During last week’s Series Mania, French broadcasters held their traditional press conferences which saw France Télévisions, TF1, and ARTE unveil their impressive lineups, with Federation Studios central to new productions announced. France Télévisions, Manuel Alduy, Director of International Fiction, announced three ambitious international dramas. Next, let's review each of them
"The Gullivers" (6 x 52'), written by BAFTA and Emmy Award winner Tom Bidwell and co-produced by Federation Studios (Léo Becker), and Moonriver (Xavier Marchand and Casey Herbert). The series, which Manuel Alduy said “'will soon be joined by major international broadcasters,'” is a contemporary take on Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, and follows the whimsical adventures of Sam Gulliver and his family as they go in search of a life-saving cure journeying to the imaginary lands first discovered by his father.
Meanwhile, "Okavango" (6 x 52'), written by Caryl Ferey and directed by Jérôme Salle (Zulu, Anthony Zimmer, Becoming Karl Lagerfeld). Adapted from Caryl Ferey's bestselling book of the same name, the series focuses on the fight against the illegal poaching trade in the heart of the Okavango Delta, the world's largest wildlife sanctuary. The series is produced by Jérôme Salle and Clémence Terrier at Syzygy Entertainment (Federation Studios). "The Gullivers" and "Okavango" will both be shot in English.
Finally, "Le Tour de France" (6 x 52'), is written and directed by Alexandre Delaporte, Grégory Nicolas and Louis Leterrier (The Transporter, Lupin), and produced by Federation Studio France (Pascal Breton and Judith Rochelois). The series tells the story of a young girl who tries to save her father's cycling team. “'Each episode takes place at different stages of the Tour de France,'” explained Manuel Alduy.
During the presentation, Anne Holmes, Director of French Fiction at France Télévisions, presented an exclusive sneak peek of Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's eagerly-awaited new series, "Those Who Lived" (original title "Des Vivants"), about a group of survivors of the 2015 Bataclan attacks in Paris, and how they went about rebuilding their lives.
For TF1, Anne Didier, Artistic Director of fiction, has announced a new police comedy series, "Alter Ego" (6 X 52') starring ex-football legend Eric Cantona and Bruno Sanches in the lead roles. Shooting in Marseille from mid-May, the series is created by Anne Viau, Thomas Saignes and Nicolas Robert. It is produced by Anne Viau (Quelle Aventure!) and Thomas Saignes (Empreinte Digitale), two companies that are part of Federation Studios. Anne Didier also announced the upcoming filming of "The Diploma" (original title: "Le Diplôme"), a new series produced for TF1 by Fanny Riedberger (Habanita Federation), which follows on from the huge success of her two previous series for TF1, "Six Women" ("Les Randonneuses") and "One of Us" ("Lycée Toulouse Lautrec"). Featuring a five-star cast led notably by Clémentine Célarié (Best Performance Award at Series Mania 2024 for "Les Randonneuses"), the series focuses on a group of adults from a cross-section of ages and backgrounds who are brought together by one common goal: they have all decided to pursue a baccalaureate qualification!
During the presentation, Anne Didier also took the opportunity to showcase the first exclusive preview of the holiday drama-event "Le Noël de Monsieur Hubert", produced by Quelle Aventure! (Anne Viau) and Lapinxa (Laetitia Recayte), both production outfits part of the Federation Studios group of companies. With ARTE, Bruno Razon, Editorial Director, and Agnès Olier, Head of ARTE France's Fiction Unit highlighted "Someone Should Ban Sunday Afternoon" (original title: "Quelqu'un devrait interdire les dimanches après-midi"), 8 episodes, the new series from Isabel Coixet (Best Director Award at GOYA for The Bookshop, and in official competition at Cannes for Nobody Waits for the Night). The first teaser from the series which is currently in post-production was presented, followed by a round-table discussion with Vanessa Fourgeaud, series producer at Maui Entertainment (Federation Studios group), and actors Liv Henneguier and Clara Bretheau.
All the above mentioned eight series which are distributed internationally by Federation Studios and are produced by Federation Studios producers, with the exception of Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's "Those Who Lived", co-produced by What's Up Films, Mizar Films and NAC Films. Last but not least, Federation Studios took home two awards from Series Mania: Best Actress for Elsa Guedj for "Reformed" ("Le Sens des Choses"), an 8-episode series produced by Lionel Uzan and Gabriel Dang (Federation Studio France) for HBO Max, and Best Original Score for "Log Out" ("Intracables"), produced by Thomas Saignes (Empreinte Digitale / Federation Studios) and Philippe Coeytaux (Akka Films) for TF1 and TSR. The latter is distributed worldwide by Federation Studios.
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