New Israeli drama for Australian TV
In its latest acquisition as a finished product, the highly acclaimed scripted drama ‘Hostages’ has been acquired by Australia’s SBS-owned subscription channel STUDIO. The series is set to debut on Australian television on Wednesday 13 August, 8.30pm, and marks the first time an Israeli drama will be aired in the original language on the channel.
Other finished product commissions of the popular Israeli thriller include BBC4 (UK), Tou.tv (French Canada) and Canal+ (France), who’s recently concluded first season aired to successful ratings.
‘Hostages’ (10×60’) follows a renowned surgeon (played by Ayelet Zurer, Man of Steel, 2013; Angels & Demons, 2009) who is unwittingly thrown in to a political conspiracy when she is ordered to sabotage a routine operation on the President, or her family will die. The original Israeli series, produced by Chaim Sharir (also of “The Naked Truth”), and written by Omri Givon and Rotem Shamir, aired in parallel on both Israel on Channel 10 and with the US adaptation on CBS.
‘Hostages’ has also been nominated for several awards recently, including the festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo and the Banff Rockie Awards, while Ayelet Zurer won the Best Actress award in the Israeli TV Academy Awards for her starring role as Dr. Yael Danon.
Laura Glassman, Head of Programming and Production for SBS Subscription Television, “We are delighted to bring this groundbreaking program to Australian audiences for the very first time. STUDIO is pleased to offer Australians the best in international drama, and we look forward to presenting this wonderful series to our discerning audience.”
Avi Armoza, CEO of Armoza Formats, “We’re thrilled to be breaking into new territories with ‘Hostages’ – it is an intense and gripping drama with a universally-relatable story, making it the perfect drama for both local adaptation and finished product acquisition.”
