Spain’s Movistar Plus+, the pay TV/SVOD service of telco giant Telefónica, has picked up the Sky and Peacock original series “The Tattooist of Auschwitz,” starring Harvey Keitel and based on the bestselling novel by Heather Morris.
The six-part limited series is one of the key draws on the sales slate of All3Media International, which hosts a showcase at the London TV Screenings on Feb. 29.
It is produced by Synchronicity Films (“The Cry,” “Only You,” “Weekend”) in association with Sky Studios and All3Media International, tells the real-life story of Lali and Gita Sokolov, who met while prisoners in the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust of World War II.
Harvey Keitel in “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”
Martin Mlaka/Sky UK
Keitel plays Lali, a Slovakian Jew who, in his 80s, meets aspiring writer Heather Morris (Melanie Lynskey) and finds the courage to tell his story. As a young man in 1942, Lali (Jonah Hauer-King) is deported to Auschwitz, where he is made one of the tattooists who ink identification numbers onto fellow prisoners’ arms. There he meets Gita (Anna Próchniak), leading to a love that defies the horrors around them. Under the constant guard of volatile Nazi SS officer Stefan Baretzki (Jonas Nay), Lali and Gita become determined to keep each other alive.
“At Movistar Plus+ we are extremely engaged to acquire best-in-class content such as this inspiring story with such a remarkable cast, and best-sellers adaptations are certainly an awareness guarantee,” said Ismael Calleja, executive director of alliances & partnerships at Movistar Plus+.
“Known for bringing exclusive, quality content to Spanish viewers, Movistar Plus+ is a brilliant partner to take Synchronicity Films’ powerful adaptation of Heather Morris’ bestselling novel to audiences across the region,” added Debra Bergg, All3Media International’s VP of sales for Iberia and Italy.
Executive producer Claire Mundell of Synchronicity Films described the series as “an important story that will resonate with viewers across the world. A story that has been epic in the making, and we feel very honoured to bring it to the screen. We are thrilled that Movistar Plus+ has come on board this moving story inspired by one man’s real-life experience – it is the ideal platform to showcase the series to Spanish viewers.”
Directed by Tali Shalom-Ezer, “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” was produced in association with Sky Studios and All3Media International and co-produced by Sky and Peacock. Jacquelin Perske is executive producer and lead writer for “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” alongside writers Evan Placey, who also serves as associate producer, and Gabbie Asher. Serena Thompson executive produced for Sky Studios.
NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution and All3Media International are jointly handling international sales for the series.
“The Tattooist of Auschwitz” has been acquired by Australian streamer Stan and by SkyShowtime for a slew of European territories, including Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden.
The series bows on Sky Atlantic on May 2 and on streaming service Now in the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as on Peacock in the U.S. and Stan in Australia.
