ZDF Enterprises, long time German partner to Scandinavian producers, has restructured the organisation of its operative business and added SVT's series Death of a Pilgrim (pictured) to its international distribution slate.
ZDF Enterprises has now four divisions that are responsible for a specific genre and manage international projects, from the securing of rights to sales and distribution. The four divisions are ZDFE.junior (Children and Youth Programmes) headed by Peter Lang; ZDFE.drama (Series and TV Movies) headed by Tasja Abel; ZDFE.factual (documentaries) headed by Ralf Rueckauer, and ZDFE.entertainment (Show, Music and Sports) headed by Sylvia Brucker. Since early 2013, Volker Lehmann is Head of Acquisition and Co-productions for ZDF, responsible for the acquisition of international feature films, documentaries, children's programs and TV series while Fred Burchsen has been promoted from Vice President Sales, Merchandising and Co-productions to COO. He will work hand in hand with ZDF Enterprises' CFO Stephan Adrian and CEO and President Alexander Coridass.
ZDF Enterprises has a strong Scandinavian Crime Collection including high profile series such as Dicte, Arne Dahl, The Bridge and The Killing. The company's latest pick up for international distribution (outside Scandinavia) is SVT's Death of a Pilgrim supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond. The Olof Palme crime series starring Rolf Lassgård premiered on SVT1 on January 13, reaching over 1.8 million viewers and a viewer share of 50%. The series will also air on co-production broadcasters DR, NRK and YLE.