Nordic Drama Dominates At Cannes Series

Five Nordic dramas have been selected to compete at the 3rd Cannes Series festival (27th March – 1st April), which is open to the public and shines a spotlight on worldwide talent, running in parallel to the MIPTV trade event.

The dominating Nordic force comprises: DNA from Denmark, Man In Room 301 (Huone 301) from Finland, and Atlantic Crossing from Norway, while Sweden provides Partisan and Top Dog.

Completing the competition line-up for Cannes Series from other territories are: 257 Reasons To Live (Russia), Dignity (Chile / Germany), The Grave (Israel), Losing Alice (Israel), and Trying (UK).

President of Cannes Series, Fleur Pellerin, said: “Season 3 of Cannes Series promises to be another year full of new series to discover, meetings with the talented people who create and develop them, unforgettable pink carpet moments and the strong emotions that these series always bring out in all of us.”

“Cannes Series is always growing and evolving, but our roots remain the same: we are a festival with a rigorous selection of series that are both meaningful and crowd-pleasing, open to everyone, with the magic of Cannes and a vibrant, colorful mood to boot. Cannes Series is a party!”

The winner will be announced on 1st April deliberated by a jury consisting of Hollywood producer Gale Ann Hurd (The Walking Dead), director Tawfik Abu Wael (Our Boys) and musician Stewart Copeland, alongside actors Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education), Camille Cottin (Call My Agent) and Katja Herbers (Westworld).

Atlantic Crossing
Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Sofia Helin, Tobias Santelmann
Norway is occupied by Nazi Germany. Crown Princess Märtha and her children find shelter as political refugees in the White House where she speaks out against the Nazi tyranny. Fighting for her country, Märtha convinces the President to support Norway, but her actions create many enemies and some are within the walls of the White House.

DNA
Stars: Anders W. Berthelsen, Charlotte Rampling, Nicolas Bro
Detective Rolf Larsen is devastated when his baby daughter goes missing, but five years later a new lead emerges when a serious flaw is discovered in the police DNA database. Realising that his daughter may still be alive, Rolf tries to find out what really happened to her by investigating a parallel case with ties to an international child trafficking ring.

Man In Room 301
Stars: Antti Virmavirta, Kaija Pakarinen, Jussi Vatanen
This psychological thriller weaves between the past and present to tell the story of the Kurtti family, whose lives irrevocably changed when two-year-old Tommi is killed by a gunshot. Whilst on their family holiday in Greece 12 years later, they come across a man that looks just like the boy’s alleged killer.

Partisan
Stars: Fares Fares, Johan Rheborg
Johnny enters Jordnära, a gated community with a successful organic farm, as their new truck driver. But as he gets to know Nicole and Maria, who are spending their summer there, he begins to suspect trafficking. The more Johnny’s concern for the girls grows, the more focus they take from his main mission. Who is Johnny and what is his true agenda?

Top Dog
Stars: Josefin Asplund, Alexej Manvelov, Gustav Lindh
Lawyer Emily Jansson and ex-convict Teddy Maksumic are thrown together to investigate a mysterious disappearance that links their worlds. Emily is a rising star at her firm and Teddy wants to free himself of debt. She has been chosen for the job because she is skilled and effective, whilst Teddy has been chosen… well, why?