EXCLUSIVE: U.S. management and production house Anonymous Content is teaming up with Euro firm Federation Entertainment to launch France-based TV label Anonymous/Federation.
The company is the latest joint venture between True Detective and Bad Robot producer Anonymous and an international firm, joining AC Nordic, AC Brazil and Chapter One in the UK as part of the company’s global expansion.
Development and production label Anonymous/Federation will be overseen by Dawn Olmstead and David Levine on behalf of Anonymous Content, and by Pascal Breton, Lionel Uzan and Patrick Wachsberger on behalf of The Bureau (pictured), Bad Banks and Around The World In 80 Days outfit Federation.
The MD of the newly created company, which will make content for the French and global markets, is to be announced soon.
Meanwhile, the first project for the label has been set as The Abduction of Yossele Schumacher, a limited series thriller based on a true story, from writer Moshe Zonder (Tehran) and filmmaker Eran Riklis (Lemon Tree).
The drama is based on the true story from the 1960s in which the abduction of an eight-year-old Jewish boy — Yossele Schumacher — by his ultra-Orthodox grandfather leads three women to clash over his fate and faith, and to a fierce conflict between the Israeli Mossad and the Orthodox community. The story begins in Jerusalem and continues through France, Germany, Britain, and Belgium, before finally coming to its dramatic denouement in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.
Lemon Tree and The Syrian Bride director Riklis will direct the series, which he created and wrote with Tehran co-creator and Fauda writer Moshe Zonder.
The English, French, Yiddish, and Hebrew-language project is a co-production between Anonymous Content, Federation, United King Films, Topia Communications, and Eran Riklis Productions. Anonymous Content CEO, Dawn Olmstead, David Levine, and Ryan Schwartz will oversee the project on behalf of Anonymous Content. United King Films owner, Moshe Edery, Topia Communications owner, Michael Sharfshtein, and Eran Riklis will oversee on behalf of the Israeli partners.
As we revealed last week, fast-growing Federation is also getting further into the American market by launching an LA-based management and production company. Meanwhile, David Tennant starrer Around The World In 80 Days was today re-upped for a second season.
“Federation’s impeccable reputation, deep roots in the European marketplace and exquisite taste makes us incredibly excited to partner with them in France,“ said Anonymous Content CEO Dawn Olmstead about the new label.
“Anonymous/Federation will allow us to expand our diverse storytelling and content creation whilst creating more global opportunities for the talent we represent. We are thrilled to kickstart this partnership with a riveting series that examines the intersection of family and faith.”
Commented Pascal Breton, President of Federation Entertainment: “We at Federation are immensely proud of our new joint company with Anonymous Content focusing on creating major French series with international appeal, created by top French filmmakers and showrunners. We’re also excited to increase our capacity to finance and produce major English-language European series with budgets comparable to major US series.
“As we’ve seen in the past, the future belongs to creators, and we hope to see the highly talented showrunners and directors represented by Anonymous Content come to France and Europe to film their shows, and conversely that many of the French and European talent associated with Federation will want to share their projects with the extraordinary creative talents of the Anonymous Content teams.”
“I am very excited to be a part of this new chapter in my long relation with Anonymous Content with my partners at Federation,’’ added Patrick Wachsberger president of Picture Perfect Federation.
Riklis and Zonder said of the new series: “This incredible story was part of our childhood, taking us kids, and our parents, into a thrilling world of intrigue and emotion. This real-life thriller unfolded in front of us on the radio, in the press, in the weekly news reels at the cinema and over dinner at every house across the country – secular or orthodox. We embarked on a global journey as we followed Yossele’s trials and tribulations across Europe and the US. This story is about pain, love, parenthood, loss, faith, fanaticism and about secrets and lies on so many levels. We all feel extremely lucky to be the ones to bring this emotional and thrilling story to a global audience.”
Zonder is represented by Lenore Entertainment Group and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham.