SeriesMania set to welcome new Nordic shows

Despite its warm March dates, French event SeriesMania is about to be hit by some colder winds, screening a selection of new Nordic shows during its anticipated 2025 edition.

This includes its International Competition, set to be dominated by Generations (Generationer). The DR Drama production, created by Anna Emma Haudal and written by Haudal and Rune Schjøtt-Wieth, starts with a shocker: During renovation, a mummified infant’s body is discovered in a Copenhagen flat. The 80 year old woman who lives there immediately confesses to the crime. But her family, including her daughter and granddaughter, remain sceptical.

Sold by DR Sales, the show’s cast include Ulla Henningsen, Anette Støvelbæk, and Alice Bier.

The festival will also welcome The Danish Woman, led by Trine Dyrholm, fresh off celebrating The Girl with the Needle’s (Pigen med nålen’s) Oscar nomination. Now, Dyrholm will play Ditte Jensen, who retires – with distinction – from the Danish Secret Service. Moving into an apartment block in Reykjavik, she’s hoping for a quiet life. But Ditte can’t suddenly change who she is, and she’s a fighter.

The show, sold by The Party Film Sales and presented in the International Panorama, is created by acclaimed director Benedikt Erlingsson (Woman at War)(Kona fer í strið), and written by Erlingsson and Ólafur Egilsson. An Icelandic-French co-production, it’s overseen by Slot Machine, Gullslottid and Zik Zak Filmworks, and broadcasted by RÚV and Arte France.

Norway’s Requiem for Selina (Rekviem for Selina, NRK), inspired by true events, will introduce another conflicted female protagonist, this time trying to conquer – and survive – the battlefield that is blogosphere. Say hello to Celina Isabelle: Bullied girl-turned-beauty influencer.

Created and written by Emmeline Berglund, it features Elli Müller Osborne, Veslemøy Mørkrid, Jon Øigarden and Oliver Sletvold Andersen. About Premium Content handles sales, while Anti produces.

In the same section, A Life’s Worth (Sweden, France) explores the challenges facing the first Swedish UN battalion in Bosnia, as four young soldiers go on their first mission in 1993. The show, written by Mona Masri and Oliver Dixon, was inspired by Magnus Ernström’s book. Yellowbird (Banijay Nordic), Arte France, and Viaplay Content Distribution produce, with the latter also handling sales.

SeriesMania’s Special Screenings will showcase Fighter, another proposition from Norway – a documentary series about Geir Kåre, former MMA-fighter whose life changes after a tragic accident. Told to brace for a life in a wheelchair, he desperately explores alternative treatments. Created by Sunniva Sundby and Mari Bakke Riise, who also direct, and produced by A5 Film, it’s broadcasted on TV 2 Norway, and sold by Trustnordisk.

Finally, Denmark’s One of Us is Trembling (En af os ryster) will round up the Nordic selection by heading to the Short Forms Competition, following a young couple played by Frederikke Dahl Hansen and Alex Høgh Andersen, known for Vikings. Written by Michael Kunov and Selma Sunniva, it’s produced by Isaac Production.

Nordic shows are still a force to be reckoned with, says SeriesMania artistic director Frédéric Lavigne.

“Yes, absolutely. This year, we received a large number of applications and selected five titles, despite the turbulence in recent years of public channels such as DR in Denmark and the discontinuation of fiction productions by Viaplay. Many co-productions or pre-purchases involving Nordic countries are also at the market.”

Industry event SeriesMania Forum unspools from March 25-27.

According to Lavigne, there’s a “slight decline” in omnipresent Nordic Noir, “which has flooded the world to the point of saturation.”

“In terms of genres, we received less thrillers and more ‘young adult’ titles like Requiem for Selina, family series like Generations, war series A Life’s Worth or ‘auteur’ series like The Danish Woman. We can see a greater variety of genres, which is pleasing,” he notes.

“Some viewers are bored by Nordic Noirs, copied in many countries for their local productions. However, many are still asking for them. They are reassuring titles in today’s uncertain market. We still see many of them being submitted for pitching at the SeriesMania Co-Production Forum. Nordic Noir is challenged, but apparently not dead!”

SeriesMania takes place in Lille, France, from March 21 to 28.