Aussie shows selected for Series Mania

ABC series House of Gods and upcoming US-Australian miniseries Apples Never Fall have been selected for the Main Competition at Series Mania in Lille, France from March 15 – 22.

They will compete against international dramas including So Long Marianne, Boarders, In the Shadows, Herrhausen: The Banker & The Bomb, Hotel Cocaine, Rematch from countries including the USA, UK, France and Germany.

House of Gods, created by Osamah Sami, centres around an Iraqi Australian family grappling with power and privilege when their patriarch is elected Head Cleric of their local mosque. It will premiere on ABC on February 25.

Apples Never Fall, produced for Peacock, stars Annette Bening and Sam Neill and is based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel. It will premiere on Showcase / Binge on March 14.

Lingo Pictures drama After the Party, produced in NZ, is in the Panorama section ahead of its broadcast on ABC in coming weeks.

Videoland (pictured) the first series from Melbourne-based production company, Pikelet Pictures, will have its world premiere as part of the Comedy Competition.

Set in video store in the 90s, Videoland follows 17-year-old employee, Hayley, who needs help figuring out what being a lesbian entails. Naturally, she turns to the movies, but finding meaningful representations proves challenging. Without any positive role models for her on screen, Hayley must find a way to be herself, embrace her sexuality and impress the girl of her dreams.

Videoland’s writer and director, Jessica Smith, is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, and is dedicated to promoting inclusion & increasing visibility on screen by producing engaging and relatable queer & female-focused stories.

“We’re incredibly proud of this series and the hard work the entire cast and crew put in to bring the vision to life. To be selected for Series Mania is truly an honour and to know our message about the importance of representation is both clear and appreciated is genuinely a dream come true. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”

As well as being the producer of Videoland and co-owner of Pikelet Pictures, Scarlett Koehne is the mother of two children under three, with her eldest son being totally blind. She is committed to creating opportunities for people with disabilities to be represented on screen and is forging a pathway for women and caregivers to have fulfilling careers in the entertainment sector.

“We believe in our work, but to have it recognised by such a distinguished festival alongside such experienced and well-established filmmakers, it’s nice to know that we’re not alone.” said Scarlett. “We never dreamed of achieving this level of success with our first series, it’s a really exciting sign of things to come”.

4×15 shorts Space Rats by Eric Zac Perry also screens in the Short Forms Competition.

Updated.