Global producer and distributor Keshet International is partnering with impact studio Ritual Arts and Orlando Bloom’s production company Amazing Owl to bring the premium factual docuseries Earthbound to international audiences.
Earthbound is a 6×60’ premium documentary series narrated by actor and environmentalist Orlando Bloom. The series explores the lives and contributions of seemingly ordinary people who have become extraordinary change-makers by turning environmental challenges into opportunities. By profiling one brilliant and bold visionary’s journey to success in each episode – like 32-year-old engineer, Nzambi Matee, the founder of Gjenge Makers, who recycles plastic waste into sustainable paving bricks– this optimistic and solution-orientated series aims to both entertain and inspire viewers around the world.
This six-part docuseries has been developed by Ritual Arts based on its 2023 multi-award-winning documentary film Earthbound: Nzambi Matee. The documentary has already garnered widespread success on the international festival circuit, winning more than 30 awards to date at festivals such as the Tribeca Film Festival, International Wildlife Film Festival, and Mallorca International Film Festival. Thanks to audience participation, the film has helped raise funds to support Matee’s company and contribute to the people of Nairobi through The Earthbound Foundation – an extension of the project dedicated to empowering the featured communities with educational scholarships, business grants, and building grants.
Ritual Arts’ Farhoud Meybodi, writer, director and producer of Earthbound, says, “The success of Nzambi’s film is a testament to the unwavering dedication of our team, which spans Kenya, South Africa, the US, and the UK. It underscores the reality that, despite our diverse backgrounds, we are all bound together by a shared humanity that can be harnessed to create art and build bridges, especially in these divisive times. I’m optimistic that the documentary series will continue to build on the film’s momentum, reminding global audiences of the immense importance Mother Nature holds in all our lives.”
Kelly Wright, KI’s MD of Distribution says, “Earthbound is one of the most uplifting hours of television I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face watching Farhoud capture Nzambi’s story and spirit and knew Keshet International had to be a part of this incredible project. Earthbound is so much more than beautifully crafted, feel-good entertainment – it’s about truly extraordinary stories that ring with universal truths, which choose to focus on the positive – what we CAN do with gumption, imagination, hard work, and indomitable optimism – over the dire headlines we see every day. We’re so excited to take this award-winning film out to the TV world as a docuseries at the upcoming London TV Screenings.”
Produced by Ritual Arts in association with Amazing Owl, Earthbound (6×60’) will be written, directed, and executive produced by Farhoud Meybodi (My Last Days, Man Enough), executive produced and narrated by Orlando Bloom (To the Edge, Carnival Row), and executive produced by Massa Nagano and Adam Karasick (The Cut, To the Edge). In a deal negotiated by KI’s SVP of Acquisitions and Co-productions Anke Stoll alongside consultant Hayley Babcock, Keshet International will distribute the premium docuseries internationally, showcasing the pilot episode to an exclusive audience of buyers at the 2024 London TV Screenings on Wednesday 28 February.
