Phoenix Kidnaps CEO Children at French Alps Summit

The European public broadcasting collective New8 has unveiled its second slate of international drama series, featuring a new project titled Phoenix. The announcement was made during the Series Mania festival in Lille, where the partnership presented a collection of coproductions designed to reflect public service media values and reach audiences across national borders.

The series Phoenix is a drama consisting of six episodes, each with a 45-minute runtime. The plot centers on a group of young people from various European countries who carry out the kidnapping of the children of the CEOs of the Four Wastes, identified as the four companies that pollute the world the most. These events take place in the lead-up to an economic summit scheduled in the French Alps.

The production of Phoenix is a collaboration involving Les Films du Cygne, Storia Télévisions and Maze Pictures, produced for the German public broadcaster ZDF.

The New8 Collective

The New8 partnership was established in 2023 to foster collaboration between public broadcasters across Europe. The collective consists of eight members:

• SVT (Sweden)
• DR (Denmark)
• YLE (Finland)
• RÚV (Iceland)
• NRK (Norway)
• VRT (Flanders, Belgium)
• NPO (Netherlands)
• ZDF (Germany)

Under this framework, a lead broadcaster introduces a project to the partnership, which is then supported by other member broadcasters acting as coproducers. This model is intended to provide local stories and talent with an international platform.

Additional Slate Projects

Alongside Phoenix, the collective introduced other projects, including a historical drama titled Breendonk. Introduced by the Flemish public broadcaster VRT, Breendonk is a six-episode series with 54-minute episodes, produced by De Mensen for VRT and Streamz and distributed by Studio TF1.

Set during the Second World War in 1942, Breendonk follows the story of two young lovers, Elisabeth and Rik, who hold opposing views on surviving the conflict. Elisabeth joins the resistance, while Rik seeks a way for the couple to escape to safety. Following a failed resistance mission, the two are separated. Elisabeth goes into hiding, while Rik and his father, Leon, are arrested and taken to Breendonk, a notorious SS prison camp overseen by Flemish guards.

The narrative of Breendonk explores the dynamics of survival within the camp, specifically focusing on a pact made between Rik, Leon, and a Flemish SS guard named Vaes. The plot details Vaes’ double role, as he secretly provides information to the SS while claiming to regret his collaboration.

The second slate of projects presented in Lille also includes an Icelandic crime series focused on the killing of a champion racehorse and a Belgian drama set during the Second World War, contributing to a total of eight new original series developed through the New8 collaboration.