Series Mania Buyers Upfront Won by ‘The Deal,’ From Gaumont TV

LILLE: Lifting the lid on the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring  and very human drama at last-chance nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, “The Deal,” told by Gaumont, won Monday night the first annual Buyers Choice Award, marking the climax of Series Mani’s newest initiative, the Series Mania Buyers Upfront. 

A four-way Switzerland-France-Luxembourg-Belgium which also world premieres in main competition at Series Mania, Europe’s largest V Festival, “The Deal” prizes marks a triumph for pan-European co-production, the commercial strategy of the day in Europe. Producers taking in Bande à Part Films, Les Films Pelleas, Gaumont Télévision, Bidibul Productions and Versus Production. 

Verlee Baetens stars as Swiss diplomat Alexandra Weiss who leads the talks playing off Switzerland’s supposed neutrality. Negotiations threaten to be derailed by multiple hidden and personal agendas, not least Alexandra’s when former love interest Payam, a threatened Iranian engineer, turns up at the proceedings. In a high-stake drama, world peace, no less, is at risk.

“The Deal” is co-created by top Swiss director Jean-Stéphane Bron (“Cleveland versus Wall Street”) and French cineaste Alice Winocour (“Mustang,” “Próxima”) in their second incursion  into TV after 2018 mini-series “Ondes de choc.”

“The jury and I were very impressed with the variety of genres and the quality of productions for the titles that were presented this afternoon,” said jury president Katie Keenan, Sky group director of acquisitions, UK/ROI & Europe.

“We chose ‘The Deal’ as the winner as it is a very timely drama given the state of world affairs which adds to its market appeal. Alongside the dynamics of diplomacy and the tension it brings to the drama, there were also human and personal stories that we are certain will unfold,” she added.

The winner was selected from 10 titles, previously announced, which were curated by the Festival’s artistic team and based on both artistic merit and broad audience appeal. It will have faced tough competition from a lineup which included Erik Barmack co-sold “Fusion,” Sally Wainwright’s “Riot Women” and epic fantasy “War of the Kingdoms,” from Germany’s Constantin.

The high-powered six-person jury of key buyers also took in: Ghislain Barrois, director cinema, fiction, sales, rights’ acquisition and distribution, Mediaset España; Marina Chiaravelle, RAI Cinema head of TV rights acquisition; Rubén Fernández Loa, head of series acquisitions at Spain’s Movistar Plus+; Julia Fidel, head of international fiction, acquisitions, at ZDF and Virginie Padilla, commissioning editor, Arte, the French-German public broadcaster.