Save the Date and Too Much Love join Rough Diamonds, Echo 3, The 11th Body, and Project Valhalla in KI’s drama series catalog.
Keshet International (KI) launches a revamped catalog for Mipcom 2024, which includes new international distribution rights for content such as Keshet 12’s romantic comedy Save the Date (Bekarov Etzli); JOJ TV’s sophisticated thriller Too Much Love; Netflix’s crime drama Rough Diamonds; Apple TV’s Echo 3; and BBC One’s crime-fighting docuseries SAS: Catching the Criminals starring Billy Billingham.
Kelly Wright, KI’s Managing Director of Distribution, says: “We are delighted to round out our most anticipated drama slate with two very different relationship dramas: romantic comedy Save The Date and European thriller Too Much Love. They join crime drama The 11th Body and mystery thriller Valhalla Project, MIP Drama Showcase finalists, and two KI-produced thrillers, Rough Diamonds and Echo 3.”
Save the Date
The most recent scripted series acquired by KI is Save the Date (Bekarov Etzli) (6×60′, format and tape), an uplifting romantic comedy created and written by Ori Gross and produced by Tedy Productions with Reisdor for Keshet 12.
When successful wedding planner Dassy suddenly finds herself single, her grandmother casts an ancient love spell to summon her one true love. But the spell goes spectacularly wrong, and Dassy finds herself being proposed to by not one but four potential suitors from her past and present, each vying for her heart. It will premiere in Israel on Keshet 12 starting following Monday, September 2.
Project Valhalla
It is a multilingual drama with English, Finnish, and Russian dialogue, starring Sara Soulié. Climate researcher Alina Railo (Soulié) travels to Finnish Lapland with an international expedition to access a parallel universe in hopes of finding a solution to the climate crisis, a parallel universe initially researched by her father, a Russian scientist who disappeared in Lapland more than 30 years ago.
Created and written by Jari Olavi Rantala (Deadwind, The Unknown Soldier) and directed and produced by Juha Wuolijoki (King of Los Angeles, Christmas Story, Vinski and the Invisibility Powder), Valhalla Project will premiere on Elisa Viihde starting October 8.
The 11th Body
In The 11th Body (7×60′, format and tape), police detective Iris Abramov (Magi Azarzar: The Sirens, False Flag) suspects foul play when yet another corpse turns up in a Haifa port medical school lab, plunging her into a deadly web of gang warfare, betrayal and buried family secrets. This stylish crime drama premiered in Israel this summer on Keshet 12 to unprecedented critical and ratings success.
Rough Diamonds
A gripping eight-part crime drama set in Antwerp’s iconic diamond district that masterfully intertwines themes of family, tradition, and modernity, along with the need to protect your legacy at all costs. This eight-episode drama reached the No. 5 spot among Netflix’s Top 10 TV shows worldwide and No. 3 among non-English language Netflix shows (April 2023).
Echo 3
A sweeping cinematic thriller set in South America – created and directed by two-time Academy Award winner Mark Boal – that centers on kidnapped scientist Amber (Jessica Ann Collins) and the personal mission undertaken by her military-trained brother (Luke Evans) and husband (Michiel Huisman) to bring her home.
Too Much Love
KI has also acquired Piknik Pictures’ 8×60 adaptation Too Much Love (L’homme qui aimait trop), a sophisticated and sensual sentimental thriller with a twist, having licensed the Canadian format from Duo Productions to the Slovakian production company last year.
As a man lies unconscious in a hospital bed after a near-fatal car accident, his two spouses, his children and his lover meet for the first time, shocking them all with a new reality: his life with this man was a lie. Produced for free-to-air network TV JOJ, Too Much Love will premiere in Slovakia in September, with international sales to be announced soon.
Conflict
KI’s scripted slate is rounded out by Conflict (6×60′, format and tape), one of the most anticipated dramas in the 2024 London TV Screenings previews. Described by K7 as “heart-stopping,” Conflict, from Backmann & Hoderhoff and XYZ Films, is a multilingual English-language military and political thriller set during a surprise attack on a neutral country by an unidentified enemy intent on provoking a major conflict.
Directed by multi-award winning filmmaker Aku Louhimies (Unknown Soldier). Conflict will premiere in November on MTV Finland.
SAS: Catching the Criminals
Global content production and distribution company has acquired Double Act’s SAS: Catching the Criminals (10×60′, format and tape), an action-packed series that breaks new ground in the world of law enforcement docuseries. Former SAS chief Billy Billingham works alongside national and local law enforcement to deploy covert intelligence, surveillance and disruption tactics against British criminals.
This all-access docuseries highlights the impact of street crimes such as money laundering, vehicle theft, people smuggling, and drug-related crime while showing how local law enforcement and communities work together to make their streets safer. SAS: Catching the Criminals will premiere on BBC One this fall.
Catch Me If You Can
Woodcut Media’s Catch Me If You Can (10×60′) is a gripping true crime docuseries that delves into the chilling world of killers who evade capture while taunting their victims’ families and law enforcement until they are finally brought to justice.
Hitler’s Treasure Hunters
Perpetual Entertainment’s Hitler’s Treasure Hunters (6×60′) tells the stories of the many treasures and religious relics sought by the Nazi SS, including the Holy Grail and Thor’s hammer, to win the war for Germany and prove Aryan supremacy. This docuseries has been commissioned to coincide with the 80th anniversary of Hitler’s death and the end of World War II in 2025.
Factual Series
KI’s other new factual series at Mipcom include the pre-sale of SandStone Global’s ancient history documentary series Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (6×60′ format and tape) hosted by award-winning historian and presenter Professor Bettany Hughes OBE; the ninth season of Woodcut Media’s true-crime docuseries World’s Most Evil Killers (20×60′); and the eighth season of Crackit Productions’ Trucking Hell (20×60′), which follows the daily expeditions of a British family-owned road rescue company.
KI’s sales team will also talk to clients about five factual programs that have gone through the Greenlight initiative: KI’s Factual & Formats—Woodcut Media’s Hotel Horrors and Captive Calls, Yeti Productions’ Secret Royal Homes, Flicker Productions’ Million Dollar Alien Hunters, Hello Mary’s Subterranean Secrets—and Ritual Arts’ Earthbound, which are currently in active development.
Dear Neighbors
Kelly Wright adds, “Following Hallmark+’s recent order to Keshet Studios for a U.S. adaptation of Dear Neighbors, this Mipcom, we reboot one of my favorite feel-good relationship formats.”
In Dear Neighbors, Keshet Broadcasting’s International Emmy®-nominated dating format, parents, disheartened by their children’s preoccupation with their big-city careers, enlist their small-town neighbors to find local matches for their son or daughter.
Highlighting generational and rural-urban differences, Dear Neighbors bridges generational and rural-urban gaps to unite families and neighbors in a fun and enjoyable dating format. This heartwarming format is being adapted in the U.S. by Keshet Studios for Hallmark+ as Small Town Setup with Ashley Williams as host (watch here).
With a well-placed booth in Riviera 7 (R7:K22), KI returns to Cannes with its largest delegation since 2019 and a fall slate packed with exciting entertainment.
