Netflix Sets Racing Champion Michael Schumacher Documentary – Global Bulletin

STREAMING

“Schumacher,” a documentary on champion German Formula 1 racing driver Michael Schumacher, will stream on Netflix from Sept. 15. The film follows his journey from his humble beginnings to the top of Formula 1 where he dominated with seven world championship titles and a total of 91 victories.

In addition to his father and his brother Ralf, Schumacher’s wife Corinna and his two children Gina and Mick, by now a Formula 1 driver himself, speak openly for the first time, as do his closest peers and competitors. Among them are Jean Todt, Bernie Ecclestone, Sebastian Vettel, Mika Häkkinen, Damon Hill, Flavio Briatore, David Coulthard, Willi Weber, Luca di Montezemolo, Piero Ferrari, his manager Sabine Kehm.

Benjamin Seikel and Vanessa Nöcker from B|14 FILM GmbH produced “Schumacher”. Hanns-Bruno Kammertöns, Vanessa Nöcker and Michael Wech directed the film.

London based Rocket Science is representing sales and distribution of the film worldwide and facilitated the partnership with Netflix.

Kai Finke, Director, EMEA TV licensing Netflix, said: “This deeply personal portrait of Michael Schumacher will inspire and touch his fans that followed his career, and introduce this iconic personality to our members worldwide who may not be familiar with the star’s huge Formula 1 accolades.

SALES

“Midas Man,” a biopic of The Beatles manager Brian Epstein to be directed by Jonas Åkerlund (“Lords of Chaos”) and starring Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (“The Queen’s Gambit”) has sold to a raft of territories.

Following buzz at the virtual Cannes market, Mister Smith Entertainment has sold to Transmission Films in Australia/NZ, ACME in the Baltics, WW Entertainment in Benelux, Exponenta in CIS, Blitz in Ex-Yugoslavia, Metropolitan in France, Eagle Pictures in Italy, Monolith Films in Poland, NOS Lusomundo in Portugal, Mislabel in Scandinavia, Tripictures in Spain, and Ascot Elite in Switzerland.

Signature Entertainment has acquired rights for the U.K. and Ireland. The deal was negotiated by Signature’s director of acquisitions and development Elizabeth Williams and Mister Smith’s David Garrett.

Epstein discovered a series of legendary artists, from The Beatles to Cilla Black and Gerry and The Pacemakers in the 1960s. “Midas Man” will explore his dazzling and tumultuous life which saw him shoot to fame at the tender age of 25 but ended in tragedy at the age of 32.

The film, based on a story by Brigit Grant (“Red Top”) with a screenplay by Jonathan Wakeham (“Misanthrope”), is produced by Kevin Proctor and Perry Travers at StudioPOW (“Funny Cow”) and Trevor Beattie and Jeremy Chatterton at Trevor Beattie Films (“Moon”), in association with Er Dong Pictures who will also be distributing the film in Greater China.

SERIES

Filming for YouTube Originals series “Seat at the Table,” documentary maker and climate activist Jack Harries sets off on Friday on a 100-day low-carbon journey from the Southern tip of the U.K. before ending in November in Glasgow at the COP26 global climate change meeting. The trip will culminate with his mission to present a film featuring underrepresented young people around the world sharing their hopes and realities from the front lines of climate change to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other world leaders.

Harries will begin his journey by interviewing David Attenborough about climate change and the great threat that it poses to our planet. On each leg of his journey, Jack will meet experts and speak to young people from around the globe who are experiencing the impacts of climate change, some of whom are developing innovative solutions.

Along his journey he will be connecting with young climate change allies in Thailand, India, Africa, Morocco, and Greenland to hear about their similar experiences.

DISTRIBUTION

Wiser Films, the U.K. based independent production company founded by Tasneem Brooker and Jim Wiseman, has set a distribution deal with distributor Bohemia Media for U.K. film, TV and theatrical rights on its upcoming feature documentary “When We Speak,” directed by Brooker.

Bohemia Media is a London based production and distribution company launched by Phil Hunt, MD of Bankside Films and Head Gear Films, focusing on projects made by under-represented groups. Bohemia is planning a U.K. limited window release later this year.

“When We Speak” tells the story of three women at the centre of high-profile exposés, including Hollywood actress Rose McGowan who lifted the lid on Harvey Weinstein, Intelligence officer Katharine Gunn (portrayed by Kiera Knightly in 2019 film “Official Secrets:) who leaked confidential documents relating to the Iraq war and ex Oxfam manager Helen Evans who uncovered the scale of the sex for aid scandal within the charity sector.

REDESIGN

Venerable British Film Institute magazine Sight and Sound, launched in 1932, has unveiled a new-look and editorial approach, featuring new contributors and sections, greater access to the magazine’s unique archive interviews, a quarterly collaboration with seminal 90s publication Black Film Bulletin and a redesign realizing the vision of editor in chief Mike Williams.

Developed in collaboration with design agency Pentagram, the redesigned magazine gives Sight and Sound a new visual identity with a nod to its heritage. Popular regular features such as Dream Palaces are joined by new features looking at soundtracks and poster art alongside in-depth articles and reviews. New regular columnists Pamela Hutchinson, Jonathan Ross and Phuong Le will be joined by a guest columnist in the Director’s Chair, the first of which is Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund.

The September issue is themed “The Future of Film” and features four filmmaker cover stars: Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”), Steve McQueen (“Small Axe”), Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation”) and Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me By Your Name”).

Alongside the cover stars, filmmakers including Guillermo del Toro, Claudia Weill, Prano Bailey-Bond, Armando Iannucci, Edgar Wright, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Dea Kulumbegashvili and Alice Rohrwacher reflect on their hopes and fears for cinema and wider screen culture.