acquired the UK version of competitive dog grooming series Pooch Perfect (8 x 60-minutes), produced by Beyond Productions, while CBS has acquired two true crime series for Africa; Murder In The Outback: The Falconio And Lees Mystery (4 x 60-minutes), and Handsome Devils (10 x 60-minutes).

Also in Africa, Azam Media has acquired the crime drama Halifax: Retribution (8 x 60-minutes) for its international entertainment channel.

Adita Jain

DocuBay takes factual shows

IN10 Media Network’s Mumbai-based VOD service DocuBay has acquired multiple documentary titles following a deal with German distributor Albatross World Sales.

The deal includes more than 20 shows across nature, science, history and other genres, including Giants With Mud Feet, which follows a group of American and European scientists struggling to save elm trees from a tiny yet terrible enemy.

Meanwhile, Canary Islands – In the Shadows Of The Volcanoes takes nature enthusiasts to the unique, futuristic geography of the archipelago built by steep volcanic mountains.

Adita Jain, senior AVP – acquisition & syndication – Network at IN10 Media Network, commented “We are pleased to partner with Albatross World Sales, whose library includes a range of unique documentaries and factual, which are in line with DocuBay’s diverse line-up. Our strategy has always been to provide the audience with premium content, in various genres, from across the world.”