EXCLUSIVE: Astonishing stories of female heroism and bravery during World War II is the subject of an upcoming Woodcut Media history series.
Channel 4 in the UK and SBS in Australia have pre-bought World War II: Women on the Frontline, which UK indie Woodcut is selling through its sales arm, Woodcut International. The three-part series is currently in production.
The series will explore daring and unknown histories of remarkable female soldiers, pilots and spies who fought, flew and died in the Second World War. Each episode will shed light on the courageous women who led the charge in some of the conflict’s most perilous but unknown missions.
It will feature archive footage, to spotlight the likes of Selma van de Perre, who as a teenager worked as a courier for the Dutch Resistance before she was betrayed — and survived — the horrors of Ravensbrück concentration camp, the Soviet sniper ‘Lady Death’, who was sent to battle without a gun but still killed over 300 Nazis, and Lee Miller, one of the most talented journalists of the Second World War.
Each episode is underpinned by research and supported by world-leading experts and first-hand testimony from those who served.
World War II: Women on the Frontline was acquired by Polly Scates, Senior Acquisitions Manager, Channel 4. Woodcut’s Jonathan Mayo is series producer, Kate Beal is executive producer and the directors are Rebecca Joyce and Imogen Walford.
Scates said: “I am very excited to be partnering with Woodcut on this refreshing and informative new series, telling the stories of these extraordinary women who are so often overlooked within history.”
Woodcut International will be presenting the series to buyers for the first time at the upcoming MIPCOM Cannes market in October.
Kate Beal, CEO and co-founder of Woodcut, said: “Rarely do we hear about the brave women who played a pivotal role on the frontline. Women jumped into cockpits, dropped bombs, broke codes, bravely fought, and risked their lives as did their male counterparts – and we want audiences worldwide to know about their amazing feats.”
Woodcut’s docs include Prime Video shows Confessions of a Psycho Killer, The Murder of Meredith and Murder in the Red Light, returning series World’s Most Evil Killers / Britain’s Most Evil Killers and Mandela, My Dad and Me, featuring Idris Elba. It launched its sales business in 2020. Last month, it led a group of UK unscripted indies to form a body aimed at aiding the “continued development of the highest professional standards in true crime production.”