The Drama Co-Production Market & Pitching Forum 2023 will present to the international audiovisual industry a selection of 14 series projects from 9 countries. The projects were evaluated and selected by the Drama Selection Committee, consisting of Manuel Alduy, Head of Cinema and Digital & International Fiction at France Télévisions; Erik Barmack, CEO and Founder of the US company Wild Sheep Content; Sasha Breslau, Head of Content Acquisitions at ITV Studios UK; Tesha Crawford, Senior Vice President Global Scripted Series at Universal International Studios UK; Anna Croneman, Head of Drama at SVT Sweden; Kathryn Fink, Director of Television at SBS Australia; Robert Franke, Vice President Drama of the German pubcaster ZDF Studios; Kriszitina Gallo, Head of International Co-productions at Paprika Studios from Hungary (part of VIAPLAY Group); Helene Goujet, VP of Acquisitions and Editorial, HBO Max – Warner Bros Discovery Streaming Europe, Sweden; Françoise Guyonnet, Executive Managing Director TV Series at Studiocanal, France; Marc Lorber, Studio Executive, Producer and International Advisor; Meghan Lyvers, Director Original Series at Sky Studios UK and Ireland; Marike Muselaers, Head of International Financing and Co-productions at Nordisk Films, Sweden; Neerja Narayanan, Producer and Studio Executive; and Kateryna Vyshnevska, Producer and Head of Development and Co-productions at Ukrainian FILM.UA Group.
The series project selected this year include four Italian productions: A THOUSAND TIMES AT DAWN produced by Domenico Procacci and Laura Paolucci for Fandango and based on the novel “Three Times ad Dawn”. KANUN, from Italo-Albanian producer Ariens Damsi of ElioFilm, tells the story of Arion who discovers he is the heir to Albania’s most notorious family of marijuana farmers. TWO HOURS FROM NOW, a dynamic action series produced by Nicola De Angelis for Fabula Pictures. SERGIO MARCHIONNE – CONFESSIONS OF A CAPITAL JUNKIE the incredible life story of the italian most famous CEO and produced by Maria Theresia Braun for Alfred Film.
Among the selected projects, three shows are the result of international co-productions between different countries and players: HALLYU – KOREAN WAVE, an Italian-French co-production that explores the fictional story of the first Western K-pop band. The series is produced by Stefano Centini (Volos Films Italia), Farid Rezkallah (24images Production) and Paolo Maria Spina (Revolver). THE RIDGE, an incredible co-production between New Zealand (Great Southern Television) and France (Oble TV), brings us the story of Mia, a girl who moves in a Maori community and must deal with her sister’s death and secrets. THE GOLDEN EGG HOTEL a heart-warming and hilarious dramedy produced by Maria Ishak for Asacha Media Group (France) and Sandrine Zeynoun for The Big Picture Studios (Lebanon).
Regarding the international productions, two projects from Greece were selected: COSTA ARMONIA, a series where Parasite meets Dark Star on the set of The White Lotus, produced by Amanda Livanou for Neda Film; LOOM produced by Nicholaos Alavanos for Filmiki SA. From Ireland, FACTORY GIRL, a tv series produced by Ailish McElmeel for Deadpan, about a young woman living in, and trying to escape from, a small Northern Irish town. From Israel, HEART OF A KILLER, a medical series produced by Noa Gavish and Adi Bar Yosef for Endemol Shine Israel; and NON ISSUE, dramedy that tells the story of a Jewish-Palestinian couple produced by Efrat Dror for Herzelia Studios. Representing Spain, LUCIO’S TREASURE, a miniseries written by producer Alberto Rull, about a common man who nearly bankrupted the First National City Bank of America. From Belgium, ALE MARY, a series which sees the bizarre encounter between beer and religion, produced by Arnauld de Battice and Marianne Chénet for AT-Production.
