Netflix acquires historical series CHARITÉ from Global Screen

Apr 19th, 2018

German World Sales company Global Screen announces its partnership with Netflix to launch the acclaimed historical medical series CHARITÉ in a multi-regional footprint: As of today the lavish 6x45 min production is made available to Netflix subscribers in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Benelux, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and German-speaking Europe. In 2017 the series brought break-out ratings to Germany’s public broadcaster ARD/Das Erste: the first two episodes reached more than 8.41 million viewers and a sensational audience share of 25.9%, delivering the best performance of a prime-time series in 13 years and the most successful launch of a series in more than 25 years for ARD/Das Erste.

The series is set in Berlin, in 1888. After penniless Ida is operated as a patient of the Charité, she is forced to pay back her treatment costs by working as a nursing assistant under the bigoted regiment of deaconess Martha. In doing so, Ida discovers her fervour for medicine. In an age in which women hardly have a right to higher education, Ida is able to follow her free and rebellious spirt in its desire to live a self-determined future. Along her journey she meets extraordinary physicians such as Rudolf Virchow, as well as researchers and later Nobel Laureates Robert Koch, Emil von Behring, and Paul Ehrlich, who are all in stiff competition as they shape medical history.   
Director Sönke Wortmann (“The Miracle of Bern”, “The Pope”) has combined this fascinating material with a rich, atmospheric density and an outstanding Alicia von Rittberg in the role of the bold and inquisitive Ida.   

CHARITÉ is produced by international Emmy® Award-winner UFA FICTION for ARD/Das Erste. It is produced by Benjamin Benedict, Markus Brunnemann, Nico Hofmann and Sebastian Werninger.

Global Screen’s Head of TV Sales & Acquisitions Alexandra Heidrich states, “CHARITÉ is a moving depiction of a young woman far ahead of her time. Ida dares the impossible in the fascinating but men-dominated world of medical research and supply. We are very excited to bring this relevant and gripping series to Netflix audiences around the world.”  

Sebastian Werninger, Executive Producer and CEO UFA FICTION: “We are very happy that after the extraordinary success on German television, the first season of CHARITÉ is now also available on Netflix. After “Generation War” and “Ku’damm 56 – Rebel with a Cause” and with a second season in the making we have produced yet another high-end drama series that has the potential to become a great international success.”