Blue Ant International Presenting 330 New Hours at MIPCOM

Blue Ant International is set to unveil a diverse slate at MIPCOM, packed with 330 hours of new content, including four documentary titles from Handel Productions.

Blue Ant International has recently taken over all distribution activities for Handel’s more than 30-production-strong library. The four Handel co-productions that the company will present at MIPCOM are Who Sank the Titanic, which uses CGI to explore the engineering flaws and unlucky circumstances that led to the ship’s demise; Inside the Titanic, which tells the Titanic’s chilling story from a unique point of view—that of the icy waters; Naked Science, which digs deep into scientific subjects and mysteries; and Last Day of the Dinosaurs, which gives viewers a fully immersive look at the dinosaur apocalypse, from mega-tsunamis to nuclear winters.

Other high-impact documentary highlights include Witches of Salem, which revisits the real-life drama of the Salem Witch Trials, which occurred in America in 1692 and 1693, drawing on historical documents to bring the infamous event to life. Cheating Hitler: Surviving the Last Holocaust tells the tale of history’s most terrifying real-life witch hunt and features the moving narrative of three Holocaust survivors who travel back to the killing sites and hiding places of their childhood in search of clues to their past.

The seven new series available in the factual-entertainment category include three chilling crime series: The Killer in My Family, a gripping series that explores the lives of killers through the lens of their family members; Our Toughest Cases, which explores criminal cases that devastated communities, defined careers and took their toll on even the most experienced officers; and Fraud Squad: The Hunt, a series that follows investigators trying to nab criminals who steal from the U.K.’s public purse. All three titles highlight the distributor’s growing partnerships with premium U.K. production companies such as Woodcut Media and Brown Bob Productions.

Other factual highlights include Unboxed, which sees celebrity designer Nikki Chu transform homeowners dated digs from drab to fab; Expat, an insider look at the highs and lows of living abroad; Old School for Lazy Kids, a social experiment in which several teens live with senior citizens; and season two of Sarah Off the Grid, which sees celebrity designer Sarah Richardson build an eco-friendly dream home with her family.

Blue Ant International’s specialist-factual category also includes several new blue-chip series. Animal behavior is the focus of three series, including Big Cat Country, in which a wildlife camera crew follows three lion prides as they collide in the heart of Zambia’s Luangwa Valley; Gangs of Lemur Island, which follows four warring troops of ring-tailed lemurs in the fast-changing, unique world of Madagascar; and Animals at Play, a series that uncovers the fun secrets as to why animals play.

Animal rescue is the predominant theme in two new specialist-factual series: the returning Orangutan Jungle School, which follows the antics, triumphs and tragedies of a group of orphaned orangutans as they progress through a unique forest school; and Wildlife Rescue New Zealand, which goes behind the scenes of a wildlife rescue hospital.

Also in the specialist-factual category are America’s Wild Seasons, which tells the dramatic stories of survival amid the tapestry of North America’s four seasons; and Deep Atlantic, a two-parter that reveals never-before-filmed life 3,000 meters below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

Blue Ant International has also added a new scripted, adult animated series to its slate. Based on an illustrated book series of the same name, Bigfoot, which stars comedian K. Trevor Wilson, follows the exploits of the self-proclaimed “King of the Forest” as he negotiates difficult relationships with the human and animal world, his complicated past and his ongoing struggles with self-identity.

Blue Ant International has also added three new kids’ series to its offering: News of the Wild II, the kid-hosted current events program; Kids Cookout, in which kids cook dishes that are important to their heritage; and the animated series Jelly Jamm, which follows Bello and friends on musical journeys.

The Killer in My Family, Witches of Salem and Big Cat Country are all being highlighted by Blue Ant International for its MIPCOM slate. These three series “are universally appealing, and the genres are all timeless in terms of being evergreen content,” said Solange Attwood, executive VP of Blue Ant International. “Witches of Salem, in particular, taps into the cultural zeitgeist by exploring themes of mass hysteria and the impact on those most marginalized.”

She added, “Blue Ant International offers a full-service, boutique approach to our production partners.”