TV Drama Screenings Festival: ZDF Enterprises

ZDF Enterprises has a broad selection on offer in the TV Drama Screenings Festival, including the crime drama ANA. all in., set in the gambling world and slated to air on RTVE in Spain.

“The global gambling market is expected to reach revenues of over $525 billion by 2023,” says Susanne Frank, director, ZDFE.drama. “The gambling industry is an attractive and international setting for a series. Even more, as the story of ANA. all in. is based on real events, it reflects the underlying drama and reveals the relevant social aspects.”

Combining crime and family drama is Standing Tall, a Publispei production for Rai. “Directed by Gianluca Maria Tavarelli (The Young Montalbano, Maltese), Standing Tall is a powerful crime series that follows a former policeman’s unofficial investigation into the death of his son, whom he hadn’t seen for years,” says Sebastian Krekeler, director, ZDFE.drama. “A painful redemption to reclaim a bond that not even death can break: a father and a son.”

Meanwhile, in Grow, produced for TV 2 Denmark, a young stockbroker, dissatisfied with his ordinary life is captivated by the murky underworld of drug dealing as he seeks out his deceased father’s past. When he faces his brother, a policeman, his two worlds collide. “Grow is about self-discovery and morale set in a captivating multi-plot story,” says Yi Qiao, director, ZDFE.drama. “It’s a story that constantly changes between a breathless thriller, deep development of character and an at times dissident reflection on what happiness is in an apathetic society. An exceptional drama with many layers, suspenseful but also thought-provoking.”

Voltaire in Love was commissioned by France Télévisions. Mirela Nastase, director, ZDFE.drama, says of the lush new production: “This ambitious historical drama captures the turbulent life of one of the world’s greatest philosophers. Voltaire’s romantic liaisons and the issues he had with his father are part of the story. His commitment against religious fanaticism, the misuse of justice and politics and his imprisonment are all covered in this powerful and dynamic miniseries.”

Also on offer is the latest installment in ZDF’s hit Ku’damm trilogy, Ku’damm 63. ZDFE.drama’s Krekeler says, “Ku’damm 63 is the latest follow-up to the highly successful Ku’damm 56 and 59. The series reached up to 6.4 million viewers and a 19.6 percent market share on ZDF in Germany and was licensed to over 30 broadcasters around the globe.”