Advertisement

‘World Beyond,’ ‘Upload,’ ‘Trying’ Set for Canneseries

Click here to read the full article.

PARIS — AMC’s “The Walking Dead: World Beyond,” Amazon Prime’s “Upload,” and Apple TV’s “Trying” will make their international premieres at the 3rd edition of Canneseries, which will run from March 27 to April 1.

The Riviera-set fest will host tributes to David Hasselhoff (“Baywatch”), “Sharp Object” and “Euphoria” breakout Sydney Sweeney, and “Transparent” star Judith Light, before closing with the world premiere of “The Bureau,” Season 5.

More from Variety

Producer Gale Anne Hurd (“The Walking Dead,” “Aliens”) will lead this year’s jury alongside actors Ncuti Gatwa (“Sex Education”), Camille Cottin (“Call My Agent”) and Katja Herbers (“Westworld”), director Tawfik Abu Wael (“Our Boys”) and rocker Steward Copeland.

Pay-TV service Canal Plus will bring two high-profile French language offerings, launching the final season premiere of their spy thriller “The Bureau” and the series premiere of their hip-hop drama “Validé,” which was co-created by popular local star Franck Gastambide.

Of then ten series in the festival’s highly selective competition, the English-and Norwegian-language “Atlantic Crossing” seems likely to draw attention. Produced by Cinenord and sold by Beta Film, the lavish historical piece follows a Norwegian crown princess who fled the Nazis and moved into the White House, with Kyle MacLachlan playing the role of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Beta Film is also handling the Russian dramedy “257 Reasons to Live,” which follows a young woman who decides to pursue her dreams after overcoming a potentially fatal illness.

Of the two Israeli series playing in competition, “Losing Alice” will make its world premiere, while “The Grave” will premiere internationally.

Created by playwright Sigal Avin and produced by Dori Media, the noirish “Losing Alice” centers on 47-year-old filmmaker who becomes obsessed with a younger femme fatale. Keshet’s “The Grave” offers a time-travel mystery drama from creator Omri Givon, who won Canneseries’ top prize in 2018 with his series “When Heroes Fly.”

Swedish legal thriller “Top Dog” and Danish police drama “DNA” offer the requisite doses of Scandi Noir. Adapted from author Jens Lapidus’ best-seller, “Top Dog” sends a young lawyer and recently-released convict into the heart of a criminal affair, while the Arte co-produced and Newen sold “DNA” drops actors Anders W. Berthelsen (“The Killing”) and Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years”) into an unsettling abduction drama.

A psychological thriller about a family beset by grief, “Man in Room 301” comes courtesy of British writer/actress Kate Ashfield and Finnish director Mikko Kuparinen. Inspired by an infamous English case, Ashfield originally set the show in her native country. The project moved to Finland once local SVoD service Elisa Viihde picked it up.

Swedish-Lebanese actor Fares Fares (“Chernobyl,” “The Nile Hilton Incident”) stars in and co-created the crime thriller “Partisan.” Produced by the NENT Group, the series takes place in an outwardly idyllic rural community hiding plenty of secrets.

The political thriller “Dignity” is a rare breed: A Chilean/German co-production spoken in two languages and made for both markets. Set to air on the newly launched Joyn streaming service in Germany and on Chile’s MEGA television network, the premium series follows a family torn apart by former Nazis living under the protection of the Pinochet regime.

Finally, there’s the English series “Trying.” Featuring Rafe Spall (“Jurassic Park: Fallen World”) and Imelda Staunton (“Vera Drake”), the relationship comedy is Apple TV’s first British scripted original.

The festival will open by showing Disney Plus’ breakout hit “The Mandalorian,” and will later screen Amazon Prime’s “Upload” out of competition. Set in a sci-fi vision of the afterlife, the latter series is the latest creation from “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” mastermind Greg Daniels.

Canneseries will announce its short form titles on February 27.

Competition

“257 Reasons to Live” (Alexey Lyapichev, Russia)

“Atlantic Crossing” (Alexander Eik, Norway)

“Dignity” (Maria Elena Wood, Patricio Pereira, Chile/Germany)

“DNA (Kidnapping)” (Torleif Hoppe, Denmark/France)

“Losing Alice” (Sigal Avin, Israel)

“Man in Room 301” (Kate Ashfield, Mikko Kuparinen, Finland)

“Partisan” (Amir Chamdin, Fares Fares, Sweden)

“The Grave” (Omri Givon, Israel)

“Top Dog” (Veronica Zacco, Jens Lapidus, Sweden)

“Trying” (Andy Wolton, UK)

 

Out of Competition

“The Walking Dead: World Beyond” (Scott M. Gimple, Matthew Negrete, USA)

“Upload” (Greg Daniels, USA)

“Validé” (Franck Gastambide, Charles Van Tieghem, Xavier Lacaille, Giulio Callegari, France)

“The Mandalorian” (Jon Favreau, USA)

“The Bureau” (Eric Rochant, France)

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.