TV DRAMA SCREENINGS FESTIVAL (SPRING 2024)
The fourth edition of the TV Drama Screenings Festival spotlights some of the hottest new and returning scripted properties available today. Hailing from across the globe, these selections span the breadth of the landscape, from crime and suspense to romance, dark comedy and more. Clicking on each show title below will take you directly to the trailer.
ZDF Studios is rolling out the six-part series The Zweiflers to its base of scripted buyers. Produced by Berlin-based Turbokultur in co-production with ARD Degeto Film and Hessischer Rundfunk, the series follows a dysfunctional Jewish family. Dr. Markus Schäfer, president and CEO of ZDF Studios, highlights the dramedy’s impressive cast. “The Zweiflers stars Aaron Altaras as Samuel. His credits include the Emmy-award-winning Netflix series Unorthodox and the Disney+/Star drama Deutsches Haus, among others. British actress Saffron Coomber (Three Little Birds, Small Axe) plays Saba, while Swiss-Hungarian actress Sunnyi Melles (Kaiser Karl, Triangle of Sadness) takes on the role of Mimi Zweifler, Samuel’s mother. Mark Ivanir (Heart of Stone, Schindler’s List) plays Jack Horovitz and Broadway and TV actress Eleanor Reissa (The Walking Dead, The Plot Against America) performs the role of the grandmother. The series also stars the award-winning singer and actress Ute Lemper as Tammi and Mike Burstyn, winner of two ‘Israeli Oscars’ and the first Israeli to perform on Broadway, as Symcha Zweifler.”
Another European drama on offer in the TV Drama Screenings Festival, the tentatively titled The End of Dreams follows intertwined stories set during and after World War II. “Our decisions determine our actions and our actions the world around us,” says Gunnar Dedio, CEO of LOOKSfilm. “The End of Dreams takes us to such decisive moments and persons in key characters in WWII and its aftermath. In a unique style and from radically different perspectives, it unravels the events that shaped the world we live in today.”
Other Western European highlights showcased in the TV Drama Screenings Festival include Bavaria Media International’s Codex 632 and the Global Screen movie The Undertaker.
All3Media International continues to bet big on its diverse array of scripted formats. “As production costs seem to be generally increasing, scripted formats are ever more attractive to producers and broadcasters as they present a more efficient and economical route to bring stories to the screen, saving a good percentage of a budget’s development costs and time,” says Stephen Driscoll, executive VP for EMEA. The company’s stable includes Liar, which has notched up a dozen adaptations, and Eyewitness.
The latest edition of the TV Drama Screenings Festival also spotlights some Turkish drama hits with Inter Medya’s Deception, OGM UNIVERSE’s Lost in Love and Calinos Entertainment’s Farah.
