For the fifth time, the Berlinale Co-Production Market is organising the exclusive Co-Pro Series pitching event, which will run for two days (12 and 13 February) at Berlin’s Zoo Palast cinema, the official venue for the Berlinale’s 2019 Drama Series Days (11-13 February). The number of selected projects has increased this year, with ten series creators – nine of them hailing from Europe – having a unique chance to present their upcoming drama series to a specialised industry audience comprising producers, commissioning editors, distributors and other drama-series financiers. It’s particularly impressive that the guest list for the pitches, as well as the networking meetings, is already fully booked.

Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick commented: “With the presentation of series projects at the Berlinale Co-Production Market, we are creating a fruitful meeting platform for series makers. The Berlinale Co-Production Market is above all an important gathering place for the growing number of renowned filmmakers and producers who work both in the area of film and within the series format.”

Host country Germany has one project, Immunity, created by Niels Laupert (Whatever Happens [+leggi anche:
trailer
intervista: Niels Laupert
scheda film]), which was initially presented at the 2018 Series Mania festival and will be shown off at Co-Pro Series for the first time. It’s worth noting that one of the remaining projects will have a chance to be pitched at Series Mania at the end of March. Neighbouring Austria is investing in the post-war thriller Big Bones, written and directed by David Schalko, who is adapting his 2018 book. Switzerland is also dealing with the past, as Michael Krummenacher (Like a Cast Shadow [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film]) is presenting the historical spy thriller Davos.

The Nordic countries are behind the lion’s share of the titles in the Co-Pro Series selection. Denmark is being represented by acclaimed filmmaker Pernille Fischer Christensen, who was at Berlin last year with her latest feature, Becoming Astrid [+leggi anche:
recensione
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intervista: Alba August
intervista: Pernille Fischer Christensen
scheda film], and she will be bringing her debut series, the family drama A Family Matter, created by Maja Jul Larsen (The Legacy, Borgen). Also, the first ever project from the Faroe Islands is Trom, a Nordic crime drama set in the heart of the northern Atlantic Ocean, written by Torfinnur Jákupsson and adapted from the crime novels by Jógvan Isaksen. Norway also boasts two projects: the first comedy ever to take part in the event, Clone by actor-writer-director Ole Giæver, a Berlinale Panorama regular (Out of Nature [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ole Giæver
scheda film], From the Balcony [+leggi anche:
recensione
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intervista: Ole Giæver
scheda film]); and Hacker by Andreas J Riiser (Twigson the Explorer [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film]), which is being produced by Motlys, also the company behind the 2018 Berlinale Series drama Home Ground.

The Finnish project Reindeer Mafia, directed by actor-director Mika Kurvinen and Mika Kaurismäki (his first TV series), is an action-drama where snowmobile-riding rockers challenge the power of the Reindeer clan leaders. Finally, renowned Polish director Agnieszka Holland – who is also part of this year’s Berlinale Competition with Mr. Jones [+leggi anche:
recensione
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intervista: Agnieszka Holland
scheda film] (see the news) – is portraying Napoleon in a historical drama that echoes some of today’s political leaders. Holland is a TV series regular, and she recently directed episodes of 1983, The First and House of Cards. The creators of Napoleon are seasoned showrunners Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris (Brimstone [+leggi anche:
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Q&A: Martin Koolhoven
scheda film], Eleventh Hour).

The projects selected for Co-Pro Series 2019 are as follows:

Big Bones
Writer-director: David Schalko
Producers: Satel Film, Superfilm (Austria)

Clone
Writer-director: Ole Giæver
Producer: Mer Film (Norway)

A Family Matter
Creator: Maja Jul Larsen
Director: Pernille Fischer Christensen
Producer: DR Drama (Denmark)

Flesh & Blood
Writers: Michael Beran, Natalie Medlock
Director: Tusi Tamasese
Producers: Tauihu Media (New Zealand), Bunya Productions (Australia)

Davos
Writers: Michael Sauter, Thomas Hess, Christoph Busche
Director: Michael Krummenacher
Producer: Contrast Film Zürich (Switzerland)

Hacker
Writers: Andreas J Riiser, Christian A Owe, Amalie Kasin Lerstang
Director: Andreas J Riiser
Producer: Motlys (Norway)

Napoleon
Creators/showrunners: Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Producer: Saltire Entertainment (UK)

Reindeer Mafia
Writer: Sami Parkkinen
Directors: Mika Kurvinen, Mika Kaurismäki
Producer: Kaiho Republic (Finland)

Trom
Author: Torfinnur Jákupsson
Producers: KYK Pictures (Faroe Islands), REinvent Studios (Denmark)

Project in cooperation with Series Mania:

Immunity
Creator/writer: Niels Laupert
Producers: Jumpseat Filmproduktion, Real Film Berlin (Germany)