The Human King tells the untold story of King Hussein of Jordan, one of the most influential leaders of the modern Middle East. Rising to the throne at seventeen, he guided his fragile nation through wars, assassination attempts, and political upheaval while forging historic peace and living a life marked by romance, adventure, and personal struggle. Spanning nearly five decades of reign, the series—akin to The Crown—reveals a charismatic, conflicted monarch whose choices still shape global politics today. Hussein’s story is urgent, human, and deeply compelling. Written by Ali Selim and Laith Majali.
More than 90 years ago, King Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia made the strategic decision to grant a concession to the American company SOCAL to search for oil in the barren desert of Eastern Saudi Arabia, at that time a remote and austere region where few foreigners had ventured. A small group of adventurous American engineers, geologists and oilmen rose to the challenge, undertaking a complex, risky multi-year effort that seemed on the verge of failure at many points. Based on the manuscript DISCOVERY! from Pulitzer Prize winning author Wallace Stegner, this scripted television series tells the dramatic story of how Americans and Saudis —two peoples with different religions, cultures and experiences —worked together to make a discovery that would transform Saudi Arabia, establish the largest company in human history, and change the world. Produced in partnership with Propagate Content.
Born and raised in poverty in a rural village, Anwar Sadat became a nationalist hero among Egyptians imprisoned for fighting against British rule and working with Nasser to overthrow the unpopular King Farouk. Jehan Sadat was born to an upper middle class family in Cairo, the daughter of a British mother and Egyptian father, an interfaith marriage. Her unlikely relationship with Anwar Sadat, which began when she was 15 years old and he was 30, would have a huge impact on Egypt’s future. Based on the respective memoirs of Jehan and Anwar Sadat, this series profiles the Sadats’ complex legacy —from Jehan’s efforts to advance women’s rights, to Anwar’s decision for war in 1973 and his assassination eight years later — and their personal relationship which is central to this dramatic story of love, trauma and tragedy.
On the evening of September 17, 1992, eight leading members of the Iranian and Kurdish opposition had gathered at a little-known restaurant in Berlin when two darkly-clad men burst through the entrance. Within moments, the roar of a machine gun filled the air. Two rounds of fire and four single shots later, four of the men were dead. One of the survivors of that shooting, along with the widow of one of the victims and a handful of reporters, attorneys, and fellow exiles, began a crusade that would not only pit them against Tehran but against some of the greatest powers in Germany. When an undeterred federal prosecutor, and an endlessly patient chief judge, took over the case, a historic verdict followed which shook both Europe and Iran, and achieved something few could have predicted—justice. Roya Hakakian’s The Assassins of the Turquoise Palace is an incredible book of history and reportage, and an unforgettable narrative of heroism and justice. Directed by Lars Kraume, Produced in Partnership with ITV Studios/Windlight Productions.
A tense political thriller chronicling the true story of Mohamed Fahmy, the Egyptian-Canadian journalist who was arrested by the Egyptian government and thrown in Cairo’s infamous Tora prison along with top ISIS and Muslim Brotherhood leaders. Disillusioned by his own country for his imprisonment, he comes to realize that he's a pawn in a much larger struggle for power across the Middle East, with the freedom of the press very much at stake. Produced in partnership with Propagate Content.