On the menu of the high mass of international series, which will be held in Lille from March 17 to 24: the return of the 1980s and 1990s, ecology and girl power.
By Katia De la Ballina
© F.Andrieu/Agencepeps/SIPA / Sipa Press SIPA / F.Andrieu/Agencepeps/SIPA
Published on
Subscriber-only audio playback
Mmirrors of our contemporary societies, even if they are sometimes distorting, the fictions attempt to reflect and question all their diversity, tensions and evolutions. The programming of the international festival Series Mania, which will take place from March 17 to 24 in Lille, provides further proof of this.
This 6e edition will show 54 new series from 24 countries, during international, French, international panorama, short formats and comedy competitions, not to mention special screenings and preview screenings of highly anticipated fiction. Among them, Greek saladthe first series by Cédric Klapisch served again at the opening of the festival as a follow-up to his trilogy of The Spanish inn, or the unreleased third season of HPI.
Favoring creations from territories hitherto little explored by the festival, such as Iran or Greece, the selection also bears witness to the rise of the fantastic genre, of which one of the most eminent representatives, Lisa Joy, the showrunner of Westworld, chairs the jury of the international competition. So much for the form. As for the themes, the 2023 vintage of Séries Mania will give fans a taste of three major trends that inspire the serial format today.
READ ALSOThe rise of Amazon Prime Video in French fiction
The 1980s and 1990s in force
This year, the series are nourished by the childhood of certain screenwriters, who grew up at the end of the last century. Like design, fashion or music, the small screen and streaming platforms are welcoming more and more “vintage” creations: “More than half of the series we have received are rooted in the 1980 and 1990”, noted Laurence Herszberg, the general director of the festival. Before moving forward: “It’s a less frontal way of questioning difficult social issues that are currently being debated. Yesterday’s battles resonate strongly today with the questioning of certain social achievements. This is the case of the right to abortion, “defended” in the Canadian series Disobey: Chantale Daigle’s choiceinspired by the true story of a young woman who, in 1989, had to go to court to terminate her pregnancy.
women in power
Another theme of this Series Mania 2023: girl power. “Women are the driving force behind narratives and, faced with injustice, rebel and take their destiny into their own hands,” explains Laurence Herszberg. End of suffering! Fictional heroines assert their rights, including that of freely disposing of their bodies. A struggle illustrated in particular by the Israeli series A Body at Work, which brings up the subject of surrogate mothers. As for American teenage girls The Power, they literally grill the aggressive tendencies of predators, thanks to a mysterious electrical power. Let us also mention the French series Under control, in which Léa Drucker dons the costume of a Minister of Foreign Affairs to challenge political machismo (arte), and Hinny (France 2) on the youth of the French idol.
READ ALSOBut what do they all have with “Succession”?
Spearheading ecology
Finally, the festival, which also organizes a debate on series and ecology, echoes one of the major concerns of our societies: climate change. Which inspires “the craziest scenarios, which take very varied forms”, according to the general manager. The Undersea Monster of European Disaster Fiction The Swarm (France 2), with Cécile de France, thus points with its tentacles our collective responsibility in the pollution of the oceans. The Norwegian science fiction series The Fortress predicts a dark future where Western climate refugees come up against the intransigent migration policy of a country folded behind its walled border.
Something to give food for thought to the public, professionals in the sector and many personalities – Audrey Fleurot (HPI), Brian Cox (Succession), Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (Emily in Paris), Florence Aubenas – who will be there!