BBC America’s ‘Killing Eve’ Is Sole U.S. Entry As Canneseries Reveals Inaugural Competition Selections
BBC America’s “Killing Eve” has been selected for this year’s first-ever Canneseries TV festival competition — making it the only U.S. show in a field of ten international productions. “Killing Eve” will be up for one of six awards handed out on April 11, along side new series from Belgium, Germany, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Norway, South Korea, and Spain.
The ten shows will be vying for Best Music, Best Screenplay, Special Performance Prize, Best Performance and Best Series trophies.
As previously announced, author and producer Harlan Coben has been named jury president for the competition, which takes place April 7 to 11. The U.S.-based Coben will be joined on the panel by actress Paula Beer (Germany), screenwriter and director Audrey Fouché (France), actress Melisa Sözen (Turkey), composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer (Chile/Canada) and actor Michael K. Williams (USA).
Coben’s new series “Safe,” which will air in France on C8 but in the rest of the world on Netflix, has been chosen to be screened out of competition at the festival as the closing series. Other shows in competition include the Mexico entry “Aquí En La Tierra,” co-created by Gael García Bernal.
Danish actress Sidse Babett Knudsen (“Borgen”) will serve as patron for the inaugural Canneseries event.
Canneseries will run from April 4 to 11 in the city of Cannes, concurrent to the Mip TV market and just over a month before the Cannes Film Festival takes place. The official competition set to take place at the Auditorium Lumiére in the Palais des Festivals.
The competition’s 10 world premiere series were selected from a pool of international submissions. Eligible series had to be in their first season (not returning), and not yet have aired — in the case of U.S., U.K. and France contenders. Shows from other territories may have already premiered, but within a short timeframe. Pilots were only allowed if a show has been picked up and produced for multiple episodes. The screenings must last between one hour minimum to two hours maximum — which means half-hour shows must be able to showcase at least two episodes.
For shows that don’t meet all of these requirements, there were also three slots for out-of-competition screenings. And on the final day, a Canneseries Digital component will allow short form projects to compete in their own field.
Created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”) and based on the novellas by Luke Jennings, “Killing Eve” stars Sandra Oh as Eve, “a bored, whip-smart, pay-grade MI5 security officer whose desk-bound job doesn’t fulfill her fantasies of being a spy,” and Jodie Comer is Villanelle, “a mercurial, talented killer who clings to the luxuries her violent job affords her.” The show follows both women as they engage in a game of cat and mouse.
Here’s a full list of series that will be featured at the first Canneseries.
Official Competition Selection
“Aquí En La Tierra” (Mexico)
Creator: Gael García Bernal, Kyzza Terrazas, Jorge Dorante
Cast: Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Alfonso Dosal, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Ariadna Gil, Paulina Dávila, Yoshira Escárrega, Gael García Bernal
Network: Fox Premium App & TV
Distribution: Fox Networks Group Latin America
“Cacciatore – The Hunter / Il Cacciatore” (Italy)
Creators: Marcello Izzo, Silvia Ebreul, Stefano Lodovichi, Fabio Paladini, Marzio Paoltroni; Based on the book of anti-mafia prosecutor Alfonso Sabella (Ed. Mondadori)
Cast: Francesco Montanari, Miriam Dalmazio, David Coco, Roberta Caronia, Paolo Briguglia
Network: RAI 2
Distribution: Cross Productions / Beta Film
“Félix” (Spain)
Creator: Cesc Gay
Cast: Leonardo Sbaraglia, Pere Arquillué, Ginés García Millán, Mi Hoa Lee
Network: Movistar+
Distribution: Movistar+ / ITV Global Entertainment
“Miguel” (Israel)
Creator: Tom Salama, Daphna Levin
Cast: Ran Danker, Aviv Karmi, Raul Mendez, Omer Ben David, Miguelito Sojuel
Network: Hot
Distribution: Movie Plus Productions
“Killing Eve” (USA)
Creator: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Cast: Sandra Oh, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Comer, Kim Bodnia, Owen McDonnell
Network: BBC America
Distribution: Sid Gentle Films / Endeavor Content
“Mother” (South Korea)
Creator: Park Jee-Young
Cast: Lee Bo-Young, Heo Yool, Lee Hye-Young, Nam Gi-Ae, Go Sung-Hee
Network: tvN
Distribution: Studio Dragon Corporation
“State of Happiness / Lykkeland” (Norway)
Screenwriter: Mette M Bølstad based on an idea by Synnøve Hørsdal and a concept by Siv Rajendram Eliassen
Cast: Anne Regine Ellingsaeter, Bart Edwards, Amund Harboe, Malene Wadel
Network: NRK1
Distribution: DR Sales
“The Typist / Die Protokollantin” (Germany)
Written by: Nina Grosse
Cast: Iris Berben, Peter Kruth, Moritz Bleibtreu, Katharina Schlotauer, Timur Isik
Network: ZDF
Distribution: Moovie GmbH / Beta Film GmbH
“Undercover” (Belgium)
Creator: Nico Moolenaar
Cast: Tom Waes, Anna Drijver
Network: Eén
Distribution: De Mensen nv / Federation Entertainment
“When Heroes Fly” (Israel)
Creator: Omri Givon
Cast: Tomer Kapon, Michael Aloni, Moshe Ashkenzi, Nadav Neits, Ninet Tayeb
Network: Keshet Broadcasting
Distribution: Keshet International
Out of Competition
“Versailles” Season 3 (France/Canada) – Opening Series of the Festival
Creator: Simon Mirren, David Wolstencroft
Cast: George Blagden, Alexander Vlahos, Elisa Lasowski, Catherine Walker
Network: Canal +
Distribution: Newen
“The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair” (USA/France) – Official Competition Opening Series
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Cast: Patrick Dempsey, Kristine Frøseth, Ben Schnetzer
Network: TF1 (France), Epix (US)
Distribution: MGM Television
“Safe” (UK) – Closing Series of the Festival
Creator: Harlan Coben
Cast: Michael C. Hall, Audrey Fleurot, Amanda Abbington
Network: C8 (France), Netflix (Worldwide except France)
Distribution: STUDIOCANAL
Canneseries Digital Competition
“The Arena / L’Arène” (Canada)
Creator: Marjorie Armstrong
Director: Jean-François Leblanc
Cast: Marjorie Armstrong, Philippe Boutin and Erich Etienne
“Atropa” (USA)
Creator: Eli Sasich
Director: Eli Sasich
Cast: Anthony Bonaventura, Jeannie Bolét, Michael Ironside, Chris Voss and more
“Bite Size Horror” (USA)
Producers: Tony Sella & David Worthen Brooks
“Bonding” (USA)
Creator: Rightor Doyle
Director: Rightor Doyle
Cast: Zoe Levin and Brendan Scannell
“Cabeza Madre” (Cuba)
Creator: Édouard Salier
Director: Édouard Salier
Cast: Clifton Collins Jr, Ana Gloria Buduen, Daniel Amat, Surelys Maria Pol and more
“Camionero” (Colombia)
Creator: Jacques Toulemonde
Director: Jacques Toulemonde
Cast: Andrès Crespo, Angie Cepeda, Tania Valencia and more
“Dominos” (Canada)
Creator: Zoé Pelchat
Director: Zoé Pelchat
Cast: Benjamin Roy, Charlotte Aubin, Émile Schneider, Gregory Beaudin and more
“If I Were You / Si Fueras Tú” (Spain)
Creators: Annaïs Schaaff, Javier Olivares and Javier Pascual
Director: Joaquín Llamas
Cast: Maria Pedraza, Oscar Casas, Jorge Motorcycles, Nerea Elizalde and more
“Immature” (India)
Creator: Sameer Saxena
Director: Prem Mistry
Cast: Omkar Kulkarni, Rashmi Agdekar, Chinmay Chandraunshuh & Visshesh Tiwari
“Memento Mori” (South Korea)
Creator: Lee Young-Sook
Director: Lee Chul-Min
Cast: Hwang Seung-Un, Jae Hee, Kim Ho-Jeong
