FROM BABY ELEPHANTS TO TEENAGE LOVERS
Amazon miniTV, a free-of-charge service within the Amazon shopping app and on Fire TV, will next month begin airing short-form teen romance series “Gutar Gu.” The show is produced by Guneet Monga and Sikhya Productions, whose “The Elephant Whisperers” recently won the Oscar for best documentary short.
“We at Sikhya are super excited to work with director Saqib Pandor, transforming our well-received short film into its own web series! “Gutar Gu” – a new chapter in the story of Ritu and Anuj, dives deep into the many ups and downs of teenage relationships- navigating strict parents, dating protocols, and the innocence and moments of first love,” said Monga.
“Gutar Gu” features Ashlesha Thakur (in the role of Ritu) and Vishesh Bansal (as Anuj) who experience the dawn of first love. Over six episodes, the series “focuses on issues, and challenges that can uncover their notions and how it affects their relationship, while the intense parental pressure adds to their woes, and the challenges that come along,” Girish Prabhu, head of Amazon Advertising, said.
A trailer that teases how their journey develops different shades of first love given their different perspectives and familial backgrounds, can be viewed here. The show uploads from April 5, 2023.
ON THE ROAD
BTS star Suga is heading on a musical journey, travelling the world in search of inspiration in the form of new sounds and experiences in the upcoming documentary “Suga: Road to D-Day,” coming soon to streaming service Disney+. The documentary will follow the star around from Seoul to Tokyo and Las Vegas as he travels in search of new musical genres. It will simultaneously showcase Suga’s impressive skillset and give viewers an intimate look into the life of one of the world’s biggest stars.
The new series follows Disney+’s “BTS: Permission to Dance on Stage – LA,”4K concert film featuring BTS’ live performance at Los Angeles’ Sofi Stadium in November 2021;“j-hope In The Box,” a behind-the-scenes documentary showcasing the creation of BTS star j-hope’s first solo album; and“In the Soop: Friendcation”– an original travel reality show with a star-studded cast including V of BTS,“Itaewon Class” starPark Seojun,“Parasite”star Choi Wooshik, Soundtrack #1’sPark Hyungsik, and Peakboy, as the five friends take a surprise trip.
COMMISSIONS
U.K. broadcaster ITV has commissioned “The Other Mrs. Jordan,” a three-part documentary series for streamer ITVX that unpicks the life of Mary Turner Thomson’s husband, William Allen Jordan, a CIA agent working in counter terrorism in the early 2000s. Or so she thinks, until a fateful phone call in April 2006 from someone claiming to be, ‘The other Mrs. Jordan.’
Inspired by and with access to the bestselling books “The Bigamist” and “The Psychopath,” written by Mary, “The Other Mrs Jordan” is told in real time, and poses questions to its audience by exploring the innermost feelings of interviewees as to whether he is truly a psychopath, and what drives a man routinely described by his wives and girlfriends as a monster.
The series is executive produced by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Matt Smith for Circle Circle Films, directed by Olivia Isaacs, commissioned by Nicola Lloyd for ITVX and distributed by Banijay Rights.
FORMAT
“The Real Housewives of Cape Winelands,” the latest instalment of The Real Housewives franchise marks the second Afrikaans language edition and will follow the lives of six women in Cape Winelands, South Africa. Produced by Red Pepper Productions the will be available exclusively on kykNET from April 20.
Distributed internationally by NBCUniversal Formats, which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, “The Real Housewives of Cape Winelands” joins a library of other successful African adaptations including last month’s launch of “The Real Housewives of Nairobi,” as well as iterations set in Gqeberha, Abuja, Lagos, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria.
Participants in the the Winelands edition include Amy Kleinhans-Curd, Mariska Thorpe, Karen Schwendtke, Candice Bester, Michelle van Zyl and Anita Lloyd.
