Set Suspense-filled Limited Series, The Abduction of Yossele Schumacher as First Project Created by Moshe Zonder & Eran Riklis.
- Anonymous Content today announced they have partnered with independent European Studio, Federation Entertainment on a new joint venture, Anonymous/Federation. Based in France, the new venture will focus on developing and producing premium television and film for both local French and global audiences.
- Anonymous/Federation will be overseen by Dawn Olmstead and David Levine on behalf of Anonymous Content, and by Pascal Breton, Lionel Uzan and Patrick Wachsberger on behalf of Federation. The MD of the newly created company will be announced soon.
- Anonymous/Federation is the latest joint venture between Anonymous Content and an international studio, joining AC Nordic, AC Brazil and Chapter One in the UK as part of Anonymous Content’s push to expand globally.
- Anonymous/Federation is kickstarting the venture immediately with their first project, created by Moshe Zonder & Eran Riklis, The Abduction of Yossele Schumacher, a suspense-filled limited series based on a true story.
- “Federation’s impeccable reputation, deep roots in the European marketplace and exquisite taste makes us incredibly excited to partner with them in France “said Anonymous Content CEO Dawn Olmstead. “Anonymous/Federation will allow us to expand our diverse storytelling and content creation whilst creating more global opportunities for the talent we represent. We are thrilled to kickstart this partnership with a riveting series that examines the intersection of family and faith.”
- « We at Federation are immensely proud of our new joint company with Anonymous Content focusing on creating major French series with international appeal, created by top French filmmakers and showrunners. We’re also excited to increase our capacity to finance and produce major English-language European series with budgets comparable to major US series. As we’ve seen in the past, the future belongs to creators, and we hope to see the highly talented showrunners and directors represented by Anonymous Content come to France and Europe to film their shows, and conversely that many of the French and European talent associated with Federation will want to share their projects with the extraordinary creative talents of the Anonymous Content teams, » said Pascal Breton, president of Federation Entertainment.
- « I am very excited to be a part of this new chapter in my long relation with Anonymous Content with my partners at Federation’’ comments Patrick Wachsberger president of Picture Perfect Federation”
- Eran Riklis (Lemon Tree, The Syrian Bride) is set to direct The Abduction of Yossele Schumacher. Moshe Zonder (Tehran, Fauda) and Riklis created and wrote the series. The series will be in English, French, Yiddish, and Hebrew.
- The series is a co-production among Anonymous Content, Federation, United King Films, Topia Communications, and Eran Riklis Productions. Anonymous Content CEO, Dawn Olmstead, David Levine, and Ryan Schwartz will oversee the project on behalf of Anonymous Content. United King Films owner, Moshe Edery, Topia Communications owner, Michael Sharfshtein, and Eran Riklis will oversee on behalf of the Israeli partners.
- The Abduction of Yossele Schumacher is based on a true story in the early 60’s, in which the abduction of an eight-year-old Jewish boy by his ultra-Orthodox grandfather leads three women to clash over his fate and faith, and to a fierce conflict between the Israeli Mossad and the impenetrable global web of the Orthodox community.
- This suspense-filled story of guile and deception, which takes Israel to the brink of a civil war, begins in Jerusalem and continues through France, Germany, Britain, and Belgium, before finally coming to its dramatic denouement in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.
- “This incredible story was part of our childhood, taking us kids, and our parents, into a thrilling world of intrigue and emotion. This real-life thriller unfolded in front of us on the radio, in the press, in the weekly news reels at the cinema and over dinner at every house across the country – secular or orthodox,” said Riklis and Zonder. “We embarked on a global journey as we followed Yossele’s trials and tribulations across Europe and the US. This story is about pain, love, parenthood, loss, faith, fanaticism and about secrets and lies on so many levels. We all feel extremely lucky to be the ones to bring this emotional and thrilling story to a global audience.”
- Eran Riklis is one of Israel’s most reputed filmmakers. His award winning, critically acclaimed films include: LEMON TREE, THE SYRIAN BRIDE, A BORROWED IDENTITY (aka DANCING ARABS), THE HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER, ZAYTOUN, SHELTER, SPIDER IN THE WEB and many more. His stories are faithful to local realities reaching out to a global audience. He directed numerous hours of drama series, documentaries, shorts and commercials. A graduate of the National Film & Television School, Beaconsfield, England.
- Moshe Zonder is the creator and writer of international Emmy award-winning series for Best Drama, Tehran (Apple TV+) and head writer of globally acclaimed drama series Fauda (Netflix), as well as Special Ops, Sabena, The Champion and more. Zonder wrote several feature films, including Burning Mooki, The Loners and two films directed by Riklis – Zohar and Vulcan Junction. He worked as a leading investigative journalist from 1990 to 2003.
- United King, Topia and Riklis have created a vibrant joint venture to develop and produce exciting and moving quality films and series that will reach out to a global audience.
- Recent AC Studios projects include the Peabody Award winning series Dickinson which is currently airing its third season, Golden Globe®-nominated limited series Catch-22 directed by George Clooney, as well as the recently released series Paradise Lost, Home Before Dark, Defending Jacob starring Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery, and the upcoming film SWAN SONG, starring two-time Academy Award® winner Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Awkwafina, and multi award-winning actress Glenn Close.
- Zonder is represented by Lenore Entertainment Group and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham.
About Anonymous Content
Anonymous Content is a visionary and disruptive media company that produces multi-platform premium content and boasts an exceptional client roster which includes many of the world’s most renowned and innovative directors, writers, actors, and comedians. The company’s award-winning Film & TV division boasts many commercially successful and critically acclaimed works. Current Anonymous Content films include the highly anticipated upcoming SWAN SONG (Apple TV+) as well as the recently released WORTH (Netflix), STILLWATER (Focus Features) and THE MIDNIGHT SKY (Netflix). The company is also behind the three-time Academy Award winning film THE REVENANT, Best Picture Academy Award winning film SPOTLIGHT, and Academy Award winning film for Best Original Screenplay, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. The company’s TV credits include TRUE DETECTIVE (HBO), MR. ROBOT (USA Network), SCHITT’S CREEK (POP), HOMECOMING (Amazon), 13 REASONS WHY (Netflix), DICKINSON (Apple TV+), HOME BEFORE DARK (Apple TV+), and DEFENDING JACOB (Apple). In 2018, Anonymous Content created The Lab, a creative incubator designed to push the boundaries of how brands tell stories by engaging emerging filmmakers and diverse storytellers. Through its Commercial work, Anonymous Content is also the driving creative force behind countless leading global brands. For more information, visit www.anonymouscontent.com.
About Federation Entertainment
Led by Pascal Breton and Lionel Uzan, Federation heralds a new breed of independent European studios, focusing on the creation, production, financing and distribution of high-quality original productions for the global marketplace. Federation Entertainment works with the best worldwide talents and partners in the industry to create a strong distribution portfolio as well as an array of premium international productions. Only eight years after its creation, the production and distribution studio based in Paris, Los Angeles, Rome, Madrid, London, Berlin and Tel-Aviv boasts 130 full time employees, a number which continues to grow monthly.
Active in the drama, kids & family, documentary and light entertainment space, Federation works with all platforms and major broadcasters in the market. Its rich portfolio includes major award-winning and international successes such as the cult spy series The Bureau (50 X 52’), the financial thriller Bad Banks (12 x 52’), the Netflix original hit series Baby (now 3 seasons), Find Me In Paris (78 X 26′), the premium live action hit for teens, Mister8, (8 X 45’), Best series & Best actor awards at CanneSeries 2021, In Treatment, the adaptation of cult format BeTipul by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache for ARTE, Around the World in 80 Days starring David Tennant, produced for the European Alliance (France Televisions, ZDF, Rai), PBS Masterpiece and BBC; as well as Varane, Destin de Champion (Amazon Prime-Video), to name a few.
www.fedent.com
About United King Films
Owned by Moshe Edery and Leon Edery, United King Films is the leading entertainment content enterprise in Israel today. The company stands at the forefront of every aspect of the local industry, from feature films (financing, producing and distributing approximately 20 new Israeli films annually) to television series and specials, exhibition (owners of eight Megaplexes across the country), broadcasting, theatrical distribution of American and European films, , stage performances and a wide range of music productions. www.utrfilm.com
About Topia Communications
Topia Communications is led by Michael Sharfshtein, a veteran producer, working in the film industry since the early 70’s. Sharfshtein is the producer of many acclaimed films and series including several major co-productions with European partners. www.utrfilm.com
About Eran Riklis Productions
Eran Riklis Productions is based in Tel Aviv but works with the world. Since 1997, the company has produced high-profile, award-winning films and TV series, many of them in co-production with European producers and financiers. www.utrfilm.com
