CEE Screenings 2018 - The best series from Central and Eastern Europe
Just prior to this year’s MIPCOM, CEETV and TVBIZZ launched the first edition of CEE Screenings, a brand-new event aiming to promote the best fiction productions coming out of Central and Eastern Europe.
The event featured series which have already won the hearts of the viewers in their markets this year and exclusive premieres of the most ambitious projects set to hit the screens during the new TV season. All of the featured productions were based on original ideas and created by local talent.
CEE Screenings was held between mid-September and MIPCOM, the biggest global TV marketplace of the year, with the goal to help CEE players to attract international interest and increase the potential for new deals and partnerships. “The first edition of CEE Screenings definitely grabbed the attention of the TV industry not only from the CEE region but also on a global level. We registered interest for a number of productions featured in the CEE Screenings 2018 selection and we hope that there will be some deal announcements soon. We will continue to organize this event in the future and promote CEE as a territory where series of great quality are being created,” commented Georgi R. Chakarov, CEO and President of CEETV and TVBIZZ.
CEE Screenings was held between mid-September and MIPCOM, the biggest global TV marketplace of the year, with the goal to help CEE players to attract international interest and increase the potential for new deals and partnerships. “The first edition of CEE Screenings definitely grabbed the attention of the TV industry not only from the CEE region but also on a global level. We registered interest for a number of productions featured in the CEE Screenings 2018 selection and we hope that there will be some deal announcements soon. We will continue to organize this event in the future and promote CEE as a territory where series of great quality are being created,” commented Georgi R. Chakarov, CEO and President of CEETV and TVBIZZ.
THE CEE SCREENINGS 2018 SELECTION
Rabies, Czech Republic
Crime series, 6x59’
Although the Czech Republic is free of rabies, infected animals are suddenly found near one of the villages in the Bohemian Forest. The main character of this criminal thriller, virologist Pavel Rogl, has to map the situation, supervise the vaccination and find the cause of the infection. He is also commissioned to develop expert advice for a team of criminals who are investigating a mysterious double murder.
Bitches, Estonia
Crime drama, 10x45’
The series is based on Mart Sander’s best-selling novel of the same name. Bitches is set in an old villa, where revolutionary and well-known historical events, love, power, intrigues and fate unfold through the eyes of hookers. The first season of the series takes place during 1939-1940. All Germans living abroad have just been called to return to Germany. Consequently, in many countries real estate belonging to wealthy Germans is being sold on a massive scale and for a relatively cheap price.
The Trap, Poland
Crime series, 6x42’
Olga (Agata Kulesza, known from “Ida” Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film) is a best-selling novel writer. After the traumatic experience of her husband’s death, she is going through emotional and creative crisis. Looking for inspiration she came across TV reportage about a mysterious disappearance in a children’s orphanage. The moment, when she decides to pay a visit to the place, triggers chains of death threatening events larger than her book stories.
Etudes on Freedom, Russia
Political dystopia, 3x25’
Etudes on Freedom is an independent Russian internet series in the genre of political dystopia. The idea of the project is to show the Russian audience the dire consequences of the currently observed tendencies in the country. The three pilot episodes that have already been filmed are dedicated to one topic – the loss of freedom. The stories are based on the following facts: a Deputy of Moscow City Duma tried to pass a bill that puts a handler to every newly married couple; a Deputy of State Duma suggested creating a commission on prevention of extremism in culture. Each episode shows what happens when these initiatives turn into reality.
Caviar, Russia
Detective series, 8x52’
1979. Mikhail Fyodorov, a criminal investigator at the Fraud Office, dies under puzzling circumstances in a small coastal town with a fishing port. Alexander Kostenko, his colleague and close friend, finds out that Fyodorov’s death was not an accident. He takes on the criminal case himself but suddenly he is suspended from office without explanation. To restore justice, Kostenko flies to Moscow to meet with the Prosecutor General. At Sheremetyevo airport, he becomes an inadvertent witness of smuggling of a large sum of money in foreign currency.
On the Edge, Russia
Drama series, 12x40’
The series is about life, love and obstacles that sometimes seem so insuperable. Unfortunately, not everybody can pass the tests with dignity, without succumbing to domestic and existence problems. It requires endurance, mental ballast and a little bit of patience. There should be no rush in the matters of love, but there should always be trust, respect and devotion. The series tells the story of several characters, who became interconnected by a twist of fate.
Moms, Slovenia
Comedy series, 18x25’
The TV series takes us through the lives of five heroines - women, who take care of their children, go to work and deal with their husbands or absent fathers. Their lives are spiced up with various real and imaginary problems that tremble modern women and not just mothers. The moms may have their ups and downs, but their fresh humor remains constant. Julia, Iva, Tatiana and Mirjana are mothers. They met in the middle school and live in the same neighborhood.
Souvenir from Odesa, Ukraine
Adventure drama, 12x50’
The 12-episode series is based on the novel Coffin from Odesa by the local writer Valerii Smirnov. The plot is focused on a golden pendant with magical properties and the love story of two young people from the city. Legend has it that the souvenir protects its owner and destroys the one who tries to take it away against the owner’s will. The love story between Matvii Hrach and Lisa Volska began during World War I. After the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, over a three-year period, Odesa is experiencing the change of seven governments but the power of local criminality remains unchanged.
Who Are You?, Ukraine
Crime drama, 16x45’
This is the story of psychologist Inga Shtefan, who, after the mysterious deaths of a couple of her patients and the disappearance of her fiancé, starts working in the field of criminal profiling. Along with her own investigation, Inga cooperates with the police homicide division. Together with Major Oleg Mischenko, the division chief, they go all the way from antipathy and never-ending conflicts to partnership, friendship, liking and, finally, love. As the plot develops, Inga finds out that a maniac, who murdered her patients and fiancé, has followed her for many years.
Rabies, Czech Republic
Crime series, 6x59’
Although the Czech Republic is free of rabies, infected animals are suddenly found near one of the villages in the Bohemian Forest. The main character of this criminal thriller, virologist Pavel Rogl, has to map the situation, supervise the vaccination and find the cause of the infection. He is also commissioned to develop expert advice for a team of criminals who are investigating a mysterious double murder.
Bitches, Estonia
Crime drama, 10x45’
The series is based on Mart Sander’s best-selling novel of the same name. Bitches is set in an old villa, where revolutionary and well-known historical events, love, power, intrigues and fate unfold through the eyes of hookers. The first season of the series takes place during 1939-1940. All Germans living abroad have just been called to return to Germany. Consequently, in many countries real estate belonging to wealthy Germans is being sold on a massive scale and for a relatively cheap price.
The Trap, Poland
Crime series, 6x42’
Olga (Agata Kulesza, known from “Ida” Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film) is a best-selling novel writer. After the traumatic experience of her husband’s death, she is going through emotional and creative crisis. Looking for inspiration she came across TV reportage about a mysterious disappearance in a children’s orphanage. The moment, when she decides to pay a visit to the place, triggers chains of death threatening events larger than her book stories.
Etudes on Freedom, Russia
Political dystopia, 3x25’
Etudes on Freedom is an independent Russian internet series in the genre of political dystopia. The idea of the project is to show the Russian audience the dire consequences of the currently observed tendencies in the country. The three pilot episodes that have already been filmed are dedicated to one topic – the loss of freedom. The stories are based on the following facts: a Deputy of Moscow City Duma tried to pass a bill that puts a handler to every newly married couple; a Deputy of State Duma suggested creating a commission on prevention of extremism in culture. Each episode shows what happens when these initiatives turn into reality.
Caviar, Russia
Detective series, 8x52’
1979. Mikhail Fyodorov, a criminal investigator at the Fraud Office, dies under puzzling circumstances in a small coastal town with a fishing port. Alexander Kostenko, his colleague and close friend, finds out that Fyodorov’s death was not an accident. He takes on the criminal case himself but suddenly he is suspended from office without explanation. To restore justice, Kostenko flies to Moscow to meet with the Prosecutor General. At Sheremetyevo airport, he becomes an inadvertent witness of smuggling of a large sum of money in foreign currency.
On the Edge, Russia
Drama series, 12x40’
The series is about life, love and obstacles that sometimes seem so insuperable. Unfortunately, not everybody can pass the tests with dignity, without succumbing to domestic and existence problems. It requires endurance, mental ballast and a little bit of patience. There should be no rush in the matters of love, but there should always be trust, respect and devotion. The series tells the story of several characters, who became interconnected by a twist of fate.
Moms, Slovenia
Comedy series, 18x25’
The TV series takes us through the lives of five heroines - women, who take care of their children, go to work and deal with their husbands or absent fathers. Their lives are spiced up with various real and imaginary problems that tremble modern women and not just mothers. The moms may have their ups and downs, but their fresh humor remains constant. Julia, Iva, Tatiana and Mirjana are mothers. They met in the middle school and live in the same neighborhood.
Souvenir from Odesa, Ukraine
Adventure drama, 12x50’
The 12-episode series is based on the novel Coffin from Odesa by the local writer Valerii Smirnov. The plot is focused on a golden pendant with magical properties and the love story of two young people from the city. Legend has it that the souvenir protects its owner and destroys the one who tries to take it away against the owner’s will. The love story between Matvii Hrach and Lisa Volska began during World War I. After the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, over a three-year period, Odesa is experiencing the change of seven governments but the power of local criminality remains unchanged.
Who Are You?, Ukraine
Crime drama, 16x45’
This is the story of psychologist Inga Shtefan, who, after the mysterious deaths of a couple of her patients and the disappearance of her fiancé, starts working in the field of criminal profiling. Along with her own investigation, Inga cooperates with the police homicide division. Together with Major Oleg Mischenko, the division chief, they go all the way from antipathy and never-ending conflicts to partnership, friendship, liking and, finally, love. As the plot develops, Inga finds out that a maniac, who murdered her patients and fiancé, has followed her for many years.
