BossaNova & Factual Factory Pact for Ever Given Doc

BossaNova has partnered with Factual Factory, part of the Satisfaction Group in France, on a quick-turnaround documentary about the recent disastrous cargo ship mishap in the Suez Canal.

Stuck in the Suez, Dredging a Supersize Cargo Ship investigates the origins of the chaos that ensued when the Ever Given, one of the world’s largest cargo ships transporting 20,000 containers through one of the most critical waterways on the planet, was hit by a strong sandstorm. The documentary was ordered by RMC Networks and is executive produced by Rodolphe Guignard, with BossaNova taking worldwide distribution rights.

With the Ever Given blocking the canal, much of the world’s global trade was brought to a halt, with hundreds of ships backed up on either side creating a logjam with a daily price tag of $10 billion. Stuck in the Suez, Dredging a Supersize Cargo Ship chronicles the dramatic rescue with archival footage, CGI and interviews with those who were on the front lines and how an innovative combination of technology and brute force ultimately saved the day.

Rodolphe Guignard, global head of factual documentaries at Factual Factory, said: “Being reactive to current affairs and providing viewers with a profound insight into major events is an essential value. The relationship of trust built with Paul over the years and the expertise of his team at BossaNova allows us to be ambitious and to deliver premium quality content in record time.”

Paul Heaney, co-founder and CEO of BossaNova, said: “Stuck in the Suez is exactly the type of project BossaNova was created for—to be able to tell the important stories of our time to global audiences in a way that is flexible, creative and collaborative. Rodolphe has huge editorial and business expertise in facilitating co-productions from his time at RMC and has always been integral to our Development Day initiatives; in fact, RMC was the first channel to take part. We are able to work closely together to tell this historically crucial tale to the rest of the world.”