This year, the Drama Co-production Market & Pitching Forum will present to the international audiovisual industry a selection of 15 series projects from 12 countries: Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Palestine, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
The projects were evaluated by the Selection Committee whose members are leaders of the global audiovisual industry. From the USA, Lauren Stein, Executive Vice President & Head of Creative Affairs at Sony Pictures Television, and Larry Grimaldi, Senior Vice President of Creative Affairs and Original Movies at FOX Entertainment Studios. From France Leo Becker, Head of International Originals and Co-Productions at Federation Studios and Manuel Alduy, Head of Cinema and Young Adult & International Fiction at France Télévisions. From Germany, Jasmin Maeda, SVP International Fiction Coproduction & Acquisition at ZDF. From the UK Steve Matthews, Head of Scripted, Creative at Banijay, Claire O’Brien, Development Director of Global Scripted Series at Universal International Studios, and the executive producer and former commissioner Caroline Hollick. From Norway Marianne Furevold-Boland, Head of Drama at NRK From Sweden Josefine Tengblad, Co-Founder and Producer at Nordic Drama Queens, and Marike Muselaers, VP International Financing & Coproductions at Nordisk Film Group. From Finland Andrea Scarso, Partner and Investment Director of IPR.VC. From Switzerland Claudia Bluemhuber, CEO and Managing Partner of Silver Reel. From Spain Béatrice Nouh, Head of Distribution and Coproductions at The Mediapro Studio. And, finally, from Italy, Maria Pia Ammirati, Head of Drama at RAI, and Elettra Canovi, newly appointed Director of Scripted Content at HBO Max.
Spanning across 12 different countries, the forum’s projects will feature: from France the show RAGE, produced by Manon Robillot and Laetitia Quentin de Gromard (Madelon Production), with, attached as director, the award-winning filmmaker Xavier Dolan, and as writers Anais Topla, Mathieu Gouny and Marc Herpoux. Set in early 1980s Paris, the rise of the skinheads movement sparks the creation of militant groups known as Skinhunters, unleashing a brutal war in the city’s underground.
From the Netherlands come two high-profile crime series: HITLER’S HORSES: AN ARTHUR BRAND STORY, produced by Femke Wolting (Submarine) and written by Ed McCardie, based on the true investigations of the celebrated Dutch art detective; and RED LIGHT EMPIRE/KONING VAN DE WALLEN, produced by Leontine Petit and Tom van Blommestein (Lemming Film), directed by Tim Oliehoek and written by Michael Leendertse and Sarah Offringa, which tells the story of a Holocaust orphan who built his empire intertwining his destiny with the rise of Amsterdam’s Red Light District.
From Palestine DYOUF (GUESTS), a dramedy series coming from DFI series lab (partner of MIA Drama), produced by May Jabareen (Philistine Films) and written by Saleh Saadi. The series follows Shadi, who must move back to his Bedouin village in Palestine and help his mother run a guesthouse in their family home.
From the UK two innovative dramas: PLUNDER, produced by JT Wong (Three Tables Productions) and written by Chris Cornwell, a gripping art-heist thriller following a skilled thief on a mission to recover stolen Chinese treasures; and WRITERS RETREAT, produced by Chiara Cardoso (Blackbox Multimedia) and written by Lindsay Shapero, set in a luxury retreat in Spain where the disappearance of a guest forces the owner to investigate, uncovering conflicting stories from a group of eccentric writers.
The Czech Republic presents THE LAST GODDESS/ŽÍTKOVSKÉ BOHYNĚ, produced by Kateřina Černá, Pavel Strnad and Petr Oukropec (Negativ Film Production), written by Sára Zeithammerová and Hana Neničková. The series follows Dora, the last woman in a long line of female healers who must return to her village to uncover dark family secrets and protect her unborn daughter from a lingering curse.
From Finland, two powerful stories: HUNTING FOR GHOSTS/POLKU PIMEYTEEN, produced by Roope Lehtinen (Fire Monkey) and written by Mikko Pöllä, where an introverted young man joins a far-right self-defence club becoming unexpectedly part of a terrorist plot; and DIRTY PLAY, a finland-norwegian project produced by Olli Haikka (Yellow Film & TV, Finland) and Gudny Hummelvoll (Hummelfilm, Norway), written by Josefiina Rautiainen and Paul Howard, which tells the rise of a young African soccer player forced to confront exploitation and the dark side of the world of sports.
From Greece comes AÏNTA!, produced by Andreas Zoupanos Kritikos (Faliro House Productions), written by Kevin Zans Ansong and Stavros Pamballis. The series follows a Greek rapper originally from Ghana who’s seeking success in the Athens music scene; after meeting a blues music producer, he embarks on a journey to discover his identity.
Ireland brings THE ROARING BANSHEES, produced by Paul Donovan (Deadpan Pictures), written by John Morton and Peter McGann. A female-led gangster story set in Prohibition-era Chicago, combining action, dark humor, and a strong Irish identity.
From Switzerland comes P26, produced by Azra Djurdjevic (Filmgerberei), written by Fanny Nussbaumer, Pascal Glatz, Noëmi Steffen, Nicole Tobler, Ares Ceylan. A story about a suburban housewife recruited by a secret Swiss army unit in the 1980s.
From Germany, a project in co-production with Italy, CONNECTION LOST – THE STORY OF LIA OLIVETTI, co-produced by Melina Voss (Unframed Productions, Germany), Tobias Timme (UFA Fiction, Germany) and Maria Grazia Saccà (Titanus Production, Italy), written by Melina Voss and Maja Costa, tells the story of a young math prodigy who, after his biological father’s death, inherits his secret computer and also his enemies.
And finally, from Italy, two great shows: CASANOVA INVESTIGATES/LE INDAGINI DI GIACOMO CASANOVA, produced by Massimo Del Frate (Banijay Studios Italy) and written by Peter Exacoustos, Magda Mangano and Laura Nuti, a thriller series inspired by the life of Giacomo Casanova in the 18th-century Venice; and CATERINA, produced by Gloria Giorgianni (Anele) and written by Mariolina Venezia, Dario Sardelli and Debora Alessi, which follows a juvenile prosecutor returning to her hometown to confront past traumas while fighting for justice.
DRAMA CO-PRODUCTION MARKET & PITCHING FORUM | 2025 OFFICIAL SELECTION
AÏNTA!, produced by Andreas Zoupanos Kritikos for Faliro House Productions, Greece
CASANOVA INVESTIGATES, produced by Massimo Del Frate for Banijay Studios Italy, Italy
CATERINA, produced by Gloria Giorgianni for Anele, Italy
CONNECTION LOST – THE STORY OF LIA OLIVETTI, produced by Melina Voss for Unframed Productions (Germany), Tobias Timme for UFA FICTION (Germany) and Maria Grazia Saccà for Titanus Production (Italy)
DIRTY PLAY, produced by Olli Haikka for Yellow Film & TV (Finland) and Gudny Hummelvoll for Hummelfilm (Norway)
DYOUF (GUESTS), produced by May Jabareen for Philistine Films, Palestine
HITLER’S HORSES: AN ARTHUR BRAND STORY, produced by Femke Wolting for Submarine, Netherlands
HUNTING FOR GHOSTS, produced by Roope Lehtinen for Fire Monkey, Finland
P26, produced by Azra Djurdjevic for Filmgerberei, Switzerland
PLUNDER, produced by JT Wong for Three Tables Productions, UK
RAGE, produced by Manon Robillot and Laetitia Quentin de Gromard for Madelon Production, France
RED LIGHT EMPIRE, produced by Leontine Petit and Tom van Blommestein for Lemming Film, Netherlands
THE LAST GODDESS, produced by Kateřina Černá, Pavel Strnad and Petr Oukropec for Negativ Film Production, Czech Republic
THE ROARING BANSHEES, produced by Paul Donovan for Deadpan Pictures, Ireland
WRITERS RETREAT, produced by Chiara Cardoso for Blackbox Multimedia, UK
Selected Projects for Drama Co-Production Market 2025
AÏNTA!
Country/ies: Greece
Mimis, a down-on-his-luck rapper and second-generation Ghanaian-Greek immigrant, is caught between irreconcilable worlds and identities: the pull of an impossible artistic dream and the pressure from his community, to be a good African son to his devout and hard-working mother. He’s got the Aïnta! -the nerve- and the talent, but... more
Type: Drama Series
Production Company/ies: Faliro House Productions
Director: Spiros Jacovides
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALCASANOVA INVESTIGATES
Original title: LE INDAGINI DI GIACOMO CASANOVA
Country/ies: Italy
Venice, 1750. The young libertine Giacomo Casanova is commissioned by a mysterious noblewoman to investigate the violent death of a young woman. It will be the first of a series of investigations and the beginning of a great human adventure. Wandering from beautiful frescoed palaces to canals, from infamous brothels... more
Type: Drama Series
Production Company/ies: Banijay Studios Italy
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALCATERINA
Country/ies: Italy
Caterina Russo (30) counts: polka dots, flowers, moles. It's her way of silencing an inner voice that wants to recall a painful truth. Rigid with adults, she's built a wall between herself and the world. But with children, she transforms: warm and empathetic, she connects like no one else can... more
Type: Drama Series
Production Company/ies: Anele Srl
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALCONNECTION LOST - THE STORY OF LIA OLIVETTI
Country/ies: Germany, Italy
1959, West-Berlin. Lia Stein, a brilliant 20-year-old, secretly studies math behind her parents' backs. Just before obtaining her diploma, they find out she has been lying, a fierce confrontation follows and leads to a shocking discovery: Lia is adopted. Her biological father is Adriano Olivetti, a visionary entrepreneur and head... more
Type: Drama Series
Production Company/ies: Titanus Production S.R.L., UFA FICTION, Unframed Productions
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALDIRTY PLAY
Country/ies: Finland, Norway
Born and raised in the unforgiving streets of Lagos, Nigeria, MALIK (16) is a naturally gifted footballer with nothing to lose and everything to prove. When a Finnish talent scout MIKAEL (45) spots him at a local tournament, a path opens to the dazzling world of European football. But what... more
Type: Drama Series
Production Company/ies: FILMITEOLLISUUS FINE INC, Yellow Film & TV
Director: Teppo Airaksinen
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALDYOUF (GUESTS)
Original title: ضيوف
Country/ies: Palestine
After getting kicked out of film school in Tel Aviv due to recurring panic attacks, Shadi moves back in with his parents in their Bedouin village. Shadi got kicked out due to recurring panic attacks that made him ditch his classes altogether, a thing he hides from his family. They... more
Type: Drama Series
Production Company/ies: Philistine Films
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALHITLER'S HORSES: AN ARTHUR BRAND STORY
Country/ies: Netherlands
This is the story of an extraordinary man, and his pursuit of iconic artworks believed to have been destroyed eighty years ago. Not just any artworks: two 3-metre-high bronze horses known to be Adolf Hitler’s favourite pieces. The Horses were thought destroyed by Allied bombing in 1945. However, someone unknown... more
Type: Drama Series
Production Company/ies: Submarine
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALHUNTING FOR GHOSTS
Original title: POLKU PIMEYTEEN
Country/ies: Finland
Socially isolated Pyry (22) finds friendship and confidence at a far-right martial arts club in his small hometown. There he meets Eetu (26), a radical survivalist who helps Pyry break free from his toxic family. Soon, Pyry realizes he might be part of a plot to carry out a terrorist... more
Type: Mini-Series
Production Company/ies: Fire Monkey
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALP26
Country/ies: Switzerland
In the seemingly quiet Swiss town of Neuhausen am Rheinfall in the late 1980s, ROSMARIE (53) lives a life in the shadows. As a mother, housewife, and dutiful Swiss citizen, she has always put her own needs aside, finding apparent peace in the role society assigned her. That changes when... more
Type: Drama Series
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALPLUNDER
Country/ies: UK
Charming art dealer, Tobin Chan, is threatened with being exposed as a fraud unless he agrees to work for mysterious professional thief, Lily Jiang. Half Chinese and half English, Lily works for a Chinese crime syndicate called The Firm, stealing – or rather, reclaiming – Asian artefacts plundered by the... more
Type: Drama Series
Production Company/ies: Three Tables Productions
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALRAGE
Country/ies: France
Paris, early 1980s, the skinheads are coming to France from the UK and are setting up a terror filled atmosphere in some neighborhoods. As an answer to racist actions committed by these groupuscules, multiple crews called Skinhunters form in order to put an end to this phenomenon, causing a nonconformist... more
Type: Drama Series
Production Company/ies: Madelon production
Director: Xavier Dolan
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALRED LIGHT EMPIRE
Original title: KONING VAN DE WALLEN
Country/ies: Belgium, Croatia, Netherlands
RED LIGHT EMPIRE is a six-part drama about Maurits ‘Black Joop’ de Vries, a Jewish Holocaust survivor who rises from the chaos of post-WWII to become the kingpin of Amsterdam’s Red Light District. We follow him as he unites a band of misfits into a powerful clan, building an empire... more
Type: Drama Series
Production Company/ies: Lemming Film
Director: Tim Oliehoek
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALTHE LAST GODDESS
Original title: ŽÍTKOVSKÉ BOHYNĚ
Country/ies: Czech Republic
The story takes place in the 1990s in the mountains on the Czech-Slovak border where there was a long tradition of goddesses, female healers that were said to possess magical powers. The main character of the series is Dora, who works as a professor of ethnology at the university. Still... more
Type: Mini-Series
Production Company/ies: NEGATIV Film Productions, Negativ s.r.o.
Director: Damián Vondrášek
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALTHE ROARING BANSHEES
Country/ies: Ireland
After a failed assassination attempt on political kingpin Eamon de Valera in their home country, the secret Irish rebel unit known as the Banshees are forced to escape on an American-bound ship, separating and scattering their members in the process. The gradually arriving members find themselves in Chicago during the... more
Type: Drama Series
Production Company/ies: Grand Pictures
Director: Neasa Hardiman
Read the full project description on MIADIGITALWRITERS RETREAT
Country/ies: UK
Spending far too much time in their own heads, writers are a uniquely twisted bunch. El Refugio aims to be a respite from all that, at least in theory. A world-renowned writers retreat nestled in one of Spains most stunning landscapes, where six writers of fiction and drama from around... more
Type: Drama Series
Production Company/ies: Blackbox Multimedia
Read the full project description on MIADIGITAL