'Lifeline' marks yes Studios’ second major factual title following '44 Hours', a documentary about a man who suffered from locked-in syndrome.
Israeli producer and distributor yes Studios has announced that it will introduce its latest factual title, Lifeline, at this year’s Mipcom event, which will take place from October 16 to 19. Available as either a four-hour series, an eight-half-hour series, a 1 x 74-minute feature, or a format, Lifeline will take audiences behind the scenes at a helpline centre, where calls encompass a wide range of topics, from family violence and heartbreak to loneliness and thoughts of suicide.
This series provides exclusive first-time access to the ERAN Association (Emotional First Aid) in Israel. Through an intimate, single-camera approach, Lifeline offers an authentic look at the actual volunteers who handle these calls. These volunteers are highly trained professionals who provide emotional support and assistance to distressed callers. To protect caller anonymity, actors improvise based on notes from selected real cases, bringing the dramatic and emotionally charged stories to life.
Produced by yes Docu and Endemol Shine Israel for yes TV, Lifeline is directed by Golan Rise and Sharon Yaish, with executive producers Guy Lavie and Keren Gleicher. Yes Studios serves as the worldwide representative for the completed series, feature, and format.
Speaking about the show, Sharon Levi, Managing Director at yes Studios, said: “Lifeline is a remarkable series, allowing viewers to sit right alongside volunteers for a privileged glimpse into the lives of these incredible people and the distressed callers they try to help. Relying solely on the voice on the line and the face and actions of the volunteer, these true stories successfully grip from the outset and keep you in suspense through their various twists and turns with surprise, shock, tears and relief all likely viewer outcomes from each of the narratives. Programming that explores mental health issues is of great interest at present so we are pleased not only to have a new take on a topical subject but to also bring a series of different lengths as well as a feature option to the market, allowing buyers to choose the version that will work best for their viewers.”
Levi continued: “As a factual format, Lifeline’s strength is that it covers both universal and culturally specific problems and can be readily replicated at any helpline office around the globe. This deeply personal world is rarely seen on screen in documentaries, but by using actors to preserve anonymity, broadcasters everywhere can allow audiences to eavesdrop on the details of conversations they would never otherwise hear and, perhaps, even help address some of their own problems at the same time.”
