More than 1,400 drama executives are excepted at the C21 International Drama Summit in London (November 27-29) including 100 commissioners and buyers who will vote for the Best International Dramas.

This year the Swedish/French high concept thriller Midnight Sun produced by Nice Drama and Atlantique Productions for SVT/Canal+, is among six shows vying for Best Non-English Language Drama series.

Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein picked up earlier three awards for Best Director, Screenwriter, New TV Series for the show at the 2016 Roma Fiction Festival as well as the Audience Award Best Series at Series Mania 2016. Among the competing foreign language drama series are HBO Europe’s Czech mini-series Wasteland and Rai’s Italian crime show Maltese.

Fallet (The Case) produced by FLX for SVT is running for Best Comedy Drama against T.A.N.K. (Studio+), Nevsu (Reshet), Back (Chennale 4/Sundance TV) and Gap Year (E4). The Swedish crime dramedy starring Lisa Henni and Adam Godley is sold worldwide by Keshet International. Both Midnight Sun and Fallet were backed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond.
Netflix cumulates the most nominations (11), including four for The Crown, followed by the BBC (9), HBO and ITV (6 each).

C21’s first Drama Series Pitch has eight dramas selected from 42 submissions, including two Finnish productions.

  • Lover produced by Zodiak Finland, is a 10-part series created by Antti Pesonen (Bordertown, Bullets) and Mark Autio. It’s the story of Alex Worley who has it all; a smart wife, kids, a home and a career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But Alex has a secret. He moonlights as a male escort with a jet-setting clientele and access to the secrets of some of the most influential women in Europe. His two worlds collide when Alex's work for a Swiss heiress puts him on the radar of a ruthless Russian crime boss, and his journalist wife starts investigating a prostitution ring story. The series is currently in development.
  • Arctic Circle is the first co-production between Finland’s Yellow Film & TV and Germany’s Bavara Fiction, sold internationally by Lagardère Studios. Set in Finnish Lapland, the 10X70’ crime series tells of police officer (Iina Kuustonen) and German Virologist Thomas Lorenz (Maximilian Brückner) who investigate a deadly virus discovered in the body of a prostitute.
    The series will premiere on the Finnish streaming service Elise Viihde in 2018 before its roll-out on YLE. The awards for Best Pitch and Best International Drama series will be announced on Wednesday.

    Six other projects will take part in the Drama Script Competition sponsored by eOne and Script Angel. The closed event for drama professionals held for the first time at London’s Kings Place Venue, has a packed programme of screenings, case studies and discussions. Country Focuses will feature dramas from the Nordics, Spain, France, Germany, Brazil, Australia and Canada. Nordic dramas to be sneak-previewed include Iceland’s Stella Blomkvist (Siminn/Viaplay), Sweden’s Conspiracy of Silence (Viaplay), Honour/Heder (Discovery Sweden), and Denmark’s Liberty (DR). Swedish star actress Sofia Helin will take centre stage to discuss both Heder and The Bridge.

 

Four questions to David Jenkinson, editor in chief/managing director C21 Media

Why have you introduced the Drama Series Pitch? What other novelties are there this year?
DJ: We felt the Drama Series Pitch would provide a great way to launch new shows. More than 40 companies entered and we chose eight to present. We hope this becomes a cornerstone of the event in years to come. We are also bringing more creators to the conference this year, and new sectors like book publishing. We want Content London to be a place people come to discover new voices.

As you’ve taken part in the selection process of the Drama Script competition, Drama Series Pitch and Drama awards, what trends have you noticed in terms of genres, formats and production/financing collaborations?
DJ: A focus on expensive drama coproduced with SVOD is dominating the market, with quirky smaller projects in evidence too. What seems to be squeezed out is mid-range drama. Where will the home for that be in future?

Do you feel Nordic drama stays at the top end of what’s available on the global market?
DJ: Not sure. It has certainly influenced the style and approach of a lot of global drama, but perhaps needs to move beyond ‘noir’ now and find a new voice. There are only so many dysfunctional detectives out there ;-)

As seasoned observer, what have been the major changes in the industry in the last year and how do you see the scripted business evolve in the coming years?
DJ: Lots more boom and lots more opportunity. Libraries are never overfilled with books, and I don’t think audiences will tire of fresh drama. Finding good writers and producers will remain the challenge to take it to the next level.