80TH ANNIVERSARY:

• 4K • 2K • HD • AVIATION & WORLD WAR • DOCS • SERIES •

www.espressomedia.co.uk | [email protected] +44 (0) 1273 730929 ANNIVERSARIES

BATTLE OF BRITAIN: 5 DAYS THAT SAVED A COUNTRY - NEW STATUS: IN PRODUCTION - DELIVERY AUGUST 2020 1 x 52’ 4K / HD

2020 marks the 80th anniversary of the - the turning point of WWII. The makers of the UKTV and Channel 4 VE Day films, Coleman TV highlight the key moments that changed the course of war and the future of Europe.

The five key dates are: the RAF inadvertently bombing German civilians, leading Hitler to bomb , instead of attacking RAF airfields. A week of good old English weather worked in the RAFs favour allow them to re equip and rest. Then, Beatrice Shilling’s experiment with a brass washer into the Spifire’s fuel supply, enabling it to dive on enemy aircraft without the engine failing - transforming the aircraft mid battle. On 15.09.1940 - Hitler thought he had won, but forces re-armed and rested shot down 56 German fighters, persuading Hitler & Goring that the attrition rate was too high to continue. Lastly, we cover the introduction of the ‘dowding system’ - female radar operators guiding RAF with ground reserves operating ‘real race’ attacks.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN: ALLIES IN THE AIR - NEW STATUS: IN PRODUCTION - DELIVERY AUGUST 2020 1 x 52’ 4K / HD

For decades, the sky battles of the summer of 1940 have been eulogised as a fight between good and evil, fought out between Messerschmitts, Spitfires and Hurricanes. The reality of this titanic fighter and bomber struggle was rather more blood, sweat and oil than heroic gestures.

14,000 British civilians perished in the struggle, alongside almost 5000 aircrew on both sides. This was a conflict on multiple aerial platforms, crewed by a whole range of nationalities with a diverse set of skills. Unlikely, underpowered and under performing aircraft were pushed into action, fuelling the issues of fatigue, mechanical failure, and chronic tactical miscalculation on both sides that took a bloody toll on the airmen of a whole generation. Using newly discovered archive recordings, rare footage, and unprecedented access to many of the surviving aircraft types, explore the remarkable nations that made the RAF squadrons. We visit some of the key sites, both on the ground and in the air, speak and fly with the pilots of the combatant types today. Lining up against the Aces of the day were not just British pilots, but Australians, New Zealanders, Polish, Czech and even pilots from the Caribbean, combined in this anniversary piece to tell the story of “’’.

- 1 - ANNIVERSARIES

VE DAY: WORLD’S BIGGEST PARTY - NEW

1 x 46’ HD

Made for Channel 4 by Coleman TV - title for UK was “VE Day In Colour: Britain’s Biggest Party“, with 1.2m+ viewers in a peak time-slot, the highest share of the day.

We have become strikingly familiar with the isolation and restrictions faced in WWII – in a worldwide lockdown of unprecedented levels. VE Day 2020 marks 75 years since a moment of unity, when the world celebrated the announcement of Victory in Europe, and the end of war. In commemoration of this momentous day, this colour film relives a time when peace was declared, and the joyous celebrations that followed.

Across Europe and the USA, people of every walk of life were united in relief and gratitude after six long years of darkness and despair, and the celebrations that followed. The idea that we learn best from the past is shown to be true in this heart- warming story of a nation battling against a seemingly unsurmountable, and often invisible foe. Using newly recorded accounts and extensive rare (often previously unseen) archive, World’s Biggest Party tells the story of the day in May 1945, when the fighting finally stopped across Europe and the celebrations began as the country rejoiced in unity. We cover the UK, France, Russia, the USA and more. Most intriguing though are not the familiar words of victory from Churchill, or the balcony scenes of the Royal Family in front of the celebrating multitudes, but the stories, often from a child’s perspective, now almost faded in the minds of these youngest eye witnesses, and captured here for perhaps the final time. We hear the stories of ordinary folk, with breath-taking colour archive, as they all celebrated in their own way. Painstakingly researched and assembled, with contemporary accounts, newly researched material from social historians, and brand new content from those who live through the day and are now beyond 90 years of age, VE Day: World’s Biggest Party is a timely reminder that we are often at our best in adversity.

VE DAY: COUNTDOWN TO PEACE - NEW

1 x 45’ HD 2020 marks 75 years since the world celebrated Victory in Europe. Made for UKTV, relive the last key days and events of the final moments leading to Victory, including memories of those who were there, in colour. VE Day was celebrated across the world, and this film aims to show the final steps on all sides, including Hitler’s death, POW marches to freedom, the lesser-known story of the UK accidentally bombing Cap. Arcona, which held 4500 concentration camp survivors and much more.

Archive footage, restored and in full colour, sits alongside newly recorded interviews with those who lived through this momentous time, to compact the key events in a dramatic style, walking through a countdown of the timeline that changed the world.

The streets of , London and New York sit alongside areas that were still under partial occupation, as well as the moments of liberation and freedom. This film sensitively recaptures the hope for free nations into what Churchill described as ‘The broad, sunlit uplands’, with a timeline across Europe in the final week leading up to VE Day, 1945 - the last chance to hear direct recollections of this turning point in history.

- 2 - AVIATION

FLYING DREAMS: WOMEN AIRFORCE PILOTS OF WWII 1 x 52’ HD 25,000 women volunteered as WASP, handling fighters and the heaviest bombers but were disbanded in 1944. There were no honours. Their contributions to WWII were hidden for decades, but they fought for recognition 66 years later. WASP interviews and footage of restored WWII aircrafts with archive inspires viewers with this remarkable true story.

THE LANCASTER AT WAR 1 x 47’ HD The Avro Lancaster has been described as the outstanding bomber of WWII. When Hitler’s armies had spread the Nazi empire, the bombers were the only means of carrying the offence to the Nazi heartland. This film documents the Lancaster’s history, from the destruction of Hamburg to the missions throughout occupied territory.

THE LAST OF THE FEW 1 x 47’ HD* Memorial Flight prepares for its 50th commemorative flight with a top display. As Spitfires, Lancasters and Hurricanes undergo maintenance, new footage, archive and interviews with personnel reveal their passion for the planes. Veterans describe the reality of battle. Airing: UK, Russia, Saudi Arabia, AUS, Poland.

NANCY CORRIGAN: SKY BLAZER 1 x 52 HD’ At 19, Nancy took flying lessons. In 1932 she broke a solo flight world record and hit the headlines. The film includes unique footage of Nancy competing in air races, before she was headhunted by Kansas University as the first woman to head their aviation department. Across her career, Nancy got nearly every aviation certificate.

THAT’S ALL, BROTHER 3 x 52’ / 1 x 90’ 4K / HD 1944: a C-47 nicknamed That’s All, Brother left to drop Allied men into Normandy. Post war she disappeared. The leader of the invasion was destroyed, broken for parts, or melted. A chance discovery led a race to save the aircraft, after standing in a scrapyard for decades. Airing in Germany, Australia, France and the UK.

SPITFIRE: BIRTH OF A LEGEND 1 x 47’ HD* To this day, the Spitfire remains in our minds as the that saved Britain from invasion and defeat. Spitfire tells the story of this legendary aircraft that became the symbol of Britain’s determination to fight on to victory. Airing in France, Canada, Australia and UK, Israel, USA, Czech Republic and Poland.

- 3 - AVIATION

SKYDANCERS: QUEENS OF THE SKY 1 x 50’ HD Airing on Red Bull and Netflix, this beautifully shot documentary follows eight female pilots, as they entered the toughest aerobatic competition on the planet - the 27th World Aerobatics Championship. Often called ‘Skydancers’, they rivaled renowned male pilots as they headed into the clouds to pursue their dreams, each considered groundbreaking pioneers in aviation and extreme sports. RESTORATION:

BRISTOL SCOUT: REBUILDING HISTORY 1 x 52’ HD A 14-year journey of discovery and reconstruction that begins with two grandsons finding aviation artefacts and rebuilding the Bristol Scout aircraft, to the original specifications, seeking the original plans, using old techniques of construction. Discover how early aviators learned the art of flying as they take to the air over the battle grounds of Greece, where their grandfather served. Airing on Foxtel.

GAINING ALTITUDE: THE MOSQUITO REBORN 1 x 90’ / 1 x 60’ HD The incredible story of a dedicated team who restore a plane that hasn’t flown in 50 years. The Mosquito achieved legendary status in 1940, when it became the fastest aircraft on the planet and a crucial tool in winning WWII. But due to its wooden construction, nearly all have decayed - it’s now one of the rarest planes in the world. Airs on Canal + Poland, Foxtel and DR TV.

PLANE RESURRECTION: SERIES 3 & 4 - NEW 2 series of 12 available OR total of: 24 x 60’ HD / 4K As seen on PBS & Netflix, this Royal Television Society Award-nominated documentary series returns with seasons 3 and 4 - larger than life & looking at some high-adrenaline planes. With unique access to these ‘birds’ and their restorers on land and in the air, this is a ground-breaking co-operation with the world’s largest collection of flying warbirds - and how they’ve stayed in the air 70 years beyond retirement.

RESURRECTING A LEGEND 1 x 90’ 4K / HD This’ films follows a mission across 3 years of production - the incredible story of an iconic US plane, its detailed reconstruction and the engineering challenges found along the way, in restoring a WWII invasion leader. Sourcing parts, recreating paint work and using archive plus thousands of hours of man-power, the team face a lengthy battle. Can she really be restored? Will she fly again? Airs on Canal + France. - 4 - WAR STORIES WORLD WAR

BIG SONIA - NEW 1 x 93’ / 1 x 52’ HD - Screened at 75 film festivals around the globe since Nov 2016 - 20 festival awards to date

Sonia Warshawski, aged 91, is an inspirational public speaker at schools and prisons. Her stories of surviving the Holocaust as a teenager have inspired thousands who felt their own traumas would leave them broken forever.

But when Sonia is served an eviction notice for her iconic tailor shop, the last surviving shop in a dead mall - she’s confronted with an agonizing decision: either open up a new shop or retire. For a woman who admits she stays busy “to keep the dark parts away,” facing retirement dredges up fears she’d long forgot she had, and her horrific past resurfaces. 2020 marks 75 years since Sonia’s liberation from Auschwitz - BIG SONIA explores what it means to be a survivor and how inter-generational trauma affects families and generations. Will you let your trauma define you? Or will your past make you stronger?

ASHCAN: THE SECRET PRISON 1 x 90’ / 1 x 52’ HD This is the untold story of events in Luxembourg 1945. Under US authority, Nazi lead- ers such as Göring and Dönitz were detained. Without using torture, US officers got extraordinary information from the worst war criminals. In a new way, we use secret papers, expert contributions, re-enactments from the play itself and interviews with re-enactment to tell the story of the world’s most secret prison.

ELLY & HENRY 1 x 72’ / 1 x 52’ HD 1939: Elly Glass, a Viennese woman, travelled to Berlin to free her Jewish husband from Buchenwald. At just 23 years old, she had him freed by a senior Gestapo officer within 10 days. These are the designers that brought us from the 20th century and into the 21st. This is their story – a portrait of a pioneering inventor and the woman who made everything possible throughout their 66 years together.

FOR MILITARY MERIT 1 x 60’ 4K / HD After September 11th, America found itself at war, fighting an enemy unseen with scant regard for the ‘rules’ of war. Troops returned with wounds unseen since Vietnam. The soldiers have disabilities but they travel to treatments via a transit system hostile to their conditions. At their rescue are the heroes of a volunteer group, the Veterans Airlift Command: pilots flying their own aircraft, at their cost. Dramatic footage with veteran stories make this emotional viewing of two types of hero. - 5 - WORLD WAR

SYNDROME K - NEW

1 x 52’ HD It might be the only disease to have ever actually saved lives... But it didn’t really exist. Syndrome K is a 2020 release, telling the story of three courageous Roman Catholic doctors who saved Jews by convincing the Nazis that Jews were infected with a deadly and contagious disease - that they’d invented.

The Nazis deported over 1,000 Jews to Auschwitz from the Jewish Ghetto in Rome in October 1943 and most never returned. Many Jews sought refuge in the Fatebenefratelli hospital where the three doctors invented a disease to protect them, advising all patients to fake symptoms when the Nazi officers were outside the ward, and declaring it far too contagious for the soldiers to enter. The new footage combined with archives is chilling - and the secrets of their heroism is finally pronounced. This is an unbelievable, mysterious WWII story that needs to be told.

FORGIVE - DON’T FORGET 1 x 52’ HD This is the personal journey of Paul Ufema, returning a family heirloom. After WWII, Paul’s grandfather brought back the sword of a Japanese officer - it remained in the family for 70 years. He wondered who the original owner was, so with nothing more than a faded wooden name tag as a starting point, Paul embarks on an adventure across the world and into a fascinating cultural heritage to return it.

WAR ABOVE THE TRENCHES 1 x 90’ / 2 x 52’ 4K / HD Co-produced with UKTV and RMC Decouverte, this high-end film comes from accom- plished History producers ASA - the story of the Royal Flying Corps struggle for air superiority over the Western Front in WWI. Adapted from ’Bloody April by historian Peter Hart, explore dogfights, aerial reconnaissance and bombing missions through the eyes of the men in the air and in the trenches. Airing on ZDF.

WARWICK DAVIS & THE SEVEN DWARFS OF AUSCHWITZ 1 x 47’ HD Aired on ITV and Smithsonian, actor Warwick Davis leads a grim story. Under the Nazi regime the fairytale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was mutated into anti-Semitic propaganda. But while Hitler was happy to use the Seven Dwarfs to further his goals, his fascination with the Ovitz family was more sinister... This story charts us through inspirational territory, dark fairy tales and human endurance.

- 6 - WORLD WAR

13 HOURS THAT SAVED BRITAIN 1 x 47’ HD 13 Hours That Saved Britain explores the events of a single day, 15th – the day Churchill described as the ‘crux of the battle’, a day that is now celebrated as Battle of Britain Day. Dramatic colour film footage of aerial combat combined with contemporary interviews will illustrate that the events of seventy years ago still resonate with a new generation. Airing on Foxtel, History, DR TV and more.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN 3 x 46’ HD* The contest between British and German airforces & a turning point of WWII. This series is an unbiased account of the events in the skies above Britain, a review of a country preparing to defend itself against a rising empire. Aired in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, France, Russia, UK and the Czech Republic.

FIGHTING THE BLUE 4 x 47’ HD* Aired on ARTE, UKTV, Foxtel, ORF and worldwide, this best-selling series features stories of human interest from 1940, exploring the courage and resilience of the human spirit during the quest to protect Britain. People from all over the globe who joined the Royal Air Force explain what it was like to live through this devastating conflict, aided by footage from the 1969 movie ‘Battle of Britain’.

HUNT FOR U-479 1 x 52’ / 3 x 48’ HD Two filmmakers and a team of international divers go in search of a WWII German U-boat missing since 1944, to uncover the facts of a 60-year mystery. Soviet sources claimed that their submarine the Lembit sunk the boat, but the official story has never been considered a satisfactory explanation. The filmmakers do some digging...

THE LONG MARCH TO FREEDOM 3 x 47’ HD The story of the thousands of British, US and Commonwealth POW’s who were forced to march from Poland to Germany in the winter of 1945, to evade the Soviet army. Testimony from survivors covers marching in awful conditions to liberation. Aired in Australia, Sweden, UK, China, France, Denmark, Sweden, Poland & more.

DRIVING TO D-DAY 1 x 52’ 16 veteran vehicles cross the world to be at the D-Day anniversary - a journey of commemoration visiting the battlefields of Europe. From Istanbul to Gallipoli, then Greece and the site of the battle for Crete. From there they go into Italy, Switzerland and France before getting to Normandy in time for the D-Day anniversary.