They are joined by Spain’s “When Devils Rule” from Rodrigo Susarte (“Patagonia”), and Belgium’s “The Inheritance” powered by “This is Not a Murder Mystery” producer Panenka.
Picked among 50 submissions from Eurimages member states, the 10 selected series will vie for the coveted €50,000 ($56,000) Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award.
TV Beats co-heads Roosa Toivonen and Petri Kemppinen
Credit: TV Beats
“Estonia is very dynamic in TV drama, and we did receive more applications than from Lithuania and Latvia,” said Toivonen who mentioned the catchy story of “Stormbird,” about a young female fugitive, under Soviet-occupied Estonia in 1949. Also from Estonia is the fast-paced YA drama “Breaking the Ice,” produced by Jevgeni Supin, who was distinguished last year with an Honorary TV Beats Producer Award.
The TV Beats Forum is part of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival’s industry platform Industry Tallinn & Baltic Event, running over Nov 9-20.
Full rundown of TV Beats Co-Financing Market lineup:
Beneath the polished surface of Estonia’s elite ice rinks, a Russian hockey prodigy ruled by his violent father and an Estonian figure skater groomed by a manipulative coach fall in love across a national divide. “Breaking the Ice” is not another fast-paced feel-good love story on skates,” says producer Jevgeni Supin. “Our series looks beneath the polished surface of youth sport, where abuse by parents and coaches is often disguised as pursuit for excellence. At its heart, it’s is a story about two young people who find the courage, through love, to break this cycle.”
“Fortel” (8X45’, Poland)
Credit: Apple Film Production
Legendary Polish film mogul and director Dariusz Jabłoński (“The Pleasure Principle,” “The Cop-A New Chapter”), serves as creator and showrunner of this spy thriller penned by US screenwriter Marc Grey, episodic writer of Apple TV’s International Emmy-winning show “Tehran.”
Jabłoński’s own pedigreed banner Apple Film Production is producing for commercial giant Polsat.The core of the action is the little-known Polish town of Rzeszów close to the Ukraine border which has turned into a spy nest and arms dealing platform. The story tracks a CIA officer who sets a trap for Russian saboteurs, targeting confidential Western arms shipments while secretly searching for his missing brother, who may hold the key to the leak, says the logline.
“Fortel” is about the history we’re living through right now, in real time, two hours from my home,” Jabłoński tells Variety. “Rzeszów is a city that woke up one morning to find itself at the center of the war, with no instruction manual and no way out. I want to make a thriller that feels the way the war feels – chaotic, morally unresolved and shot through with unexpected moments of humanity, with a cast drawn from several of the countries involved. A Polish-based story that the whole world needs to see right now,” he claims.
“Happy New Year!” (“Laimingų Naujų!” 10X21’, Lithuania)
Credit: Big Drama
Created and helmed by rising talent Montis Norvaisis for his outfit Big Drama, setup with producer Lineta Lasiauskaitė. The drama turns on a young woman, victim of spike drinking at a lavish New Year’s Eve party in a remote manor. When the guests refuse to confront the crime, her best friend seeks justice herself. Norvaisis will draw from his own experience to portray a raw and authentic portrait of New Year’s Eve youth parties.
“’Kalmann’ sits within the internationally established Nordic crime space, but brings warmth, humor, melancholy and humanity to the genre alongside a compelling murder investigation,” says Baldursdóttir, who plans to use TV Beats to test the show’s concept, tone and international potential. Production is set to start in the fall 2027.“Intimacy on Prescription” (“Intimita na předpis, 8X60’, Czechia)“Can good sex save every marriage,” says the logline about the tragicomedy set in 1970s Czechoslovakia, and inspired by the real story of Stanislav Kratochvíl, a pioneer of couples sex therapy. The show, helmed by established theater and film director Jiří Havelka (“Owners”), is set in a psychiatric clinic, where couples are invited to say out loud what society, marriage and shame have taught them to hide.
Credit: Meteoriit
“The Woman Who Roared” (4X45’, Finland)
Credit: Olga Dimenshtein/Sons of Lumière
“The Woman Who Roared” offers a fresh take on the spy genre – thrilling, funny, and full of heart,” says producer Mete Sasioglu of Sons of Lumière, who will be looking for co-producers, especially from France, Eastern Europe and the Nordics in Tallinn.
“When Devils Rule” (“Los demones mandan,” 6X35’, Spain)Darkly humorous political thriller with supernatural elements from the team behind Movistar Plus’ anticipated “Patagonia.” Atlantika Films’ Nano Arrieta-creator and producer with Claudia Ruíz — shares the writing room with Popy Blasco, Ibai Ariztegi and Bárbara Zemelman. In a world fractured by power, fear and political extremism, a group of women uncovers a demonic force operating at the highest level of society-and realizes the chaos around them may be part of a much darker design.
