Crime drama's rising Sun
The production team behind the groundbreaking "Scandi noir" series The Bridge unveiled their new project, Midnight Sun, at the annual television program buyers market Mipcom, in Cannes, France. The series was pounced on by a bunch of international broadcasters, including Australia's SBS, Norway's NRK and Belgium's VRT. The series, a co-production between Swedish broadcaster SVT and French pay television platform Canal Plus, stars Leila Bekhti and Gustaf Hammarsten and is set in a remote Swedish mining community where there is 24-hour daylight. The series premiered in April at France's SeriesMania television festival and won the audience award for best new series.
New thriller is on The Level
Australia's ABC has acquired a new British thriller, The Level. The deal, between the ABC and the distribution company DRG, was finalised at the Mipcom market. The series of six one-hour episodes stars Philip Glenister, Karla Crome. Laura Haddock and Rob James-Collier. The series has also sold to TVNZ in New Zealand. In the series Crome plays Detective Sergeant Nancy Devlin, whose connection to an underworld figure, Frank Le Saux (Glenister), risks exposure during an investigation. The series was written by Gaby Chiappe and Alex Perrin and was originally produced for the ITV channel by Hillbilly Television.
Australian wins at Kids Emmys
Australia's Ludo Studio has earned a nomination at the International Emmy Kids Awards, which were announced at the Mipcom television market. Ludo's multi-platform series Doodles was nominated in the digital category. Two other Australian programs were nominated: Wild But True, which stars Steve Irwin's son Bob Irwin, was nominated in the factual children's series category, and Blackfella Films' Ready for This was nominated in the best children's series category. There were a total of 28 nominees across seven categories. The winners are announced at the MipTV television market, which is held annually in Cannes, France, in April.
Downton's heir apparent
The successor to the period mega-hit Downton Abbey was unveiled this week at Mipcom. The Halcyon, from the US studio Sony Pictures Television, was launched at the annual market and quickly became one of the buzziest shows on offer to international program buyers. Set in a hotel in London on the eve of World War II, the series is produced by Chris Croucher and Sharon Hughff and stars Olivia Williams, Steven Mackintosh, Matt Ryan and Kara Tointon. The eight-part drama is launching in Britain on the network ITV, which also aired Downton Abbey. The series is produced by Left Bank Pictures, which is also making the upcoming Netflix series The Crown.
