MIPTV GETS BACK TO ROOTS with A+E NETWORKS

WORLD PREMIERE TV SCREENING:

ROOTS' to Feature Cast Members Anna Paquin, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anika Noni Rose and Malachi Kirby together with Executive Producer Mark Wolper and Co-Executive Producer LeVar Burton

Watch the trailer HERE

Paris, 24 February 2016 - A E Studios' Roots,' a historical portrait of American slavery, will make its first international appearance at MIPTV on April 4. World Premiere TV Screening: ROOTS' is presented by A E Studios.

Based on Alex Haley's 1976 novel, Roots' recounts the journey of one family and their will to survive and ultimately carry on their legacy despite hardship. Kunta Kinte became a household name when the original series aired on ABC in 1977 to massive audiences.

Developed by HISTORY , the new series boasts a stellar cast of award-winning actors. Roots' is due to simulcast in the U.S. on HISTORY, A&E and Lifetime beginning Monday, May 30. The eight-hour event miniseries is distributed internationally by A E Studios International.

Starting with the capture of Kunta Kinte in his homeland of The Gambia, Roots' follows his transportation to colonial America where he is enslaved and follows his family's fight against the adversity of slavery while witnessing and contributing to notable moments in U.S. history, including the American Revolution and Civil War.

The Alex Haley novel and original series left its mark on a generation of readers and television viewers around the world. The quality of the talent associated with this new version of Roots' and the incredible production team involved, once again confirms the commitment that broadcasters have towards event drama with international potential. The World Premiere TV Screening is an ideal showcase for this kind of premium programming destined to interest the thousands of buyers and international media that attend MIPTV, comments Laurine Garaude, Director of Reed MIDEM's Television Division.

We are incredibly proud of Roots. It's a story with exceptional gravity, emotion and universality, which will impact viewers around the world, said Sean Cohan, President, International and Digital Media, A E Networks. Roots was developed and produced by our in-house production arm, A E Studios. We launched Studios to better control our destiny to produce and own our premium content. To that end, Roots is one of our biggest undertakings. It embodies the type of ambitious storytelling that A E Studios is bringing to the global marketplace.

The stellar cast includes Academy Award winners Forest Whitaker ( Fiddler ) and Anna Paquin ( Nancy Holt ); Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Laurence Fishburne ( Alex Haley ); Golden Globe Award winning and Emmy Award nominated actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers ( Tom Lea ); Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose ( Kizzy ); Grammy Award winner Tip T.I. Harris ( Cyrus ); Emayatzy Corinealdi ( Belle ); Matthew Goode ( Dr. William Waller ); Mekhi Phifer ( Jerusalem ); James Purefoy ( John Waller ) and introduces Reg -Jean Page ( Chicken George ) and Malachi Kirby ( Kunta Kinte ), originally played by LeVar Burton who is Co-Executive Producer in the new Roots.'

The World Premiere TV Screening of Roots' will take place in the presence of Anna Paquin, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anika Noni Rose and Malachi Kirby, together with Executive Producer Mark Wolper and Co-Executive Producer LeVar Burton.

Roots' is an A E Studios production in association with Marc Toberoff and The Wolper Organization, the company that produced the original Roots.' Will Packer, Marc Toberoff, Mark Wolper, Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal serve as Executive Producers. LeVar Burton and Korin D. Huggins are Co-Executive Producers. Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal, Alison McDonald, and Charles Murray are writing. Questlove is Executive Music Producer. Roots' is directed by Phillip Noyce, Mario Van Peebles, Thomas Carter and Bruce Beresford. Arturo Interian and Michael Stiller serve as Executives in Charge of Production for HISTORY.

LINK:	http://pressroom.miptv.com/press-release-en-2016/miptv-gets-back-to-ro...
	See more stories from mip

Most recent headlines