Only six months after its 2021 edition, Series Mania will be back with a sprawling selection, including the world premieres of Michael Hirst’s “Billy The Kid” (pictured), the Israeli series “Fire Dance” and rap music-themed French show “Le monde de demain.”
Underscoring the large presence of streamers within the roster, Series Mania will kick off with Netflix’s “Standing Up,” a new comedy series from “Call My Agent” creator and showrunner Fanny Herrero; while Disney Plus’ “Oussekine,” about a tragic case of police brutality in France, will close the festival.
The lineup boasts 58 series spanning 21 countries. These were chosen from 331 series. The international jury, whose president will be announced later, will comprise German actor Christian Berkel (“Downfall”), Franco-Belgian actor Cécile de France (“The Young Pope,””Lost illusions”), Israeli actor Shira Haas (“The Unorthodox”), Turkish creator and director Berkun Oya (“Bir Baskadir”) and French singer-songwriter and model Yseult.
This year’s guests of honor are Michael Hirst, the British showrunner of “The Tudors” and “Vikings,” who will be on the ground to present his new series “Billy The Kid;” along with French filmmaker and actor Mathieu Kassovitz, the star of “The Bureau;” and fellow actors Nathalie Baye (“Call my agent”) and Isabelle Nanty (“Munch”).
Laurence Herszberg, Series Mania’s managing director, and Frédéric Lavigne, the festival’s artistic director, pointed out that one of the trends of this year’s edition is the presence of French series tackling current events.
“This bigger [appetite] of French series for social realism is also reflected in the choice of issues treated; just like series from the United States, the United Kingdom or countries from the North of Europe, French series focus on current events,” said the pair, citing “Oussekine,” “Le Monde de demain,” “Chair tendre” and season 2 of “In Treatment.”
Herszberg and Lavigne also pointed out there will be an important number of female showrunners. “No doubt that the movement, initiated a few years ago with the use of quotas and enriched by a new generation with different values and motivations, is starting to pay off.” They also noted a “larger presence of non-white talents in French series, in front or behind the camera.”
Series Mania will take place March 18-25 in Lille, Northern France.
Here’s the lineup:
International Competition
“Billy The Kid” – World premiere
Michael Hirst (creator, showrunner, executive producer, writer)
USA / EPIX Studios
“Fire Dance” – World premiere
Rama Burshtein-Shai (showrunner, screenwriter, director)
Israel / Yes TV
“Il Re” – International premiere
Giuseppe Gagliardi (director)
Italy / Sky
“Le Monde de Demain” – World premiere
Hélier Cisterne and Katell Quillévéré (co-creators, co-writers, directors), David Elkaïm and Vincent Poymiro (co-creators, co-writers)
France / ARTE / Netflix
“Soldiers” – World premiere
France / OCS
“The Baby” — World premiere
UK / Sky / HBO / OCS
“The Birth of Daniel F. Harris” — World premiere
UK / Channel 4
“Transport” – World premiere
Auli Mantila (director)
Finland / YLE
“We Own This City” – World premiere
USA / HBO / OCS
French Competition
“Black Butterflies” – World premiere
Olivier Abbou (co-creator, director, co-writer, co-producer), Bruno Merle (co-creator, co-writer)
France / ARTE / Netflix
“Chair Tendre” – World premiere
Yaël Langmann (creator, co-writer and co-director), Jérémy Mainguy (co-director)
France / france.tv slash
“Off Season” – World premiere
Sarah Farkas and Marine Flores-Ruimi (co-creators), Pierre Monnard (director)
France-Switzerland / France Télévisions / RTS
“Sisters” – World premiere
Jérôme Larcher and Catherine Regula (creators), Joël N’Sita, Philippe Bernard, Salif Cissé and Estelle Koenig (co-writers), Théo Jourdain and Mohamed Chabane (directors)
France / france.tv slash
“Syndrome E” – World premiere
Mathieu Missoffe (writer, based on Franck Thilliez’s novel), Laure de Butler (director)
France / TF1
“The Aerobics Project” – World premiere
Maxime Donzel (co-creator, co-writer), Julien Patry (director, dialogues adapter)
France / OCS
Special Screenings
“Becoming Elizabeth”
UK / Starz / Starzplay
“Halo” – French premiere
USA / Paramount+
“Landscrapers” – French premiere
UK / Sky / HBO Max / Canal Plus
“Parallels” – World premiere
France / Disney Plus
“The Man Who Fell to Earth” – International premiere
USA / Showtime
“This is Going to Hurt” – French premiere
UK / BBC / Canal Plus
Cult screening
“The Kingdom” — World premiere
Remastered version created by Lars von Trier / Denmark (1994)