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True-events-inspired "The Abduction of Yossele Schumacher" from Eran Riklis ("Lemon Tree," "Reading Lolita in Tehran"), "Helsinki 1939" from A.J. Annila ("Codename: Annika, Peacemaker") and "Nuclear Sunset Cruise" by Oscar winner Florian Gallenberger("The Turncoat,""Quiero Ser") count among the buzzy series selected for the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival's TV Beats Co-Financing Market, unspooling over Nov. 17-18 in the Estonian capital.
The eight premium series - hailing from eight different countries including Estonia, Germany, Spain, Israel and the Czech Republic - were selected from a record 56 applications - up 40% on last year. Lured by the chance to win the coveted Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award, worth a juicy €50,000 (58,600), some of the most established European talents and banners from 27 countries applied, with Estonia, Finland and Germany topping the list.
"Compared to last year, we had many more applications and projects of a higher quality," said Petri Kemppinen, co-head of TV Beats Forum, the drama section of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival's Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, set up 2018 to boost the visibility of drama series from the Baltics, Nordics and Central Eastern Europe (CEE).
"In today's challenging times when funding is scarce, especially for development, the Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award is hugely appealing to European indie producers who have to look under every stone for potential partners," observed TV Beats Forum co-head Roosa Toivonen.
As she explained, in the pre-selection process which involved four industry professionals, priority was given to the projects' co-production potential, especially from non-traditional partners, "and the viability of the package, budget and financing plan."
Among the eight selected projects, half were pitched earlier at other TV drama platforms: Spanish mystery drama "Dark Waters" ("Aigües de Foscor") bowed at the Sitges Festival's FanPitch 2024 and Berlinale Series Market 2025. Also in the mix are two Series Mania Co-Pro projects - "Wool," linking Serbia and Iceland, and Germany's "Nuclear Sunset Cruise" - as well as Slovakia's "Frontwards" which took the Seriencamp Conference Award at TV Beats Co-Financing Market 2023.
"Crime is still a favored genre, but there are also fascinating true stories with a bit of nostalgia," Kemppinen noted. "Cold War seems to be a popular subject, and why not, with the growingly polarised world," said Toivonen, referring to the satire "Nuclear Sunset Cruise," "a bit in the vein of "Whiskey on the Rocks" with an Eastern German cruise stuck smack in the middle of the Cuban Missile crisis." "Overall, this slate reveals a true passion for storytelling from the creative teams and you can tell these titles aren't AI-generated!" Toivonen added.
Besides the hot TV drama co-pro pitch event, TV Beats will host its second Screening Day, the Midpoint Series Launch training program for emerging professionals from CEE, and a brand-new Serial Bridges Baltics, backed by the Series Mania Institute and Institut Français. Watch out this space for details coming soon.
A full rundown on TV Beats Co-Financing Market lineup:
Produced by Evelin Penttilä and Johanna Maria Tamm for Stellar Film ("Sauna Day", "The Exalted")
A "dark comedy inspired by the Danske Bank scandal, a world where capitalism has no rules and money covers all sins," says the logline. Set in 1990s Estonia, we follow Artur, a restless kid from a Soviet-style housing block with big dreams. Guided by the charismatic banker Oliver, Artur is soon swept into the wild world of finance where lavish orgies, cash-stuffed bags and bear hunts with dignitaries become routine. Behind the glamor, he is laundering billions for Russian oligarchs. As the stakes rise, relationships fracture and bodies surface, Artur must decide whether to protect himself or blow the whistle on the very system that built him.
"Chasing the Clouds" (6×40', Croatia)
Written and produced by Karla Lulić and Jelena Mađarić
Produced by Dobar Film
A teen drama based on the award-winning novels by Ivana Šojat "Chasing the Clouds" and "Dragons That Could Not Fly." Six teenagers gather at a party. After the death of Luka, their lives are irrevocably changed. The series unfolds through non-linear storytelling, with each episode told from a different point of view. "With this series, we want to explore the themes of loneliness, adolescent bullying and peer pressure," said Lulić who hopes to find Scandinavian and Baltic partners in Tallinn.
Produced by Federation Spain's Juan Solà and Lastor Media's Tono Folguera
The project is developed by Federation Spain, Barcelona's Lastor Media and Catalonia's Federation Studios with Icelandic co-developer New Media ARC. Penned by high-profile screenwriter Amèlia Mora ("Undercover," "La Unidad") with Héctor Manteca. Victor Garcia ("The Communion Girl") serves as director.
Based on an original idea by exec producer Maria Rocher. Arnau, a park ranger, finds the corpse of a woman who shares the same unusual birthmark he and his daughter both have. This discovery unveils a supernatural mystery. "It's a powerful story of a father who fears losing his daughter, while drawing on mythology that connects Catalonia with Iceland," said Rocher.
Produced by Michal Kollár and Jana Kluková from KFS Production ("Ultimatum") for Česká Televize
Crime procedural and mental health family drama. When a rational homicide detective starts finding the same body over and over again and discovers connections between the cases and her family, she must investigate the nature of her own reality.
"The series delves into hereditary trauma, psychological mystery, and the blurred lines between reality and perception," said Kluková. "At its core, "Frontwards" also addresses the devastating impact of Alzheimer's disease, portraying memory not only as a narrative device but as a fragile, vanishing thread that ties identity and relationships together."
Produced by Eero Hietala and Sara Norberg for Take Two Studios ("Hildur")
Historical drama from seasoned filmmaker AJ Annila ("Codename: Annika," "Peacemaker," "Sauna"). An international team of war correspondents fights to report the truth. But the Finnish propaganda unit feeds them lies to defeat an overwhelming enemy. "During the Finnish Winter War, Helsinki's luxurious Hotel Kämp becomes a battleground for disinformation, a timely theme," said Hietala.
Produced by Martin Lehwald, Marcos Kantis, Philipp Goeser for Schiwago Film, in co-production with ARD Degeto
Directed by Florian Gallenberger, Oscar-winner for the short film "Quiero" and most recently credited for the pic "Perfect Match." A historical comedy about an East-German cruise ship which accidentally sails straight into the Cuban Missile Crisis. With nuclear war looming and deck chair battles raging, the real question is: Can they survive each other?
"The true story of the MS Völkerfreundschaft East-German cruise ship serves as a powerful symbol for our world today," said Goeser. "It not only recounts Cold War history from an unexpected angle, but at a time of renewed tensions between East and West, rising political instability, and a looming climate crisis, it also speaks with timely relevance."
Produced by Eran Riklis Productions, United King Films' Moshe Edery for Israel's Keshet TV
Jointly created and written by Eran Riklis ("Reading Lolita in Tehran," "Lemon Tree," "Syrian Bride"), one of Israel's most renowned filmmakers, and seasoned screenwriter Moshe Zonder ("Tehran," "Fauda"), winner of this year's Series Mania best screenplay award for "The German."
"In the early 1960s, the abduction of a seven-year old Jewish boy by his ultra-Orthodox grandfather leads three women to clash over his fate and faith and to a fierce conflict between the Israeli Mossad secret service and the impenetrable global web of the Orthodox community," reads the logline. Riklis said: "We embark on a global journey as we follow Yossele's trials and tribulations across Europe and the U.S., blending an intimate, painful drama within a powerful social-political set up, wrapped as a psychological thriller. It's about pain, love, parenthood, loss, faith, fanaticism and about secrets and lies on so many levels."
"Wool" (6×50', Serbia, Iceland, Germany)
Written by creator Milena Dzambasovic with Mladen Maticevic, Birkir Blaer Ingolfsson and Stephie Theodora
Produced by Milena Dzambasovic for Film Road Production, in co-production with Jonas Margeir Ingolfsson and Milla Ósk for Iceland's Act4's, and Danna Stern for Germany's In Transit Productions.
In 1960s Yugoslavia, a visionary woman unites village housewives into a knitting collective. Their traditional crafts become a global fashion sensation, transforming rural lives and defying norms.