International Disruptors: Isidoor Roebers and Lea Fels Doc Series Netflix Human Playground, Producer Scenery Talk Banijay Tie-Up, Creative Business Models and Streaming

Welcome to Deadlines International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside the US that are disrupting the foreign market. This week we talk to you Isidoor Roebers and Lea Fels, partners at Dutch documentary filmmaker Scenery, a joint venture with Banijay Benelux that has launched artistic yet unscripted commercial projects for everyone from local public broadcaster NPO to Netflix and Prime Video.

Scenery has been one of the most influential documentary filmmakers in the Benelux for several years and is now expanding from its core operations in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg to the UK and USA.

Dutch producer Isidoor Roebers already founded a company, Fonk Films, but in 2016 he worked with the former production manager of Vice Media Benelux and the TV manager/editor-in-chief of Vice TV Lea Fels to create natural beauty. The two met Roebers, an aspiring filmmaker looking for a spot at the indie-focused Dutch Film Institute, where Fels had graduated. The pair now run the Amsterdam-based company as a joint venture with Banijay, with global super-indies headed by Banijay’s Benelux production subsidiary NL Film.

Scenery has made documentaries for Prime Video, Universal, NPO and Videoland amongst others, but the most popular show to date has been human playgroundA Netflix and Youku China series voiced by Idris Elba and co-produced by Banijay UK with Workerbee that explores the history of games around the world, from ancient rituals to multi-billion dollar corporations and competitions.

The series’ business model is unusual, centered on a book by Hannelore Vandenbussche, published by TeNeus Books and published in 44 countries. Roebers says some of that publishing revenue went towards part-funding the series, which in turn made the project more financially attractive to Netflix. “We are trying to look at alternative ways to circumvent the budget,” he added.

Not only that, but Scenery has now signed the show’s director and showrunner, Tomas Kaan, to a creative producer role within the company, where he will develop international stories and assist other creatives with their documentary plans, we reported last month. Kaan is also known for the Netflix sex drama Dirty lines.

The late involvement of Netflix and Youku allowed Scenery to retain the rights human playground is returned to you after a retention period. “We never have these conversations with the streamer at the beginning,” says Fels. “It’s a late-stage discussion, but the funny thing is that people are usually not interested in the Benelux [Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg] So we can usually keep those rights and if we have to take care of the rest of the world we can. It depends on how complex you’ve made your financing structure, but if you create a situation for a license agreement there are fewer strings attached bound by covenants.”

Scenery has become an expert in receiving soft money from the Netherlands Film Fund’s CineDoc pot and the 35% cash rebate from the Netherlands Film Commission to work directly with directors and filmmakers and later license their work. “The soft money really helps us be healthier than a lot of manufacturing companies in the US because we have multiple options,” Fels says.

Take the studio route

The company also uses a studio model where Banijay Rights co-finances development and then sells the resulting title internationally.

The latter was the case Lara vs. Escobar, Mags Gavan’s leading documentary about an extraordinary meeting of Pablo Escobar’s son Juan Pablo Escobar and Jorge Lara, the son of Judge Rodrigo Lara who killed Pablo Escobar. “Fifty producers wanted this project, but we knew the creator and we got it,” says Roebers. “If we really believe in something, we can invest in it and release it ourselves – that’s where Banijay comes in. That’s what we say to all directors: there’s a chance we can keep it in-house. It has to be globally appealing but they can talk to Banijay Rights.

Banijay, best known for formats like survivor and big brotherinvaded the premium doc space when Scenery was offered Lara vs. Escobar. With the support of Cathy Payne, CEO of Banijay Rights, and Simon Cox, head of acquisitions, the distribution company took over the project and plans to release the film at A-list festivals. It was first introduced to TV buyers at Mipcom. “With the recession, the pick climate is difficult and going straight to streaming didn’t make sense,” says Roebers.

“More and more directors feel like they’re being pushed into a creative mold that streamers want them to be in,” adds Roebers. “We’ve created a world where creative expression is paramount and we can meet their needs.”

“A very good IDFA

Last month, Scenery launched the Scenery IDFA Pitch at the IDFA Forum in Amsterdam, bringing together Kaan, CAA agents and former Channel 4 Acquisitions executives to help the creative community meet Power Brokers. It also allowed Banijay executives to meet creative people and talk about development financing, and a total of 44 projects from 25 countries were showcased. Scenery is now reviewing these ideas, and Fels will only cryptically say, “It was a really good IDFA.”

A third source of income is working directly with local broadcasters such as NPO and European streamers including NPO Star, Belgium’s Streamz and Scandinavia’s Viaplay, whose documentary teams are largely made up of traditional TV people. “It’s nice, because you really talk to them about the creative side of the film,” says Fels. “Other streamers may be more data-driven and fight for the same profile and directors.”

She adds that the company is “doing pretty well because we try not to rely too much on one platform.” This is doubly important as the future of streaming in Europe remains unclear with HBO Max no longer an active player and rumors that changes at major media outlets in the US will have a greater impact on those across the Atlantic.

“Due to the recession, streamers are more risk-averse,” says Roebers. “HBO Max was filming, but projects were on hold. Netflix tried a lot in the beginning, but now has a lot of competition from Disney+, which debuted globally here in the Netherlands because of the internet speed. At first the new services all wanted their big local hit, but now you can see they are becoming more risk averse. A lot of projects involve celebrities and the harder ideas are always harder to pull off, so we have to be more creative.”

“Ballet 422 Meets Black Swan”

Upcoming projects include a Doc special called First rowby Dutch filmmaker Miriam Guttman, whose three-part seed of deceit was part of the official selection at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.

First row follows the United Ukrainian Ballet, a company founded by star ballerina Igone de Jongh, which was founded in The Hague last year for refugee Ukrainian dancers and is now touring Europe with the special dance show “Giselle”. It also follows the dancers as they stay in touch with family back home and fight the invading Russian forces. Ballet 422 meet Black Swan, as we follow three characters for a year. It’s about dancing, but also about their coping mechanisms: they learn that their former ballet teacher was executed very early on while they were filming in the Ukraine.

“These are horrific stories,” admits Fels, but she says The Doctor is not just about war, it’s also about hope and resilience. “They see that dance keeps them going. It’s a way to survive the war.”

The plan is to launch the 90-minute film at major festivals in 2024, but there are currently no buyers. “This is a great example of a scenic production – which started in the Netherlands, but travels all over the world to perform, hopefully eventually in Kyiv,” adds Roebers. “We felt there was a story and it was being packaged internationally.”

Also in the development pipeline are a few projects involving A24, details of which are scarce, and a pilot project on the global waste problem that was made for a wide audience and raised €300,000 (US$320,000) for production. Fels says watching how her former employer, Vice, uses its publishing company to expand the reach of global campaign docs helps Scenery “shape the creative strategy and make sure people hear the stories, wherever they are.”

Scenery’s partnership with Rick Murray’s Manchester, UK-based Workerbee is expanding with two new projects. Again, no details are available, but Roebers is full of praise for Murray, who recently changed his position from general manager to CEO to focus more on domestic and international affairs.

“human playground wouldn’t have happened without Rick’s support,” says Roebers. “He was almost my mentor and it grew into a friendship.”

Deadline understands that Scenery will be collaborating with another Banijay UK indie on an unscripted major format, details to follow at a later date.

Roebers, whose early dream was to work in Hollywood, will also make a long stint in LA “to really build the bridge between Europe and America.” He will use contacts from Banijay North America to meet new directors, producers and filmmakers and will seek to source story ideas from companies such as CAA and Netflix in Europe.

“We try to find local stories wherever they are,” he says. “Many are fine with producing locally, taking films to a festival and then hoping that a sales agent can sell them internationally. We mainly try to find European stories with an angle that can appeal to a global audience. We’ve really invested in being able to do this, but we’re funding it.