Zentropa’s “Cecilie Mars,” from Christoffer Boe, “The Chaplain,” from Australia’s Wooden Horse and Jennifer Fox’s latest “Ruth’s Ghosts” are among buzz titles at March’s Series Mania Co-Pro Pitching Sessions.
There’s also good word on “Phenomena – the Series,” a modern makeover of Dario Argento’s “Creepers,” and Spanish dramedy “The Lottery Ticket,” from Secuoya Studios. Announced by Series Mania Friday, the 16-title lineup runs the gamut from powerhouses – German pubcaster ARD (“Nuclear Sunset Cruise”), the Lars von Trier-run Zentropa, Iceland’s Glassriver (“Masquerade”) and Israel’s Sipur (“Intimacy”) – to far more contained budget link-ups such as “Wool,” a Serbia-Iceland co-pro.
That said, the Co-Pro Pitching Sessions show, like the London TV Screenings before them, a new industrial realism, with Europe’s TV production adapting to more straightened times.
“Certainly, project financing is a bit more complicated than a few years ago. Broadcasters and platforms are a little bit more cautious about investment, even though they sometimes collaborate on projects. But you need to stand out and to convince broadcasters a bit more,” Francesco Capurro, Series Mania Forum director. “We tried this year for the Co-Pro Pitching Sessions to really bear in mind feasibility of projects in market terms which was the main – though not only – selection criteria.”
As producers and sales conglomerates seek out English-language series which are far easier to sell to streamers for the U.S., companies from burgeoning talent hubs such as New Zealand, the Philippines and Australia are ever more on the global radar.
“Volume of project applications – 406 – is on a par with 2024 but these have come from more countries, from literally all around the world,” Capurro added. New territories this year include New Zealand, the Philippines, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Uganda and Eswatini. “The Chaplain” is the first Australian project to pitch at the Sessions.
Appealing ever more to the main market staple – crime thrillers – the global six streamers percentage of first-run scripted series orders that are crime shows has near doubled from 22% 2H 2019 to 38% 2H 2024. As producers seek to make shows which can play on free to air and platforms, that stat plays out over Series Mania. 10 of the 16 projects pitched can be described as crime thrillers. But they’ve hardly been written by numbers.
“The thriller is still the main genre but so big that you can treat it in many, many different ways,” said Capurro. The originality of its crime thrillers’ is indeed one large source of this year’s lineup breadth and richness.
Some projects take on a supernatural turn (“Phenomena – The Series,” “Ruth’s Ghosts”), others look to boast a wry engaging humor (“Invisible”), or develop an ethical drama edge, such as “Cecilie Mars,” which turns on a a driven police commissioner, is secretly consumed by a past trauma. When a case hits too close to home, she crosses the line into vigilantism.
“Most crime series revolve around drugs, trafficking, and murder mysteries, but our racing pigeons—and the billions in gambling money behind them—unveil a whole new world,” promises producer David Vermander at Belgium’s Cartouche.
Also, dramedies – “or at least series that bring comedic or lighter elements to the forefront are also on the rise,” Capurro observes.
“This could be seen as an attempt by producers to make lighter stories also for audiences that are in a very complicated and frightening world. They might want to be entertained a little bit more!” he ventured.
Otherwise, some notable series – “Ruth’s Ghosts,” “The Institute,” “Wool” – include a strong gender agenda, focusing on female empowerment or a push back against initial disenfranchisement. “There are also more and more female protagonists, trying to find their way in a world which is still mainly male dominated,” Capurro noted.
“The Co-Pro Pitching Sessions are always a highlight of the Forum given their goal of helping high-end European and international drama projects find potential financial partners,” commented Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg.
“Since inception in 2013, we have seen great success with these pitches, and it is certain to continue this year given our stellar lineup of titles from around the world. We look forward to welcoming our esteemed jury to Lille and awarding the winner of the Best Project Award with €50,000 [$52,500],” she added.
The Series Mania Forum Co-Pro Pitching Sessions take place Tuesday March 25.
The titles:
“Antiparos,” (8 x 45,’ Greece)
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Produced by Dionyssis Samiotis, Development Producer Alexandra Orfanidou, for Tanweer Productions, Co – Producer Mark Denessen, for Ginger Film Flanders (Belgium)
Directed by Alexandros Tsilifonis
From Tanweer Productions, the Athens-based producer on seminal Leonard Cohen true-life love story “So Long, Marianne, a “darkly comedic mystery,” says creator Tsilifonis, in which a verge-of-burn-out detective returns for rest to his home island of Antiparos, and is embroigled in the most complicated murders he’s faced. This contemporary series peels back the layers of an idyllic destination to reveal an unexpected underworld—where intrigue, absurdity, and sharp storytelling collide.” Tsilifonis added.
“Cecilie Mars,” (6 x 45,’ Denmark)
Genre: Thriller
Produced by Karoline Leth for Zentropa Entertainments
Written and directed by Christoffer Boe
The buzziest title in this year’s lineup, backed by double Oscar winner Zentropa (“In a Better World,” “Another World”), and helmed by Christopher Boe, whose 2018 “Warrior” marked some of the most innovative of mainstream TV series work from Denmark to that date. Now Cecilie Mars marks Zentropa’s third recent series after Lars Von Trier’s “The Kingdom: Exodus” and Thomas Vinterberg’s “Families Like Ours.” Crossing the line into vigilantism, Mars is blackmailed by a shadowy figure, she’s forced into a deadly game of cat and mouse, blurring the lines between justice and revenge,” runs the second half of Zentropa’s synopsis.
“The Chaplain,” (8 x 30,’ Australia)
Genre: Dramatic comedy
Co-created and produced by Jude Troy for Wooden Horse. Co-created and written by Elise McCredie
Another potential Pitching Sessions standout. Unspooling in the bustling environment of an international airport, “The Chaplain” follows Airport Chaplain Tobias Wallace, who uses unorthodox methods to solve daily crises while dealing with new management threatening his job. Created by Elise McCredie and Jude Troy, the show promises a captivating blend of drama and comedy, highlighting the unique challenges and stories within the multicultural melting pot of an airport. Wooden Horse, behind Disney+’s “The Clearing,” produces.
”Consultants,” 6 x 45′ – Germany
Genre: Political thriller
Berliner Carlo, a young campaign strategist, lands a dream job fighting a neo-fascist party in Italy—until he realises he’s part of a larger, sinister manipulation. Co-produced with ZDF and backed by Filmfernsehfonds Bayern (FFF), Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg (MBB), and the German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF). From the team behind the well received “Kleo” this thriller exposes the ease of disinformation in modern politics. “‘Consultants’ touches a very essential challenge of our society: How can our democracies survive without truth,” producer Alexis von Wittgenstein told Variety.
“Heist,” (6 x 45,’ Belgium, France)
Genre: Action thriller
Produced by Dries Phylpo for A Private View and Antoine Simkine for Les Films d’Antoine
Heist
“The Institute,” (working title, 6 x 50,’ Germany, Denmark)
Genre: Thriller
Produced by Irina Ignatiew-Lemke for Boxworks Media and Deborah Bayer Marlow for Nordisk Film Productions
Created by: Esther Gronenborn
High-profile TV exec Irina Ignatiew-Lemke (formerly at All3Media and Red Arrow International before relaunching Boxworks Media), has teamed up with seasoned writer-director Esther Gronenborg (“The White Silence”) on this corporate thriller. The story turns on brilliant scientist Rebecca Abrams (47), who experiences a career setback after anonymous allegations of abuses of power are brought against her. ”It’s a timely and globally relevant exploration of power, gender, and institutional corruption, a story rooted in multiple true accounts of systemic sabotage against women in leadership,” says Ignatiew-Lemke.
The Institute
“Intimacy,” (8 x 42,’ U.K./Israel)
Genre: Thriller
Produced by Ariel Weisbrod for Sipur
Created by: Dan Berlinka, Maude Sandham, Dan Buckland
WIth Bad Boy, from Euphoria creator Ron Leshem and “I’m Still Alive,” the adult animated feature by Roberto Saviano (Gomorrah) both in the hopper, Sipur now comes to market with “Intimacy”: “Sex scene, death scene, crime scene. When an actress is found dead on a film set, the Intimacy Co-ordinator feels compelled to investigate, which means taking on the dead woman’s role,” the synopsis runs. “A gripping and entertaining genre show that gives us an authentic vision of a side of the entertainment industry we’ve not seen on screen before,” says Sipur’s Ariel Weisbrod.
Intimacy
“Invisible,” (6 x 47′-Ireland)
Genre: Mystery Drama
Produced by Ciarán Charles, Darach Ó Tuairisg & Bernadette Hoban
In this procedural set in Northern Ireland, an unlikely duo is leading the crime investigation: Scarlett, a girl no one respects, and her grandfather James, a man no one believes. Matt Harvey is credited for the Shudder original “Mandrake”, and Icelandic-born Marteinn Thorisson for the Sundance nominated “One Point O”, Karlovy Vary winner “XL” and TV show “Happily Never After.” Development support was provided by Northern Ireland Screen and BBC Northern Ireland & Screen Ireland.
“The Lottery Ticket,” (6 x 50,’ Spain)
Genre: Dramedy
Produced by Secuoya Studios
The latest from Madrid’s Secuoya Studios, under CEO Brendan Fitzgerald, and written by Carlos Vila, a co-creator of 2016’s “Los misterios de Laura, adapted by Warner Bros. for NBC as The Mysteries of Laura, starring Debra Messing, as well as a co-creator on recent RTVE hit “Detective Touré.” Julia, turning 50, announces she has terminal cancer, and reconnect with the daughter she gave up for adoption when young. Her 50th birthday party turns into an all-out war when a winning lottery ticket turns up which everyone wants to get their hands on.
“Masquerade,” (8 x 55′ – Iceland)
Genre: Crime-thriller
Produced by Arnbjörg Hafliðadóttir and Andri Ómarsson for Glassriver
Created by Andri Óttarsson & Baldvin Z
Former cop and criminal attorney turned writer/producer Andri Óttarsson has penned some of Iceland’s biggest TV hits in the last decade, from “Case”, “Stella Blómkvist,” to the recent hit “Black Sands”, helmed by Baldvin Z. In the partners’ next bet “Masquerade”, a young American reporter arrives in a small Icelandic village, investigating an old unsolved abduction case of a four-year-old girl – granddaughter of the town’s most wealthy and powerful man-who vanished while on vacation in Florida 25 years ago. As she digs deeper, she begins to unravel the village’s darkest secrets, only to realize that those responsible for the abduction are probably still living in the village.
“Nest,” (8 x 60,’ Belgium, U.K., Taiwan)
Genre: Crime Comedy
Produced by David Vermander for Cartouche, Anouk Mertens for Neo Studios and James Chia-Hao for Reel Asia Pictures
A charismatic con artist and her unpredictable, “intellectually challenged” brother inherit a racing pigeon, unwittingly plunging into the high-stakes world of Taiwanese gambling syndicates. As they chase the legendary ‘Million Dollar Race,’ “Nest” blends crime and comedy in a tale of family and belonging – where, like their avian speedster, every character is searching for home. Selected for Series Mania, TCCF Taiwan, MIA Rome, and Torino Series Lab, the project is backed by the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF).
“Nuclear Sunset Cruise,” (“MS Völkerfreundschaft”) (6 x 45’ – Germany)
Genre: Historical Comedy
Produced by Schiwago Film, in co-production with ARD Degeto
Oblivious East German cruise ship plots a course into the Cuban Missile Crisis, unaware of the nuclear standoff surrounding them. As Cold War tensions escalate, onboard chaos may be the more immediate threat in this comedy. Developed in collaboration with Europe’s biggest public broadcaster ARD Degeto who continue to back the bold, such as Canneseries 2024 winner “The Zweiflers”), it seems a timely satire on global instability, nuclear tensions, and the absurdity of history repeating itself.
“Phenomena – The Series,” (Italy)
Genre: Horror/Teen Drama
Produced by Titanus Production
Adapted from Dario Argento’s 1985 horror film “Phenomena,” known as “Creepers” in the U.S., this series is produced by Italy’s Titanus Production. The series follows Jennifer Corvino, an American student with a psychic link to insects, as she navigates life at a fencing academy in the Dolomites while confronting a series of brutal murders. With her unique abilities, Jennifer must stop the killer, save her comrades, and survive.
‘Phenomena – The Series’
Credit: Supercinema
“Ruth’s Ghosts,” (6 x 60,’ U.S., Germany)
Genre: Legal thriller with supernatural elements
Produced by Jennifer Fox for A Luminous Mind Production, Tara Grace for Temair Pictures and Jana Lotze for Oma Inge Film.
The Series Mania Award winner and this week’s Berlinale Series Market’s Co-Pro Series, created by Fox, an influential documentarian whose first narrative movie The Tale (2018) was hailed by Variety as a “landmark advance in the field of cinematic memoir,” set in a 2020 U.S., a a Christian pro-life lawyer in New Orleans, haunted by a ghost, argues in court for her 13-year-old granddaughter’s right to an abortion. “A high-stakes thriller that explores a deeply relevant global issue through the intimate lens of a family divided by opposing political and religious beliefs,” Fox has told Variety.
“Tokyo Crush,” (8 x 30′ – France, Japan)
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Produced by Jonas Ben Haiem and Jean-Félix Dealberto for Salle Commune, and Hiroko Oda for Flag Inc.
Mona, a wildly creative Parisian sous-chef, thinks she’s hit the jackpot when she’s hired to turn a struggling Tokyo izakaya into the city’s next hot spot. But upon landing in Japan, she realizes there’s a catch: she has to team up with the existing staff — including Toshiro, the fiercely talented (and annoyingly handsome) grandson of the founder. “This series is a rich blend of food, self-discovery, and romance,” said Dealberto.
“Wool,” (6 x 50′ – Serbia, Iceland)
Genre: Drama
Produced by Milena Dzambasovic for Film Road Production, Jonas Margeir Ingolfsson & Milla Ósk for Act4, Danna Stern for In Transit Productions
A visionary woman in 1960s socialist Yugoslavia, rallies rural village housewives into a knitting collective that transforms their lives; challenging traditions, changing their destinies and creating a surprise sensation in the global fashion world. “‘Wool’ is an aspirational, entertaining feel-good series about female friendship and how one person can change – if not the world, certainly a village,” Dzambasovic told Variety.
Wool
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An Interview with Tribeca Film Festival’s Newest sensation
The Rise of “Ruth’s Ghosts”
Your latest project, “Ruth’s Ghosts,” has taken the film industry by storm. Tell us about the inspiration behind the series.
Jane Doe: “Ruth’s Ghosts” is a passion project that combines my interests in feminist themes, legal drama, and the supernatural. The idea came from reflecting on the ongoing debate around abortion rights and the emotional complexities families face when grappling with such divisive issues.”
How do you balance the supernatural elements with the legal thriller aspects in the series?
Jane Doe: Blending these genres has been both challenging and enlightening. The supernatural acts as a symbolic portrayal of the main character’s inner turmoil, while the legal drama provides a real-world context for the emotional struggles of the characters.
Thought-Provoking Question
If you could have any ghost from history apear and weigh in on a modern-day issue, which ghost would you choose and what issue would you like them to confront?
Jane Doe: That’s a engaging question! I’d love to see the ghost of Susan B. Anthony visiting a modern-day anti-voting rights rally. Her fiery speeches and unyielding determination for women’s rights could definately spark some thought-provoking conversations in today’s political climate.
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