ZDFE Reveals MIPTV Highlights Across Kids’, Factual & Drama Genres

ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE) is set to showcase titles in Cannes across multiple genres, including kids’ content, factual programs and dramas, with highlights such as The Worst Witch, The Greatest Race, Victor Lessard and more.

From the ZDFE.junior catalog comes The Worst Witch, the story of Mildred Hubble in the magical world of Cackle’s Academy. Not only is Hubble the worst witch in school, but she is also constantly battling fellow sorceresses and landing herself in precarious situations. Another live-action highlight is the series #Like Me, which explores the challenges of Caro, a young girl who has to settle in a new city after her mother is stricken with a serious illness. ZDFE.junior is also presenting the animated series Bobo, a preschool series about the everyday adventures of a dormouse.

The Greatest Race, a ZDFE.unscripted series that follows the rise of young charioteer Scorpus, gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the chariot races of ancient Rome. At the heart of the show “are the elaborately reconstructed and reenacted races that are coupled with documentary segments, giving viewers incredibly rich, new insights into the highly influential Roman society,” says ZDF Enterprises’ president and CEO, Fred Burcksen. “This documentary gives viewers incredibly rich, new insights,” adds Ralf Rückauer, VP of ZDFE.unscripted at ZDF Enterprises.

From the science and knowledge subgenre, Planet of Volcanoes takes viewers on an expedition to one of the world’s most active lava lakes. “We want to find lifeforms living inside the volcano that can tell us more about the origins of life on Earth as well as the likelihood of finding life elsewhere in our universe,” says Rückauer.

Meanwhile, Just Animals celebrates the world’s wildlife. Rückauer calls it “a visual feast, which tours the globe and intrigues, surprises and enthralls audiences.”

The search series Crime Watch XY is a format that ZDFE.unscripted will have on offer at MIPTV that has proven successful for German television.

“The impressive list of partners on each of these productions alone is proof of their international appeal,” adds Rückauer.

On the ZDFE.drama slate, crime drama Victor Lessard is an adaptation of the best-selling novels by Martin Michaud. “Victor Lessard is a dramatic crime series that tackles identity issues, recovering memory loss and a need for recognition,” says Burcksen.

Robert Franke, VP of ZDFE.drama at ZDF Enterprises, says Victor Lessard “leaves no emotion unturned as it tells the story of a driven detective and his pursuit of the evil behind unspeakable crimes.”

From the creators of Narcos comes Wild District, which blends action and drama to tell the story of a man who escapes the Colombian armed conflict and must now learn the ways of the concrete jungle. It was produced as a Netflix original.

There’s a mystery at the center of Beyond Appearances, a six-parter that follows the disappearance of a famous actress’s twin and the long-buried family secrets that are revealed.

“All three of these series have already proven their strong international potential,” says Franke.

Other drama series include the three-part Bella Germania, a German-Italian family cross-generational epic that draws an arc from the first Italian guest workers in Germany of the 1960s to today; and The Best Things in Life, in which Golden Camera winner Jürgen Vogel plays a father of three who faces the challenges of everyday life alongside his wife and children during a particularly troubling time. There’s also Queens of Mystery, a humorous series about three sisters and their niece uncovering mysterious murders.

Burcksen said: “ZDF Enterprises is once again bringing a colorful variety of programs to MIPTV. We always strive to acquire, co-produce and sell the best programs in the world. We look forward to presenting our latest highlights in Cannes to our partners.”