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Leo Barraclough International Features EditorGermany has been a source of shows for the international market for decades, but with series like “Deutschland 83” in 2015, and “Babylon Berlin” and “Dark” in 2017, the bar was raised and the sense of what constituted German drama shifted, and international buyers took note.One of them was Christian Vesper, who bought “Deutschland 83” when he was drama chief at Sundance TV. Vesper remembers that at that time it was unheard of for a U.S. channel to buy a German drama.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentFremantle Spain has tapped seasoned Spanish TV exec Fernando Jerez to oversee a new production arm En Cero Coma Producciones, dedicated to factual and documentary program production.The creation of the new label forms just part of Fremantle’s wider global strategy to grow its footprint in the high-end factual space, the company said Thursday.

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Constantin Television (We Children From Bahnhof Zoo) and UFA Fiction (Deutschland 83) are underway on new German-language drama series Eldorado KaDeWe (WT), which will be directed by Julia von Heinz, director of Germany’s 2020 Oscar entry And Tomorrow The Entire World.

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UFA, the German production giant owned by Fremantle, is doubling down on documentaries and setting up a new unit, UFA Documentary, to focus on high-end non-fiction for the German and international market. Gwendolin Szyszkowitz-Schwingel and Marc Lepetit will run UFA Documentary as co-managing directors.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentGermany’s ZDF Enterprises has acquired global distribution rights to three-part period drama “Ku’damm 63,” the third instalment in one of ZDFE’s best-selling franchises, which has been licensed to more than 30 broadcasters around the globe.Produced by UFA Fiction for German public broadcaster ZDF and made up of three 90-minute episodes, the miniseries will be presented shortly to select buyers.Set to premiere on ZDF on March 21, 22 and 24, airing

The Fire Department of New York is set to begin coronavirus vaccinations for some of its members, including EMTs and paramedics, as firefighters are expected to receive the shots on Monday.

Around half of New York City's firefighters are not inclined to take a coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available, the head of the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) told "Your World" Monday.

More than half of New York City firefighters say they won’t get a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available, per a report. Approximately 55% of 2,053 firefighters said “No” when the union, the Uniformed Firefighters Association, asked, “Will you get the COVID-19 Vaccine from Pfizer when the Department makes it available?,” according to UFA president Andy Ansbro, the New York Post reported.The responses comprise about 25% of the union’s 8,200 active members.

Variety breaks down the races.Drama Few categories sum up current trends in global TV better than drama series, which also continues to be the biggest prize at the ceremony.

Naman Ramachandran Netflix shows “Criminal U.K.” and “Delhi Crime,” UFA’s second season of “Charité,” and the second season of HBO Latin America’s “The Bronze Garden” are the nominees in the best drama category at the International Emmy Awards.Vying for best actress are Glenda Jackson for “Elizabeth is Missing,” for which she has already won a BAFTA, Yeo Yann Yann for “Invisible Stories,” Emma Bading for “Play,” and Andrea Beltrão for “Hebe.”Nominees for best actor are Billy Barratt for

Jake Kanter International TV EditorJoerg Winger, the creator of hit German drama Deutschland 83, is stepping down as managing of UFA Fiction to launch a drama label that will sit within the Fremantle-backed production company.Winger has established Big Window Productions, which will focus on bringing stories from Berlin to a global audience.

Ed Meza @edmezavarJoerg Winger, producer and co-creator of the hit three-season “Deutschland” Cold War spy series, has launched a new outfit aimed at developing, producing and distributing high-end drama formats, including English-language and international productions.Berlin-based Big Window Productions, set up between original “Deutschland” producer UFA Fiction and parent group Fremantle, will focus “on a small portfolio of extraordinary stories with high entertainment value, often inspired

Ed Meza @edmezavarGerman entertainment giant UFA is continuing its push into feature films with a slew of high-profile projects, including an upcoming Siegfried and Roy biopic and a sequel to the 2014 historical epic “The Physician,” starring Tom Payne (“Prodigal Son”).The ramp-up follows the huge box office success last year of Oscar winner Caroline Link’s “All About Me,” based on the childhood memoir of German comedian Hape Kerkeling, which became 2019’s second biggest local box-office hit

Shalini Dore Features News EditorGerman entertainment giant UFA is continuing its push into feature film with a slew of high-profile projects, including an upcoming Siegfried and Roy biopic and a sequel to the 2014 historical epic “The Physician,” starring Tom Payne (“Prodigal Son”).The ramp-up follows last year’s huge box-office success of Oscar-winner Caroline Link’s “All About Me,” based on the childhood memoir of German comedian Hape Kerkeling, which became 2019’s second biggest home-grown

By Ed Meza

UFA Fiction is partnering with actor-producer Tyron Ricketts and his Berlin-based Panthertainment to produce films and series for the global market focusing on stories from people of color.