– On 23 March, ahead of Series Mania Forum, the industry’s leading buyers will have exclusive access to highly anticipated series
The series Alice
Launched successfully last year by the Series Mania (read the article on the 16th edition, which begins on 20 March), Buyers Upfront will take place on 23 March with the support of Beta, as a prelude to Series Mania Forum (news), the trade section of the Lille event. On the programme is a selection of 10 series, with over 100 buyers invited for the occasion set to enjoy exclusive previews between 10 to 12 minutes. A Buyers’ Choice Award will also be presented to the most promising series by a jury comprising Oliver Jones (Apple TV+), Nick Lee (BBC), Morad Koufane (France Télévisions), Fredrik Luihn (NRK), Margarida Pereira (TVI – Televisao Independente) and Hakura Jorgensen (Wowow Inc.).
Among the selected entries, Alice stands out; composed of 6 x 45 minutes episodes, it is a French-Belgian-Canadian series produced for HBO Max and France Télévisions, starring Bérénice Bejo, Thibaut Evrard, Oscar Lesage and François Arnaud. This historical drama traces the incredible journey of Alice Guy, a pioneer of the cinema and the first female fiction director in the history of film, a woman who was at once an artist, an entrepreneur, a wife and a mother. An extraordinary life journey spanning France and the United States, marked by struggles, thwarted love affairs and a quest for freedom and recognition. Created by Claire Lemarchal and Tim Loane, who wrote the screenplay with André Gulluni, the series was directed by Virginie Verrier and Guillaume Lonergan.
The Buyers Upfront selection also includes two Spanish series: In Vitro and The Dark Book: The Secret of the Egerias (working title). Also featured are the Norwegian series The Traitor Within, the Swiss series Blind, another French series, R91, and two British titles: Counsels and Number 10. The showcase is rounded off by the Australian series Gnomes and by Lost and Found, a co-production between Japan and Singapore.
The selection:
Alice (France/Belgium/Canada)
International sales: Wild Bunch TV
Production: Wild Bunch, Ligne de Front, Panache Productions, La Compagnie Cinématographique, Sphere Media
Format: 6 x 45 minutes
Genre: Drama
Blind (Switzerland)
International sales: OneGate Media GmbH
Production: Zodiac Pictures
Format: 6 x 58 minutes
Genre: Thriller
Counsels (UK)
International sales: All3Media International
Production: Balloon Entertainment, ZDF Neo, BBC, BBC Scotland
Format: 8 x 60 minutes
Genre: Drama
Gnomes (Australia)
International sales: Happy Accidents
Production: Screen Invaders, Total Fiction
Format: 6 x 30 minutes
Genre: Comedy
In Vitro (Spain)
International sales: Beta Film
Production: Moire Films, Rodar y Rodar, Bullfrog Pictures, in co-production with 3Cat, with the participation of HBO Max
Format: 6 x 45 minutes
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Lost and Found (Japan/Singapore)
International sales: Empire of Arkadia
Production: Empire of Arkadia, Mocha Chai Laboratories, TV Man Union
Format: 6 x 48 minutes
Genre: Drama
Number 10 (UK)
International sales: ITV Studios
Production: Hartswood Films
Format: 6 x 60 minutes
Genre: Drama
R91 (France)
International sales: SND
Production: Next Episode
Format: 6 x 52 minutes
Genre: Thriller, Action
The Dark Book: The Secret of the Egerias (working title) (Spain)
International sales: Studio TF1
Production: Studio TF1
Format: 6 x 45 minutes
Genre: Thriller
The Traitor Within (Norway)
International sales: Fremantle
Production: Miso Film Norge
Format: 4 x 45 minutes
Genre: Drama, Thriller
(Translated from French)
