French series ‘Lupin’ suffers on-set robbery

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentVariety shined a spotlight on European talents at its jam-packed dinner cocktail party at Series Mania Festival in Lille, France.The event, which was co-hosted by Variety and Series Mania Forum, celebrated Mo Abudu, the CEO of Nigeria’s EbonyLife Media who won the 2022 Woman in Series Award. The party also brought together the laureates of the Copro pitching sessions and over 800 international industry players.Following an introduction by Series Mania Forum’s head Francesco Capurro, Variety‘s international editor Manori Ravindran welcomed on stage three rising series directors and creators who are part of Variety’s 10 European Talents to Watch: Chas Appeti and Junior Okoli, the cinematographer and director of “Jungle,” and Quoc Dang Tran, the creator, showrunner and writer of Disney Plus’ French original “Parallels.” “Jungle” is an Amazon Original Series showcasing the creativity of the U.K.’s drill, grime and rap music.

Fanny Herrero, the showrunner of hit French comedy-drama Call My Agent!, discussed the genesis of the show’s success during a panel at the Series Mania festival today.

Emilio Mayorga Award-winning French documentary distributor Java Films has grabbed world rights to Anna Giralt’s “Robin Bank,” a doc competition entry at this year’s Malaga festival.Produced by Jorge Caballero at Catalan-Colombian Gusano Films, Germany’s Indie Film and Catalan pubcaster TVC, in partnership with Arte France – La Lucarne, “Robin Bank” tells the story of Catalan activist Enric Durán who, between 2005 and 2008, managed to take out €500,000 ($550,000) in loans from 39 different banks which he never reimbursed, instead using the money to fund social projects.Imprisoned for two months, Durán was released on bail, and while he awaited trial, fled the country, declaring himself a fugitive. The film received warm a welcome from audiences at its recent world premiere at Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival.‘‘ ‘Robin Bank’ is a unique story that really speaks to our times.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSND is teaming up with Easy Riders Films to develop a premium limited series loosely based on “The Family,” Suzanne Privat’s best-selling investigative book on a French cult which has existed for more than 200 years.“The Family” is penned by rising French screenwriter Clémence Madeleine-Perdrillat, whose recent credits include “Nona and Her Daughters,” as well as the Amazon Original show “Mixte.” She led the writing team for season 2 of “In Treatment.”Set in Paris’s underworld, the thriller series will shed right on the rites and customs of this enigmatic religious sect from diverse perspectives, focusing on the experiences of those inside and outside the community. The book, whose French title is “La Famille, itinéraires d’un secret,” was published by Les Avrils editions in 2021.

Frank Doelger, who was an executive producer on Game Of Thrones between 2011 and 2019, provided an update on his new company in Germany during a Series Mania panel today.

EXCLUSIVE: Call My Agent! and Marianne writer Quoc Dang Tran has struck a first-look deal with Universal International Studios, becoming the first French writer to sign such a deal with a major studio.

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit.

Dawn French has revealed that her doctors feared she had a brain tumour as she was suffering horrific vertigo symptoms at one stage that were so bad she could barely continue through her shows on tour.The hugely-popular comic has been enjoying going on tour over the last few years, and even has another one planned for later this year. But behind the scenes, audience-goers never realised just what the Vicar of Dibley actress was battling.

Pat Saperstein Deputy EditorDowntown L.A.’s Arts District is roaring back to life post-pandemic, and Camphor is the latest addition to the lively scene. Located in the former Nightshade space, Camphor marries French technique with South Asian influences. Chefs Max Boonthanakit and Lijo George worked together at Alain Ducasse’s Blue in Bangkok, and they’re relishing the access to fresh local produce that had to be imported at their previous restaurant.

K.J. Yossman “Community’s” Gillian Jacobs and “Call My Agent” star Gregory Montel are set to appear in a new Netflix series from “Unorthodox” creator Anna Winger.Joining them are Lucas Englander (“The Witcher”), Cory Michael Smith (“Gotham”), Ralph Amoussou (“Marianne”), Deleila Piasko (“Boys Are Us”), Amit Rahav (“Unorthodox”) and Corey Stoll (“Billions”).The series, titled “Transatlantic,” tells the true story of the Emergency Rescue Committee during the Second World War, which helped thousands of refugees escape Nazi-occupied France.

Marta Balaga Dutch Features has acquired international rights to Finnish streaming service Elisa Viihde’s crime series “Evilside,” a six-hour Archipelago thriller set in the Oulu region of northern Finland.Filming took place from Dec. 2021 through Feb.

Joaquin Phoenix is hard at work on his upcoming movie!

Netflix today provided a taste of its slate of original French productions coming up in 2022, which includes 25 new titles for launch this year and 20 projects currently in production. The slate, selected and developed by the Netflix France creative team, reps a total investment of more than 200M euros ($221M) across 2022. The streamer recently signed a deal with the French industry in which it committed to producing at least 10 local films per year, investing about 40M euros ($45M).   Among the projects highlighted during a presentation in Paris today was Romain Gavras’ formerly untitled feature, which is now called Athena. An immersive and modern tragedy, it stars Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane, Anthony Bajon and is co-written with Oscar nominee Ladj Ly (Les Misérables) and Elias Belkeddar. The logline reads: In the space of a few hours following the tragic death of their younger brother in troubling circumstances, the men’s lives will tip over into chaos.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentNetflix unveiled its 2022 slate of 25 French Originals, as well as projects including the second and third opus of its action movie “Lost Bullet,” and “En Place,” a comedy series created by Jean-Pascal Zadi (“Tout simplement Noir”) and Francois Uzan. The company said it will invest more than €200 million ($220 million) in 2022 in France.