Parthenon migrates into features

Distributor picks up 'Knut,' 'Serengeti'

By ARCHIE THOMAS

LONDON — U.K.-based factual and tyke specialist Parthenon Ent. has migrated into feature distribution with two nature docus, “Knut and his Friends” and “Serengeti.”

The company has partnered with NDR Naturfilm to distrib the pics, both made by German shingles.

“Knut,” which is produced by Docfilm, follows a polar bear cub born at Berlin Zoo who was rejected by his mother and hand-reared by zookeepers. The cute cub became a global celebrity when animal rights activists called for him to be put down on the grounds that he would never fully assimilate with other polar bears.

“Knut” was a homevid hit in Germany last year, where it moved to 7th slot in the DVD chart, selling more than 60,000 copies in just over a month.

“Serengeti,” from docu shingle Intervista, examines the life and death of wildlife as they migrate across the plains of the African savannah.

“We have been looking at getting into feature film distribution for some time, and have acquired these two stellar films to kick start the division in style,” Carl Hall, Parthenon’s CEO, said.