Mumbai: The National Film Board of Canada has announced major DVD and television distribution deals at MIPCOM in Cannes, France.

Canada’s public producer and distributor has inked an important new deal for DVD sales in the vast U.S. market, as well as agreements with private and public broadcasters around the world – including Italy’s RAI, SBS Australia, Discovery/Animal Planet cable networks in Europe and Asia as well as Turner Broadcasting in Latin America.

DVD

The NFB concluded a new DVD distribution agreement with BFS Entertainment & Multimedia Limited for 10 NFB documentaries for distribution in the U.S. Films include Under the Hood, A Voyage into the World of Torture; Confessions of an Innocent Man, the story of William Sampson, imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for a crime he did not commit, as well as documentaries exploring environmental issues like Whale Mission: Keepers of Memory, on the trail of the endangered northern right whale, and Being Caribou, where a husband-and-wife team follow a herd of caribou on an epic adventure.

Television

The Dark Years, an innovative 3-part series on life in the Depression era, combining animation, documentary and film noir was purchased by SBS Australia.

International TV highlights also include Italian public broadcaster RAI’s purchase of Up the Yangtze, a dramatic feature documentary on the impact of China’s massive Three Gorges Dam as well as HD nature documentary Four Wings and a Prayer.  Italian distributor GA&A acquired television rights to Paris 1919, a documentary based on the bestselling book by Margaret McMillan, telling the story of the Paris Peace Conference that re-made the world. Up the Yangtze was also purchased by EBS of South Korea.

Discovery/Animal Planet acquired Wild Horse Redemption for the British, Italian, German, Japanese and Taiwanese markets, while Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma, The Invisible Nation and Under the Hood: A Voyage into the World of Torture were all sold to the Al Jazeera Satellite Network. Turner Broadcasting System Latin America purchased Miracle Body, Confessions of an Innocent Man, Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma and Hannah’s Story, along with several animation titles including Jeu, Uncle Bob’s Hospital Visit, Engine 371, Paradise and Sainte Barbe. NFB animation was also in demand at Poland’s TVP, which scooped up Sleeping Betty, Uncle Bob’s Hospital Visit, and the Oscar-nominated Madame Tutli-Putli.