The Austrian distributor is showcasing an extensive selection of documentaries from Universum Nature and Universum History at Mipcom, alongside new scripted productions such as The Forgetting and the final cases featuring Tatort’s longstanding detective duo.
*with reporting by Carolina Mussio and Ana Paula Carreira from Cannes, France.
ORF-Enterprise arrived at Mipcom 2026 with a slate focused on two of its main areas of international distribution: nature and history documentaries, and scripted productions from Austria’s public broadcaster.
“We’ve brought a very colorful lineup to the market. We’re extremely proud to have a high volume of recent documentaries from our Universum Nature and Universum History strands. I think this is one of our strongest Mipcom lineups in recent years,” said Armin Luttenberger, Head of Content Sales International at ORF-Enterprise, speaking with ttv.
“Our blue-chip documentary slate is particularly strong this year. In a market that has seen so many ups and downs, and in such a complex world, it’s a privilege to be able to offer stability to our buyers and partners. That’s also thanks to the producers and all the creative professionals working with ORF and contributing their content to our distribution catalogue,” he added.
For Luttenberger, the international potential of documentaries lies in their ability to combine locally rooted stories with universally relevant themes.
“Stories need to be rooted in their place of origin. You don’t want to make generic content; you want to tell stories you know and genuinely care about. Our filmmakers and producers always bring a particular perspective, but if you tell the story in a smart way, you’ll also find universal themes that can travel the world. I think that’s the magic, especially when it comes to history documentaries,” he explained.
The Forgetting and a New Era for Tatort
Scripted content represents the second major pillar of ORF-Enterprise’s international slate, including new original productions, television movies and returning seasons of established series.
“We have a lot of fantastic ORF originals. One very exciting addition is The Forgetting, which was presented at the Munich Film Festival this summer. We also have new seasons of our established series and movie collections,” Luttenberger said.
The Forgetting (Das Vergessen – Spurlos im Moor) is a six-part crime thriller starring Julia Koschitz. It follows a police officer investigating the disappearance and murder of her niece while confronting a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The series is a coproduction between Odeon Fiction and Mona Film for ARD Degeto and ORF.
Another highlight is the farewell of Moritz Eisner and Bibi Fellner, the detectives portrayed by Harald Krassnitzer and Adele Neuhauser in the Austrian edition of Tatort. “We’re a little sad, but also very excited. The detective duo who have been the face and heart of Tatort for so many years are retiring. We’re offering their final two movies, and next year we’ll begin a new chapter with a new team,” he explained.
The new detective team will feature characters played by Laurence Rupp and Miriam Fussenegger.
Luttenberger also highlighted the commercial differences between distributing documentaries and scripted productions, particularly the higher costs and risks associated with drama.
“With scripted content, the risk can be a little higher for buyers and broadcasters. These productions cost more, and marketing them may require a different approach. Sometimes you need to explain the stories a little more, but our sales track record proves that they can travel very well,” he said.
“We’ve sold crime series to Japan and also to the United States. We have experience taking our content both east and west. If the characters are authentic and the stories deal with universal themes, scripted content can travel extremely well too,” he added.
Looking ahead to 2027, Luttenberger revealed that ORF-Enterprise will continue expanding both its scripted catalogue and its documentary offering.
“Next year, we’ll add at least one major new series, although we don’t have a release date yet. Our blue-chip documentary catalogue will also continue to grow. And we shouldn’t forget the other genres we cover: children’s content, music and performing arts. As the distribution arm of a public broadcaster, we naturally aim to offer as diverse a portfolio as possible,” he concluded.
