WildBear reveals MIPCOM slate
September 26, 2022
WildBear International, the fledgling distribution arm of WildBear Entertainment, one of Australia’s leading producers of factual programming, has revealed its slate of new shows for MIPCOM, featuring observational documentary, history, and wildlife titles.
Gem Hunters Down Under (6 x 60) is a new observational documentary series that takes audiences on a wild ride into the remarkable world of the sapphire hunters of Central Queensland. The series follows the quest of five gem hunter crews as they face extreme weather, intense danger, mega machines and risky adventures – all set against incredible natural landscapes.
The World War: 1914-1945 (6 x 60) is an original and dramatic series that views the most violent and significant episodes in modern history from a fresh perspective – not as two world wars, but as a continuous narrative of error, ambition, revolution and courage. An expert re-examination of history forms links and conclusions that tie the entire war period together and, with the benefit of hindsight, pieces together how the world went and stayed at war for so much of the 20th century.
The Bomber: Terror of World War II (6 x 60) tells the definitive history of the bomber – the airborne weapon that changed not only the battlefield but also war itself. It became a potent symbol of modern warfare and gave rise to many defining images of the time, such as the razed city of Dresden and the mushroom cloud.
The 100 Days (6 x 60) tells stories of the origins and the consequences of significant events – such as the Suez Crisis, the assassination of Martin Luther King, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall – and the 100 days that give each context, revealing unexpected aspects of some of the pivotal moments of modern history.
Nature’s Mass Attacks (2 x 60) follows the world’s best pack hunters as they cooperate to take down prey – from the iconic grey wolf to the surprising collaboration between humans and dolphins, these are predators at their most inventive and cunning. Nature’s Fast Attacks (2 x 60) features heart-stopping footage from nature capturing the lightning-fast moves used to ambush prey and the equally rapid escape tactics used by some animals in the terrifying moments between life and death.
Extreme Snakes (2 x 60) explores the innovative and highly flexible ways snakes survive in the extreme environments of Australia and Africa. Along the way, we examine the longest, strongest, heaviest, deadliest, and most venomous snakes across the two continents that shaped them.
Finally, Demolition Down Under S4 (6 x 60) returns for a new series of danger, drama and destruction, making 24 episodes in total, and the stories are bigger than ever. Cameras follow elite crews onto derelict and hazardous sites and into the rubble as these highly skilled, experienced professionals tackle nail-biting demolition projects within tight deadlines.
All new programming has been produced by WildBear Entertainment and will be sold through WildBear International’s European-based sales team, comprising Edwina Thring and Margaret Yoshida of agents Wild Thring Media.
Michael Tear, CEO of WildBear Entertainment and WildBear International, says: “Our new slate perfectly illustrates the strengths of WildBear. We have a long heritage of producing beautifully crafted natural history programming and telling rich new stories from our recent past by carefully and creatively mining archive materials. More recently, we have grown a reputation for capturing extraordinary characters undertaking incredible jobs in Australia, producing local stories that resonate globally. Having already secured international commissions and pre-sales partners for many of these titles, we are now excited to be bringing the slate to MIPCOM and look forward to meeting face-to-face with buyers in Cannes.”