08/04/2022 - The Israeli series dominated the winners’ list during the festival’s 5th edition, with the German series also stealing focus via awards for Best Screenplay and Best Music

The winners of this year’s edition at the closing ceremony (© Valentina Claret/Canneseries)

The 5th edition of Canneseries - Cannes’ International Series Festival which took over the Croisette from 1 to 6 April - has now unveiled its victors. Presided over by French creator and screenwriter Fanny Herrero (Call My Agent! , Drôle) who was joined by three actors (America’s Denis O’Hare, France’s Anne Marivin and her compatriot Sami Outalbali), British composer Daniel Pemberton and American-Icelandic actor, producer and screenwriter Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, the main jury crowned The Lesson Best Series. This Israeli 6 x 40’ work created and scripted by Deakla Keydar also scooped the Best Performance trophy (courtesy of Maya Landsman).

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Likewise stealing focus on the winners’ list is German series Souls - created by Alex Eslam - which walked away with the titles of Best Screenplay (Alex Eslam, Lisa Van Brakel, Senad Halilbasic and Erol Yesilkaya) and Best Music (composed by Dascha Dauenhauer). Directed by Alex Eslam and Hanna Maria Heidrich, this 8 x 45’ work kicks off in Stockholm where pregnant pathologist Allie does everything in her power to stop her pilot husband Leo from boarding a plane. In Berlin, 25-year-old Linn joins a sect whose members are desperate to believe in some kind of life after death for all kinds of reasons. In a German hospital, Hanna wakes up after a serious car accident and wonders how her 14-year-old son Jacob managed to save them both from drowning. A few days after the accident, Jacob suddenly claims to remember a former life when he was the pilot of a plane which went missing, and will subsequently alter the fate of these three women. Is Jacob lying or could he really be telling the truth? Souls is produced by Geißendörfer Pictures and Sky Deutschland, with international sales entrusted to NBCUniversal Global Distribution.

Also worth a mention are the two prizes won by the Canadian series Audrey’s Back (the Grand Prize and Special Award for Best Cast Performance) and the success of the 10 x 14’ Belgian series Hacked (a work created by Anthony Van Biervliet and Ruben Vandenborre, and scripted by Laura Van Haecke and Una Kreso, the former having also directed this Dingie production sold by DFW International) within the category of short form series.

The winners are as follows:

Best Series
The Lesson – created by Deakla Keydar (Israel)

Grand Prize
Audrey’s Back – created by Guillaume Lambert and Florence Longpré (Canada)

Best Screenplay
Souls – created by Alex Eslam (Germany)

Special Award for Best Cast Performance
Audrey’s Back

Best Performance
Maya Landsman - The Lesson

Best Music
Souls

Best Short Form Series
Hacked – created by Anthony Van Biervliet and Ruben Vandenborre (Belgium)

Revelation Award
Rosalie Vaillancourt – Complètement lycée (Canada)

High School Award for Best Series
Afterglow – created by Atle Knudsen and Kjetil Indregard (Norway)

Student Award for Best Short Form Series
Everything You Love – created by Marie Hafting (Norway)

(Translated from French)