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The fifth edition will see the TV festival return to its original springtime slot to run alongside MipTV.

French Oscar-winning director Xavier De Lestrade’s investigative thriller The Inside Game, Seeds Of Wrath and Danish bio-series The Dreamer – Becoming Karen Blixen are among the 10 new series selected for competition in the upcoming edition of French TV festival Canneseries (April 1-6).

The fifth edition sees the event return its traditional springtime slot coinciding with the MipTV content market (April 4-6), after the festival moved to September in 2021 due to the Covid-pandemic.

Political thriller The Inside Game, Seeds Of Wrath stars Alix Poisson...

Set to air in April on Germany’s Ard, Beta Film has sold Dreamtool series “The Turncoat” throughout Scandinavia to public broadcasters Nrk in Norway, Svt in Sweden, Dr in Denmark and Yle in Finland. Negotiations are underway in the U.K. and U.S.

Directed by Florian Gallenberger who co-wrote with Bernd Lange (“Criminal: Germany”), the four-hour series is an adaptation of Siegfried Lenz’ novel of the same name. The book, which was only found after its author’s death as a hidden manuscript, follows the story of Walter Proska (Jannis Niewöhner), a German soldier who by 1944 starts questioning his duty.

As the Red Army approaches, he struggles with the idea of deserting. The relationship with Polish partisan Wanda (Małgorzata Mikołajczak) and his comrade Kürschner impact heavily on his life as Germany enters a new era which Walter faces with hope, but a growing concern.

Led by Stefan Raiser and Felix Zackor,...

German Films, the agency that promotes German cinema around the world, has unveiled the participants of the fifth edition of its Face to Face With German Films campaign, which this year is dedicated to screenwriters.

The writers chosen for Face to Face, which “turns the spotlight on the most influential names in the German audiovisual and film industry and represents some of its most dynamic figures,” are Jana Burbach (“Bad Banks”), Katharina Essyen (“Holiday Secrets”), Hanno Hackfort, Bernd Lange, Rafael Parente (“8 Days”) and Laila Stieler.

The campaign will kick off on March 26 with a panel discussion at Séries Mania in Lille, France, about modern storytelling, in partnership with Variety and Séries Mania. Entitled “Serious About Series: Elements of Innovation in Modern Storytelling,” the panel will be led by John Hopewell of Variety, in conversation with the six screenwriters.

Simone Baumann, managing director of German Films, said: “Now in its fifth year,...

Netflix has shared a new trailer for their upcoming British procedural anthology series Criminal. What makes this series unique is the fact that it take place “exclusively within the confines of a police interview suite.” It is described as “a stripped-down, cat-and-mouse drama that will focus on the intense mental conflict between the police officer and the suspect in question.”

The series is set in France, Spain, Germany, and the U.K., and this trailer gives us our first real look at what’s in store. The series has a great cast that includes David Tennant (Doctor Who) who plays a man “charged with murdering his teen step-daughter. The interrogators’ challenge in this ‘Criminal: UK’ Ep. 1 will be to break down his ‘no comment’ inscrutability.” The series also stars Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter), who is seen in the trailer walking down a corridor as she prepares to be questioned by police.

Netflix has set the premiere date for its police interrogation drama Criminal. The series, which stars For Life’s Nicholas Pinnock, Doctor Who’s David Tennant and Agent Carter’s Hayley Atwell, will launch on September 20.

The Svod service has also unveiled the first images for the format bending series.

Criminal consists of 12 episodes of 45 minutes with three episodes each set across four countries – France, Spain, Germany and the UK. The drama takes place exclusively within the confines of a police interview suite. It is a stripped down, cat-and-mouse drama that will focus on the intense mental conflict between the police officer and the suspect in question.

Pinnock, Cheat’s Katherine Kelly, Lee Ingleby, Mark Stanley, Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf star in the UK episodes with Tennant and Atwell guest starring alongside Youssef Kerkour, and Clare-Hope Ashitey.

In France, Margot Bancilhon, Laurent Lucas, Stéphane Jobert, Anne Azoulay and Mhamed Arezki...

Nicholas Pinnock, star of ABC’s forthcoming legal drama For Life, Doctor Who’s David Tennant and Agent Carter’s Hayley Atwell are to star in Netflix’s police interrogation drama Criminal.

The format bending series consists of 12 episodes of 45 minutes with three episodes each set across four countries – France, Spain, Germany and the UK. The drama takes place exclusively within the confines of a police interview suite. It is a stripped down, cat-and-mouse drama that will focus on the intense mental conflict between the police officer and the suspect in question.

Pinnock, Cheat’s Katherine Kelly Lee Ingleby, Mark Stanley, Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf star in the UK episodes with Tennant and Atwell guest starring alongside Youssef Kerkour, and Clare-Hope Ashitey.

In France, Margot Bancilhon, Laurent Lucas, Stéphane Jobert, Anne Azoulay and Mhamed Arezki star alongside guest stars Nathalie Baye, Jérémie Renier and Sara Giraudeau.

In Germany, Eva Meckbach,...

Beta Film and Oscar-winning director Florian Gallenberger are continuing their partnership with WWII drama, The Turncoat. Described as being in the tradition of International Emmy winner Generation War, the limited series is based on the novel by Siegfried Lenz that centers on a young Wehrmacht soldier who is stranded in the no man’s land of the Polish forests, surrounded by partisans, questioning the meaning of duty, conscience, friendship and love. Jannis Niewöhner (Maximilian And Marie De Bourgogne) stars alongside Malgorzata Mikolajczak, Sebastian Urzendowsky (The Counterfeiters), Rainer Bock (Never Look Away) and Ulrich Tukur (The Lives Of Others). Gallenberger is helming from a script by Bernd Lange (The Vanishing). Shooting is underway in Poland and Germany on the Dreamtool production for public broadcaster Ndr, Ard Degeto and Swr. Beta Film handles world sales and will present first images at Mipcom in Cannes this fall.

Four-hour Second World War series is shooting now in Poland and Germany.

Beta Film and producers Dreamtool have started shooting Second World War drama series The Turncoat, directed by Oscar-winner Florian Gallenberger.

Bernd Lange (The Vanishing) adapts the script from the novel by Siegfried Lenz about Walter, a young Wehrmacht soldier in the summer of 1944 who is stranded in the no man’s land of the Polish forests, surrounded by partisans, questioning the meaning of duty, conscience, friendship and love.

Broadcast partners are Ndr, Ard Degeto and Swr. Backers also include the Polish Film Institute, the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, and the Mfg Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg.

Following “Colonia,”Beta Film and Oscar-winning director Florian Gallenberger are set to re-team on “The Turncoat,” a WW2 mini-series based on Siegfried Lenz’s bestselling novel by the same name.

Currently shooting in Poland and Germany, “The Turncoat” will boast a high-profile German cast including Jannis Niewöhner (“Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne”), Malgorzata Mikolajczak, Sebastian Urzendowsky (“The Counterfeiters”), Rainer Bock (“Never Look Away”) and Ulrich Tukur (“The Lives of Others”).

Dreamtool is producing “The Turncoat” for public broadcaster Ndr, Ard Degeto and Swr. Written by Gallenberger and Bernd Lange (“The Vanishing”), “The Turncoat” depicts the story of young Wehrmacht soldier Walter who is stranded in the no man’s land of the Polish forests starts questioning the meaning of duty, friendship and love.

“These are stormy times, even though we are the generation which has everything – peace, freedom and prosperity. We want to create a touching film that shows us...

Netflix is producing an interesting new police procedural series called Criminal that will be set in four different countries.

What makes this series unique is the fact that it will take place “exclusively within the confines of a police interview suite.” It is described as “a stripped-down, cat-and-mouse drama that will focus on the intense mental conflict between the police officer and the suspect in question.”

I really like the minimalist concept of a series that completely focuses on what goes on in an interrogation room. Netflix has ordered 12 episodes, and the episodes will be set in France, Spain, Germany, and the U.K.

The series was co-created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith, and they will serve as showrunners and executive producers. It’s also explained that the episodes will be in the local language of whichever country they are set in. Those episodes will also be written...

Netflix has ordered a new procedural series that will be set in four different countries.

“Criminal” is a police procedural that takes place exclusively within the confines of a police interview suite. It is described as a stripped-down, cat-and-mouse drama that will focus on the intense mental conflict between the police officer and the suspect in question. Netflix has ordered 12 episodes, with four each set in the following countries: France, Spain, Germany, and the U.K.

All 12 episodes will film at Netflix’s production hub at Ciudad de la Tele in Madrid.

The episodes will be in the local language of whichever country they are set in, as well as written and directed by talent from their respective countries.

George Kay and Jim Field Smith co-created the series and will serve as showrunners and executive producers. Kay will also write the U.K. episodes with Field Smith directing. The France...

Netflix is heading to the police interrogation room with format bending procedural Criminal.

The Svod service has commissioned the 12-part series from Killing Eve writer George Kay and Wrong Mans producer She’s Out Of My League director Jim Field Smith. The show, which consists of episodes of 45 minutes, is set across four countries – France, Spain, Germany and the UK – with three episodes per country.

Criminal takes place exclusively within the confines of a police interview suite. It is a stripped down, cat-and-mouse drama that will focus on the intense mental conflict between the police officer and the suspect in question.

Each episode will be produced in local language, written and directed by local talent. Co-creators Kay and Field Smith, whose Idiotlamp Productions will produce, are set as showrunners and will write the UK version.

In France, Spiral and The Returned’s Frederic Mermoud, Nina’s Antonin Martin-Hilbert and Profilage...

Series will take place across Europe but shoot entirely in streaming platform’s Madrid hub.

Netflix has ordered Criminal, a 12-episode police procedural set in the UK, France, Spain and Germany that will shoot entirely at the global streamer’s production hub at Ciudad de la Tele in Madrid.

Three 45-minute episodes of the series – with action taking place exclusively in police interview rooms - will be set in each country, written and directed by local talent and filmed in the local language.

The overall series showrunners and co-creators for their UK-based Idiotlamp Productions are Killing Eve and The Tunnel...

Requiem

Written by Bernd Lange

Directed by Hans-Christian Schmid

Germany, 2006

Twisting, turning, and contorting are the stuff of a common exorcism film. Ever since the debut of The Exorcist the focus in just about every exorcism film to hit the market has been on the effects of the possession. Requiem is different in that while there is some contorting, screaming, and eerie mannerisms present they are by no means the focus. Excuses are the main course in Requiem, the excuses we make to ourselves and the excuses that others make for us. This has an interesting effect on the film a

s it removes most of the traditional horror elements of an exorcism film. The horror in requiem is based in ignorance, selfishness, and lack of action/too much action. There’s no real way to decipher which approach to an exorcism film is more effective, but Requiem certainly found...

Berlin – An absorbingly detailed snapshot of a troubled family, Home For the Weekend (Was Bleibt) is distinguished by the smart psychological observation of Bernd Lange’s screenplay and the precision and restraint of Hans-Christian Schmid’s direction, which keeps the histrionics on a low flame even at points of maximum anxiety. Melancholy, affecting and tender without being sentimental, the German chamber piece benefits from sterling ensemble work and characters that are both specific to their European middle-class milieu and utterly relatable. Photos: 7 Hot Films to Watch at Berlin Film Festival 2012 The film is probably a little small

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Nina Hoss in Christian Petzold's Barbara

"An additional ten world premieres will be screening in the Competition program of the Berlinale 2012," the festival's announced today:

Aujourd'hui

France/Senegal

By Alain Gomis (L'Afrance, Andalucia)

With Saül Williams, Aïssa Maïga, Djolof M'bengue

"What goes on inside the head of a man who knows he has only 24 hours to live?" begins a report from the Afp. "Franco-Senegalese director Alain Gomis takes viewers through this final day."

Barbara

Germany

By Christian Petzold (Yella, Jerichow, Dreileben)

With Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld

The synopsis from The Match Factory: "East Germany. Barbara has requested a departure permit. It is the summer of 1978. She is a physician and is transferred, for disciplinary reasons, to a small hospital far away from everything in a provincial backwater. Her lover, a foreign trade employee at Mannesmann that she met on a spring night in East Berlin, is working on her escape.

Berlin -- Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon" may have missed out on the best foreign film Oscar but the Austrian filmmaker is all but certain to sweep the German Film Awards after "The White Ribbon" received 13 nominations for the country's top prize, the Lolas.

"The White Ribbon" picked up Lola noms in all possible categories, including best film, best director and best acting noms for stars Burghart Klaussner and Susanne Lothar.

Cinematographer Christian Berger, whose stark black-and-white images earned him an Oscar nomination, is the favurite to win the Lola for best cinematography at the German Film Awards on April 23 in Berlin.

"When We Leave," a drama from first-time director Feo Aladag, was the big surprise, earning six Lola nominations including ones for best film and best actress for Sibel Kekilli ("Head-On") in her comeback role as a young woman banished from her devout Muslim family.

Hans-Christian Schmid's...