London, 16th February 2022 – Rainmaker Content, the international distributor specialising in drama, factual and special event programming, today announced a co-production and finance agreement with leading indie Woodcut Media for Hitler: A Life in Pictures (4 x 60’) pre-bought by Channel 4 in the UK.
Rainmaker Content has secured worldwide distribution rights (excluding UK) for the series executive produced by Matthew Gordon and Kate Beal, along with Jonathan Mayo as series producer for Woodcut Media. The series was pre-bought by Polly Scates, Acquisitions Manager, for Channel 4.
Across this unique and exclusive series, Hitler: A Life in Pictures uses archive and expert interviews to explore both the public and the private life of Germany’s infamous dictator, and features the photos and videos of just two photographers who both dedicated their lives to documenting Hitler – Heinrich Hoffmann, Hitler’s official photographer and Hoffmann’s photographic assistant, Eva Braun. The archive footage includes 1300 recently digitized, rarely seen photos taken by Hoffmann and material garnered from Eva’s personal photo collection along with more than four hours of her home videos mostly filmed at Hitler’s fortified chalet in the Bavarian Alps.
With the help of experts, including Lutz Becker who found Eva’s home videos after they were lost for 27 years, and Richard Schneider, the special projects preservationist digitizing Hoffmann’s photos, the series asks what was the message behind these images and films at the time and what can they tell us today?
Matthew Gordon, Executive Producer, Woodcut Media comments, “As they say, ‘a picture paints a thousand words’ and the unique images we have procured for this Hitler series speak volumes about the depth of psychological manipulation that led to the rise of the Nazi regime. Whether it’s Hitler in one of his oratorical poses, or carefully staged footage of him as a peace-loving statesman, the sinister underlying propaganda was crafted and projected onto the German public to precision. This series will have viewers gripped to their seats.”
Vicky Ryan, Co-Chief Operating Officer at Rainmaker comments, “We’re delighted to be working with Woodcut Media on this series which takes a very different look at the propaganda around these images of the 20th Century’s most notorious figure. We’re sure our clients around the world will be extremely interested in this first time opportunity to see these astonishing photographs alongside the home video footage shot by Eva Braun.”
Press Contact for Rainmaker Content:
Debbie Lawrence, The Lippin Company Ltd – dlawrence@lippingroup.com – +44 7771 850580
About RAINMAKER:
Rainmaker Content is a global content company formed to create, finance and distribute commercially appealing scripted and non-scripted programming, collaborating with award-winning producers, production companies and directors who have proven track records of making high quality premium programming for the widest audience.
About Woodcut Media:
With offices in London, Hampshire and Bristol, Woodcut Media, (part of the Anthology Group of businesses), is one of the leading indies in the UK, producing a broad range of factual programming. A leading true crime producer (Murder at My Door with Kym Marsh, The Beverley Allitt Tapes, The Killer in My Family, World’s Most Evil Killers), Woodcut’s growing catalogue also includes specialist factual series (Tony Robinson’s VE Day: Minute by Minute, The Secret History of World War II and the hit ‘Combat’ franchise, Combat Ships, Combat Trains, Combat Machines), premium docs (Fiennes: Return to the Nile, Cut From A Different Cloth and Mandela, My Dad and Me featuring Idris Elba and The Ivy) factual entertainment shows (How Hacks Work, Around the World in 80 Tricks and Paranormal Captured). Woodcut works with multiple broadcasters worldwide such as Channel 5, Sky, National Geographic, Smithsonian Channel, Discovery and CI etc. Towards the end of 2020 and as part of the company’s continued expansion, Woodcut launched Woodcut International, a distribution division, as well as a new Bristol-based production operation Woodcut West which specialises in natural history and high-end specialist factual. www.woodcutmedia.com
