cineflix productions

Cineflix signs deal to co-prod new history series, Zero Hour. Series will transport viewers into the hour leading up to great historical moments

November 06, 2003

Montreal, November 6, 2003 – Cineflix Canada President André Barro announced today details of a new agreement to co-produce a unique new history series, ZERO HOUR.

Budgeted near $3 million dollars, the 5 X 60-minute series is co-produced by Cineflix and the UK production company, 3BM Television. Production has started and is expected to wrap in the Summer of 2004. The series will be broadcast on the History Channel in Canada and on the Discovery Network in Europe. ZERO HOUR will dramatize the hour leading up to some of the most memorable historical events as they unfold minute by minute.

“Our commitment to producing high-quality, factual style television in an original and engaging format is unwavering. We’ve also shown that we excel at co-producing high-quality programming for the international market. Our UK partners 3BM Television, specialize in producing award-winning historical programs. We, therefore, have all the elements in place to produce a stellar product,” said Barro.

“By following numerous theatres of action as the clock winds down to ZERO HOUR, we put viewers right into the moments leading up to major, iconic historical events. Most history programming is done with 20/20 hindsight. Our aim is to experience history just before it became history. Told with high end production values and techniques, ZERO HOUR promises to be exciting, unique and visually dramatic,” said Stephen Hunter, V.P. Development, Science and History / Executive Producer.

Using a real-time clock and a split screen to follow key players, the series will reveal the compelling and exciting minutes leading up to events that changed the world. The focus of the series isn’t the event itself but the individual moments that culminate in the actual event. ZERO HOUR will explore, among other incidents, the hour before the Chernobyl nuclear reactor melt down, the hour leading up to the Columbine School shootings and the hour before the first plane slams into The World Trade Center. Authenticity will be ensured through the use of journals, letters, government documents, personal accounts, archival footage, photographs and interviews with key players.

ZERO HOUR is executive produced by Glen Salzman, André Barro, Stephen Hunter and Dan Korn and is produced by Simon Berthon. A Canada-United Kingdom co-production, ZERO HOUR is produced by Cineflix and 3BM Television, with the financial participation of The Quebec Film and Television Tax Credit administered by SODEC and the Canadian Film or Video Tax Credit.

Cineflix is a leading producer and distributor of popular non-fiction programming with offices in Montreal, Toronto, London and Dublin. Building on a strong foundation in fiction filmmaking and acclaimed one-hour and feature-length documentaries, Cineflix produces over 50 hours a year of factual entertainment with strong international appeal.