Latvia’s television sector is stepping onto the wider European stage at this year’s Series Mania (20-27 March), where a new wave of projects highlights the Baltic country’s growing ambitions in scripted drama. Among the titles drawing industry attention are the geopolitical thriller Aurora. Newsroom, selected for the festival’s Co-Production Pitching sessions, and the late-Soviet period drama The Last Divorce of Communism, the next project from the team behind the award-winning Soviet Jeans [+lee también:
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Staged by Latvian outfit Mistrus Media and backed by Latvian Public Media (LSM), Aurora. Newsroom is among the 15 projects selected for the aforementioned sidebar running from 24-26 March during the festival’s industry programme. The strand, which drew more than 400 submissions from 65 countries, showcases promising European series seeking international co-production partners.

The six-part drama blends the conventions of the political thriller with investigative journalism. The story follows Guna Vilka, a journalist working for a leading Latvian news portal and part of the international investigative network Aurora. After a mysterious explosion at a wind farm in Latvia, her investigation gradually uncovers a complex sabotage operation linked to Russian influence networks, posing a threat to energy security across the Baltic and Nordic regions. As she gets closer to the truth, Vilka faces mounting professional and personal risks, including disinformation attacks and betrayals within her own circle.

According to LTV acquisitions head Zane Valeniece, the project represents a significant milestone for the local television industry. The selection at Series Mania “is an important achievement for the Latvian series sector on the international stage,” she noted, pointing to the earlier success of Soviet Jeans, whose co-author Juris Kursietis serves here as director and lead writer.

The creative team behind Aurora. Newsroom reflects a strong Nordic-Baltic collaboration. The project is directed by Kursietis, and produced by Gints Grūbe, Inese Boka-Grūbe and Elīna Gediņa-Ducena alongside Estonian producer Riina Sildos and Finland’s Petri Kempinnen. The screenplay is penned by Katri Manninen, Martin Algus, Kursietis and Osvalds Zebris.

Grūbe stressed the broader relevance of the show when speaking to the international press. “We believe this story is both urgent and essential not only for the Baltic region, but also for Europe and global audiences,” he said, adding that the series directly addresses “the growing hybrid threats, disinformation and the crisis of trust in democratic institutions affecting societies across Europe”. The show is expected to premiere in early 2028.

Meanwhile, another Latvian project is generating buzz on the international market circuit: The Last Divorce of Communism, a six-part period drama currently entering production. Created by Teodora Markova and Staņislavs Tokalovs – the duo behind Soviet Jeans, which snagged the Audience Award and Best Actor Award at Series Mania in 2024 – the series revisits the final years of the Soviet Union.

Set in Riga in 1988, the story follows an ordinary couple who stage a fake divorce in order to circumvent Soviet housing regulations and prevent their flat from being nationalised. Forced to pretend they no longer love each other while living under the watchful eyes of neighbours and informants, the pair must navigate a collapsing political system and the fragile promise of freedom.

The project is being produced by Aija Bērziņa, of Latvian company Tasse Film, and co-produced by Lithuania’s Magic Films and Bulgaria’s Agitprop, with Danna Stern serving as the executive producer.

Bērziņa described the series as both romantic and darkly humorous. “Teodora and Stanisļavs have the rare gift of finding comedy in the cracks of history,” she said. “The Last Divorce of Communism is our love letter to everyone who’s ever bent the rules for the people they love – a fake divorce, a real love story, and the full weight of the Soviet Union standing in the way.”

The production will shoot across Latvia and Lithuania, combining archival materials with newly filmed scenes to recreate late-Soviet-era Riga. The series is slated for release in 2027, and features an ensemble cast including Ieva Segliņa, Edgars Samītis, Chulpan Khamatova, Ieva Estere Barkāne, Kaspars Znotiņš and Vilis Daudziņš.

Together, the two projects signal a broader shift in Latvia’s scripted television landscape. With geopolitical thrillers and historically grounded dramas increasingly travelling beyond national borders, the Baltic country’s producers are positioning themselves more visibly within Europe’s competitive series market – a development that Lille is helping to amplify.