Landmark documentary Enslaved to launch in 130 territories
The most comprehensive non-scripted series ever made on the transatlantic slave trade is set to launch in 130 territories following multiple international deals by Fremantle. Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade sheds new light on 400 years of human trafficking from Africa to the New World, as millions of enslaved Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas by Western European slave traders.
Led by Hollywood Icon and Human Rights activist Samuel L. Jackson, this powerful and important six-part documentary series provides a fresh and authentic history of the transatlantic slave trade – one that demonstrates to today’s audiences that this is truly a global story.
The landmark series follows Jackson on an incredibly personal journey as he travels across continents to uncover stories of suffering and greed, as well as of resistance, accomplishment and hope. The series also features an historical investigation of the slave trade led by Jackson and historians Afua Hirsch and Simcha Jacobovici. The series also features the efforts of Diving With a Purpose (DWP), a collaborating organization with The National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS), as they search for and locate six slave ships that sank taking with them the enslaved humans aboard.
Following its U.S. premiere on EPIX on 14 September, Enslaved will launch on HISTOIRE TV (TF1 Group, France) after a pre-sale brokered by Fremantle, as well as HISTORY (Germany), Movistar+ and RTVE (Spain), HBO Portugal (Portugal), BBC Earth (Poland), Discovery Film and Spektrum (Eastern Europe), Cosmote (Greece), BBC Persian (MENA), National Geographic (Latin America), M-Net (Africa, South Africa) and Cable & Wireless (Caribbean). Fremantle also recently announced that BBC Two in the UK will broadcast a 4-part reversion of the series.
Jens Richter, CEO, International, Fremantle, said: “With epic global production values, Enslaved is an unmissable docuseries which spans both continents and centuries in its determination to show just how vital this history is to today. Samuel L. Jackson, Afua Hirsch and Simcha Jacobovici, alongside the fantastic production team, have created something impactful, ambitious and educational, which we feel privileged to be able to share with our global broadcast partners and their audiences.”
Enslaved is a Canada/UK co-production between Toronto-based Associated Producers and London-based Cornelia Street Productions in association with CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, and Documentary Channel in Canada and EPIX in the US. Simcha Jacobovici serves as series director. Enslaved is executive produced by Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Eli Selden, Rob Lee, Simcha Jacobovici, Ric Esther Bienstock, Sarah Sapper and Yaron Niski, and produced by Ric Esther Bienstock, Sarah Sapper and Felix Golubev. Produced in association with Anonymous Content, along with UppiTV, Samuel and LaTanya Jackson’s television production company. Fremantle distributes the series internationally.