yes Studios Rolls Out First Feature Documentary

Israel’s yes Studios has moved into the factual space with the launch of its first feature documentary, 44 Hours.

About the rare condition known as locked-in syndrome, 44 Hours follows the story of Gil Avni, a healthy 33-year-old father of two who is rushed to the hospital after suddenly becoming ill. His family says their goodbyes after he is pronounced brain-dead and given only a few hours to live, but 44 hours later, he wakes up and recounts every minute of the experience.

The 83-minute film features interviews with a fully recovered Avni, his family and the medics who cared for him. It was produced by yes Docu and Einat-Emma Shamir and co-produced with Neue Celluloid Fabrik Filmproduktion and SWR, in co-operation with ARTE. yes Studios is handling worldwide distribution and will bring 44 Hours to MIPTV in April.

“yes Studios’ scripted programming has been successful worldwide as we always seek out great stories with universal appeal,” said Sharon Levi, managing director at yes Studios. “We are now evolving our business to incorporate premium factual programming; whether produced for yes TV, co-produced by us or from producers worldwide, our factual focus will be on presenting buyers with the most compelling, thought-provoking and surprising stories we can find.

“We could not be more delighted to announce this strategy with the launch of such a powerful, moving and ultimately uplifting title as 44 Hours—a film which immediately generated strong co-production interest from our partners ARTE in France and SWR in Germany. There is lots to learn from Gil’s experience and, as a result, even more to debate around the treatment and understanding of coma patients. Our hope is that this film extends the conversation around the world.”