ZDF Enterprises Presenting Varied MIPCOM Slate

ZDF Enterprises is bringing a slate packed full of programs from various genres to MIPCOM, including the company’s brand-new live-action series for young adults, Heirs of the Night.

The 26×26-minute series was selected for a World Premiere TV Screening at MIPJunior, which will take place on October 13 at 5:45 p.m. Heirs of the Night follows as the scions of Europe’s five remaining vampire clans attempt to join forces—despite their violent pasts—to defeat Dracula.

In drama, the two-parter Ottilie von Faber-Castell chronicles the life of the titular heiress to the famous office-supply empire. Set in 19th-century Germany, the series tells the story of an ambitious young woman trying to find her place in a world of men. Dead Still, meanwhile, is set in 1880s Ireland in the Victorian-era heyday of postmortem photography. It’s “a macabre comedy about the strange adventures of Blennerhasset and Molloy, Dublin’s most famed memorial photographers,” said Robert Franke, VP of ZDFE.drama. In the miniseries The Wall, two sisters and their grown-up children find themselves on different sides of the political fence in a rapidly disintegrating East Germany. It follows as a third sister, believed to have drowned years before, turns up in the West with a secret to tell on the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

From ZDF Enterprises’ unscripted department comes Great Inventions, a production of World Media Rights, Off the Fence, Doc.station and K22 Film for ZDF Enterprises. It celebrates the ways that innovative devices and technology have transformed society—from space travel to medical advancements. “In this series, we look at the successes and the failures, the brilliant ideas and some, well, not-so-brilliant,” said Ralf Rückauer, VP of ZDFE.unscripted. “This series celebrates the million ways our great inventions have transformed our world.”

With breath-taking CGI, beautiful landscape footage and some of the world’s most important astronomical artifacts, Ancient Skies looks at the cosmos through the eyes of our ancestors. “We’ll see the myriad of ways that we have observed and imagined the heavens and explain the science behind the things our ancestors sought to explain through mythology,” said Fred Burcksen, president and CEO.

“We take a journey through past visions of the heavens from all over the world, from those of our earliest ancestors to the recent past,” added Rückauer.

Last up on the factual slate is Lost Kings of Bioko, which explores an isolated island off the coast of Central Africa that’s covered in ancient rainforest ruled by one of the world’s least-known primate species, the drill. The film explores the secret lives of these animals, as well as the nesting grounds of various sea turtles and the rugged caldera.

Burcksen said: “Our objective for MIPCOM is to offer our clients successful programs; the strengthening of existing customer relationships; the acquisition of new partners and, of course, the successful launch of our new titles through first sales. We have many excellent new programs in our catalog and we are proud to present them in Cannes.”

He continued, “Our topics work internationally, whether breathtaking drama series, well-researched documentaries or high-class kids’ programs.”

Franke added: “We work with renowned producers and popular actors.”