French festival Series Mania has revealed its lineup, featuring Joe Wright’s “Mussolini: Son of the Century,” “Querer,” a huge hit at San Sebastián, “Empathy” and “Hal & Harper.”
Amanda Seyfried will present “Long Bright River,” while Pamela Adlon (“Better Things,” “Californication”) is set to deliver a masterclass. Adlon will also preside over the International Competition jury.
Denmark’s “Generations” will celebrate its world premiere at the fest, as well as “Kabul,” “The Deal” and “The German.”
In the International Panorama Competition, Trine Dyrholm will introduce “The Danish Woman.” She’ll be joined by other world premieres “A Life’s Worth,” “Raul Seixas: Let Me Sing” and “Reunion”. “Requiem for Selina,” “At the End of the Night,” “Celeste,” “Family Matters” and “Putain” will also be shown, as well as “What it Feels Like for a Girl.”
Among other highlights, “Carême” (Apple TV+) starring Jérémie Rénier and Lyna Khoudri, will open the festival. “HPI” will close it, teasing the fifth season of a popular French show. Netflix’s “Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight,” created by Alain Chabat, will bring back beloved characters, while former President François Hollande will talk about representations of presidents on screen.
Rodrigo Sorogoyen will present relationship/family drama “The New Years,” hailed with Querer as the Spanish series of the year.
The new edition will oscillate “between resurgence and emergence, concern and the need to keep hoping,” festival organizers said in the written statement. This year, key regions and countries include Northern Europe and Spain, alongside France as the most represented.
“When storytelling rewinds time to ‘replay’ the hunt for Nazi criminals in the 1970s (‘The German’), revisits the conflicts of the 1990s through the eyes of Swedish UN peacekeepers in the war in former Yugoslavia (‘A Life’s Worth’), what is it searching for? When it unveils the backstage of more recent geopolitical events, such as the 2015 Iran nuclear negotiations (‘The Deal’) or the Western scramble in Afghanistan in 2021 (‘Kabul’), does it seek to evoke our past and urge us to remember, or does it challenge our present and demand clarity?” the festival organizers asked.
In many cases, the answer remains undecidable.
“Yet, in ‘Mussolini: Son of the Century,’ an expressionist Italian series tracing Mussolini’s rise to power through archival footage, the analogy is striking—with parallels to Trump, Meloni, and many others,” they added.
Family and its dark secrets will also take centre stage, from “Querer” dealing with issues of consent and marital rape to “Generations” taking on infanticide “Hal & Harper,” focusing on paternal depression.
Still, series true protagonists are often women, with female characters given a chance to shine. Just like one of Norway’s first bloggers, recalled in “Requiem for Selina” or “Querer’s” wife and mother who has the valor to separate from her abusive husband and forge a new life in the Spanish series.
“These are bold, complex women – many of whom, like recent award-nominated actresses, exude a certain maturity. Take ‘Celeste,’ the Spanish tax inspector on the verge of retirement who sets out to bring down Mexico’s biggest pop star, or the Danish heroine of ‘The Danish Woman,’ a former secret agent repurposing her skills to restore justice in her building.
Alongside these avengers, the aptly named Quebecois series ‘Empathy’ explores the original compassionate approach of a young borderline psychiatrist working in a prison hospital,” said the organizers.
This year’s lineup includes 26 world premieres and 12 international premieres. 19 countries will be represented, including two new entries: Brazil and Algeria.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
“Empathy”
World Premiere
Canada / Crave / 10×43’
“Generations”
World Premiere
Denmark / DR / 6×58’
“Hal & Harper”
International Premiere
USA / 8X30’
“Kabul”
World Premiere
France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Greece/ News8 /France Télévisions / 6×52’
“Long Bright River”
French Premiere
USA / Peacock (USA), MAX (France) / 8×60’
“Mussolini: Son of the Century”
French Premiere
Italy, France / Sky / 8×50’
“Querer”
International Premiere
Spain / Movistar Plus+, ARTE / 4×50’
“The Deal”
World Premiere
Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium / RTS, ARTE / 6×46’
“The German”
World Premiere
Israel, USA / Yes / 8×60’
FRENCH COMPETITION
“37 Seconds”
ARTE / 6×52’
“Annwyn – The Otherworld”
Prime Video, France Télévisions / 6×52’
“Clean”
M6 /4×52’
“The Rose Family”
CINE+ OCS / 6×45’
“Reformed”
MAX / 8×30’
“Log-Out”
Switzerland, France / RTS, TF1 / 6×45’
INTERNATIONAL PANORAMA COMPETITION
“A Life’s Worth”
World Premiere
France/ Sweden, France / Viaplay, ARTE / 6×44’
“At the End of the Night”
International Premiere
Iran / Filmnet / 9×60’
“Celeste”
International Premiere
Spain / Movistar Plus+ / 6×30’
“Family Matters”
European Premiere
South Korea / Coupang Play / 6×50’
“Putain”
International Premiere
Belgium / Streamz, Videoland / 10×30’
“Raul Seixas: Let Me Sing”
World Premiere
Brazil / Globoplay / 8×45’
“Requiem for Selina”
International Premiere
Norway / NRK / 6×40’
“Reunion”
World Premiere
UK / BBC / 4×55’
“The Danish Woman”
World Premiere
Iceland, France / RÙV / 6×47’
“What it Feels Like for a Girl”
International Premiere
UK / BBC / 8×46’
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
“Ghosts: Fantomes en Heritage”
World Premiere
France / Disney+, TF1 / 6×30’
“Los Años Nuevos”
French Premiere
Spain, France / Movistar Plus+, ARTE /10×40’
“Mariliendre”
International Premiere
Spain / atresplayer / 6×45’
“State of Alert”
World Premiere
France / TF1/ 6×52’
“Parliament,” Season 4
World Premiere
France, Germany / France Télévisions / 10×23’