AMC’s Streamer Acorn TV Buys Daphna Levin’s Israeli Thriller ‘The Truth’ for the U.S., U.K., Australia/New Zealand (EXCLUSIVE)
AMC’s streaming service Acorn TV has bought “The Truth,” a crime thriller series co-written by Daphna Levin (“Euphoria”) and Aurit Zamir (“Babysitter”). Sold by About Premium Content, the series was picked up by Acorn TV for the U.S., the U.K. and Australia/New Zealand.
“The Truth” is set in Tel Aviv and opens on the day of the final verdict for the most controversial murder case in Israel, 10 years after the incident which took place in a high school gym. That same day, a new murder happens in identical circumstances. Juvenile inspector Rachel Zohar, a student at the high school at the time of the first murder, must revisit her trauma to solve the case. On top of co-writing, Levin also directed it. Besides the original Israeli version of “Euphoria,” Levin’s credits also include “BeTipul” (“In Treatment”) and “Miguel.”
“The Truth” is produced by Kim Younes-Charbit at Elvie Productions and Leo Maidenberg at Place du Marché, and co-produced by Adi Bar Yosef at Endemol Shine Israel.
Speaking to Variety ahead of Series Mania Festival in Lille, Younes-Charbit, a former top-ranking executive at the French TV network M6 Group, said “‘The Truth’ is part of a new wave of content spearheaded by strong Israeli feminine creatives.” She said “The Truth” also had the particularity of featuring fleshed-out female characters, including the detective who is leading the investigation and is played by acting newcomer Mor Dimri.
Younes-Charbit cited “Hooligans,” another show penned and directed by a female talent, Lee Gilat, one of the writers of “Tehran” Season 2, who co-wrote the scripts with Izhar Harlev (“The Gordin Cell”). The series revolves around Meni Azulai, who works as a delivery boy who unwillingly becomes an infiltrator within the Israeli right-wing movement. “Hooligans” was ordered by Canal+ in France and Kan 11 in Israel, and is produced by Younes-Charbit and Maidenberg, as well as Artza Productions (“The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem”).
“‘Hooligans’ is a series inspired by a true story that resonates with today’s tense political context which is marked by a rise in extremism and different cults that manipulate the most vulnerable people,” said Younes-Charbit, who pointed the show also boasts brave and determined female figures, such as the famous Israeli singer Dikla, who makes her acting debut.
Aside from series, Elvie Productions is also currently producing two timely documentary projects, including “Ukraine: au nom du patrimoine,” which is directed by war reporter Thomas Raguet and explores the efforts made to preserve the culture patrimony in war-torn Ukraine. Younes-Charbit is co-producing with Caroline Delage, with the support of Unesco. The second non-fiction title on Elvie Productions’ slate is a documentary about a special unit that was created in the wake of the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris to prevent and fight against violent extremism. The docu is directed by Richard Berthollet (“un paradis pour deux”) and co-produced by Claude-Sophie Antoine (“Antigang”) at Nola Films.
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