Berlin’s Co-Pro Series: Skateboarders, Kingpins, Fernando Meirelles

Female-led shows, crime dramas and politically charged stories are still making their mark.  

“Anne of Green Gables” author Lucy Maud Montgomery will finally get the starry treatment worthy of her iconic characters in “Lucy. Maud.” Produced by Girls Productions, it’s created by Susan Coyne and presented at Berlinale’s Co-Pro Series.  

“It’s a compelling drama about a powerful woman whose life experience remains relatable to this day,” promises producer Edwina Follows.  

Another female protagonist, a young chef dealing with psychosis, will look for “Recipes for a Nervous Breakdown” in a Sophie White-created show, based on her own novel. Ireland’s Deadpan Pictures produces. 

“What sets ‘Recipes’ apart is the stark, raw authenticity of the piece. It ties Sophie’s true story of managing – rather than ever fully healing from – a mental health collapse, through the glory and salvation of food. Sophie wants to bring the audience through the full descent into psychosis, sit with it and dig our way out of it, not just explore the aftermath,” notes producer Ailish McElmeel. 

“It’s visceral, it’s dark and it’s funny because in the face of total life collapse, you have to find the humor.” 

In “Shit Happens” from Austria, a single mum becomes a very successful hash dealer in Vienna at the turn of the millennium.  

“It was a city on the brink of change – much like our heroine. It was a time of upheaval, rebellion and boundless possibilities in Europe. Deeply authentic and profoundly human, the story resonates today as much as it did then, because the hunger for freedom and control over one’s destiny is universal,” says producer Katharina Posch. 

Shady deals – and a complex father-son relationship – is also at the heart of crime drama “Miami Wildlife,” created by Adam Penn and directed by Fernando Meirelles and Quico Meirelles. Which, as teased by the team, will introduce its viewers to “the wild world of Mario Tabraue: a neon-soaked Miami underworld with gangsters, lovers, feds, and a Rolex-wearing chimp,” following Mario’s journey from “lonely Cuban kid to eccentric kingpin.  

“Unlike typical gangster tales, Mario’s story is about escaping childhood baggage and building his menagerie, making it a fresh take on the anti-hero archetype,” adds O2filmes’ Rafael de Novaes. 

Another thrilling story, “The Guard,” will go deep into the secrets of the Vatican after a failed attempted attack on the Pope’s life.  

“It’s a gripping exploration of power, corruption and redemption within the confines of the Vatican. ‘The Guard’ delves into the individual and institutional struggles of the Pope’s new bodyguard, navigating a web of deceit and conspiracy to cover up the exploitation of women within the Church,” says producer Rajko Jazbec. 

Some uncomfortable, yet necessary questions will be raised in “The Best of Families.” Created by Maja Jul Larsen and based on real events around the Cheminova chemical factory in the early 1950s, it shows a family that believes their life is finally getting better – unfortunately, it comes at a price the environment will have to pay.  

As noted by producer Dorthe Riis Lauridsen, the show is a “universal story of industrial growth at the expense of human and environmental health. It explores one of the greatest pollution scandals through strong, character-driven plots, and serves as a starting point for discussions on how we have arrived at today’s climate and ecological crises.” 

Politics will be referenced in “Ruth’s Ghosts,” created by Jennifer Fox, and taking on abortion laws that threaten to rip a family apart in 2030 as “secrets, specters and the fight for female bodily autonomy collide.” 

Ruth, a devout Evangelical lawyer, clashes with her daughter Naomi, a liberal jazz musician, over her 13-year-old granddaughter Liv’s dangerous pregnancy. As Ruth sues for custody and Naomi fights for Liv’s abortion, Liv is paralyzed by the fear of damnation. Haunted by Madame Restell, a 19th-century abortionist, Ruth’s iron convictions crack, forcing her to confront long buried truths.  

“I could not be more excited to bring ‘Ruth’s Ghosts’ to audiences worldwide: a high-stakes thriller that explores a deeply relevant global issue through the intimate lens of a family divided by opposing political and religious beliefs, layered with a ghost story that transcends time,” says Fox.  

Troubling history is referenced in Germany’s “The Experts,” with Berlinale Co-Pro Series Market marking its first public appearance. “It’s the starting point – the rockets are about to go off,” says producer Irene von Alberti.  

Based on the novel by Merle Kröger, it will remind the viewers of an odd moment when scientists and engineers, previously working for Nazi Germany’s rocket program, were asked to develop rockets for Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. 

She adds: “Never before have we been so convinced of the audience potential of a story. Everyone we tell about it wants to know more, their eyes light up and they can hardly believe it has actually happened. ‘The Experts’ illuminates a little-noticed chapter of post-war history, told as a complex thriller with spectacular locations.” 

Finally, “Our People” will reference a tragic event that shook Slovakia in 2018: a murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. 

“Our aim is to produce a miniseries which will be immediate and relatable, allowing audiences into events which indeed destroyed the lives of two families. But, ironically, it revived the political energy and hopes of a nation,” said producer Jakub Viktorín.

“This is why the story of ‘Our People’ can resonate across our troubled world.” 

Something else that can resonate with viewers? Anthology series “Sk8 or Die – The Lee Ralph Story,” created by Tom Hern and Halaifonua Finau, with Tony Hawke and Steve-O involved as exec producers. 

Keisha Castle Hughes and Vinnie Bennett will star, taking on the story of a man “born into bright color and wildness, as the son of a drug-dealing, guitar-playing gangster in New Zealand,” says Tom Hern.  

“Lee found his escape – and his calling – on a skateboard. Fuelled by the unshakable belief of his mother, he defied the odds to become a pro skater in the U.S. in the late 80’s, captivating fans with his raw, ‘caveman’ skating style.” 

But as “visa troubles ripped him from the limelight, sending him back to obscurity,” the show will also detail a “brave eccentric’s return to his family and the healing that comes with that.”  

“Despite the market challenges of the last couple of years, beacons of light – such as ‘Baby Reindeer’ – have proven that audiences still respond strongly to bold, authentic storytelling,” notes Hern.  

“Powerful true stories, with high stakes, dark crime aspects but also multidimensional interesting character studies, like Ryan Murphy’s ‘Monsters’ have shone and outperformed. ‘Sk8 or Die – The Lee Ralph’ story has these qualities, but it’s also completely unique. Far from a traditional sports biopic, it delivers a complex, revealing but also fun, funny and highly memorable perspective into skate culture.”

As Hern points out, skateboarding is the sixth most popular sport in the world, with its industry valued at $3 billion – and growing.  

“Even those who have never skated, have been influenced by its art, music, fashion or gaming. The series has the capacity to become a global, returnable franchise, with subsequent seasons focusing on different icons from around the skate world. This opens up big upside and numerous future co-production opportunities in the future.

German fest is spotlighting new shows also during Berlinale Series Market, which, according to Tanja Meissner, director at Berlinale Pro, “is a great place to network and do significant business.” 

“It’s happening on the backdrop of one of the biggest A-festivals and a buzzing global trading platform. This combination is unique,” she tells Variety. 

“Knowing that we are living in difficult times, with the industry very much affected by humanistic and economic challenges, our mission to foster connections within communities becomes even more vital.” 

Berlinale Series Market’s Jana Daedelow observes that “comedy has moved from humorous escapism to witty irony, when you compare last year’s selection with this year’s. Faced with the challenges we have all faced since the pandemic, it seems that audiences are prepared to face them in a dryer way. With a funny twist sometimes, of course.” 

Still, a shift from comedy to crime has been noticeable.  

“We are back in the crime and thriller genres, which have always been strong, but we are seeing creators and producers taking more risks even within these genres, incorporating elements of post-apocalyptic, mystery and sci-fi narratives,” she says.   

The titles:

“The Best of Families” 

Apple Tree Productions (Denmark)

Creator: Maja Jul Larsen

Director: Charlotte Sieling

Producers: Dorthe Riis Lauridsen, with executive producers Piv Bernth and Lars Herman 

The establishment of the Cheminova chemical factory in the early 1950s allows Margrethe and Niels, a working-class family, to improve their lives. However, like many others, they ignore the growing environmental disaster that the factory causes. Inspired by true events, the Danish series explores “the timeless dilemma of economic progress vs. environmental responsibility,” says its team.  

“The Experts” 

Filmgalerie 451 (Germany)

Head-writer: Julian Pörksen 

Producers: Frieder Schlaich, Irene von Alberti 

Based on Merle Kröger’s novel, the show – created by Julian Pörksen – will be shot in Egypt, Germany and Israel, recalling the time in the 1960s when German experts – scientists, engineers and former Nazis – gathered in secret military facilities to develop rockets for Egypt’s president Nasser, pushing the world to the brink of war while the daughter of one of them becomes entangled in a deadly web of espionage, betrayal and intrigue. 

“The Guard”

Catpics (Switzerland) 

Co-creator/writer: Stéphane Mitchell

Co-creator/director: Christian Johannes Koch

Producer: Rajko Jazbec 

Now in development, “The Guard” is a thriller dealing with an aftermath of a shocking surprise: after a trusted Swiss Guard makes an attempt on the life of the Pope, the pontiff’s new bodyguard investigates, coming up against powerful and shadowy Vatican clerics, desperate to suppress the truth. “It’s a contemporary crime thriller highlighting the complex interplay between faith, duty and personal salvation,” says Jazbec. 

“Lucy. Maud”

Story Girls Productions, Canada

Writers: Susan Coyne, Rosa Laborde

Director: Megan Follows

Producers: Edwina Follows, Mary Young Leckie, Megan Follows 

With pilot script and second episode ready, this Canadian show is about to introduce a wider audience to writer Lucy Maud Montgomery, forgotten force behind such classics as “Anne of Green Gables.” As well as her personal life, her passionate affairs, turbulent marriage, the pressures of fame, her ongoing struggle with mental illness and the solace she found in her writing. Supported by Canadian Media Fund. 

“Miami Wildlife”

O2 Filmes (Brazil), Traveling Picture Show Company and Anonymous Content (U.S.)

Creator: Adam Penn

Directors: Fernando Meirelles, Quico Meirelles 

Producers: Fernando Meirelles, Quico Meirelles, Carissa Buffel, Luisa Iskin 

In 1960s Cuba, young Mario’s life is upended when his father, Guillermo, flees to Miami to escape Fidel Castro’s regime. Mario follows him and starts to make a living by marijuana trafficking. By his twenties, he rises as a weed kingpin, smuggling drugs while using his earnings to build a private zoo – his sanctuary from chaos. Guillermo, now a CIA informant, continues to force his son to help him with covert missions, which complicates his life.  

“Unlike typical gangster tales, Mario’s story is about escaping childhood baggage and building his menagerie, making it a fresh take on the anti-hero archetype,” adds O2filmes’ Rafael de Novaes. 

Fernando Meirelles notes: “Welcome to this ‘70s endorphin-packed series: 10 fast-paced, 30-minute episodes full of humor, energy, music, style… and animals

“Our People” 

Nutprodukcia (Slovakia) Nutprodukce & Czech Television (Czech Republic)

Creator/Writer: Miro Šifra

Director: Tereza Nvotová

Producers: Jakub Viktorín, Tomáš Hrubý

Crime mini-series – selected in cooperation with French festival Series Mania – is in pre-production and will be shot in Slovakia. Referencing disturbing events, namely the real-life 2018 murder of a journalist and his fiancée, the show will follow people who “uncover a web of corruption and moral decay, exposing the dark underbelly of Slovak society,” promise the makers. Made in collaboration with ZDF’s Network Movie Film-und Fernsehproduktion.  

“Recipes for a Nervous Breakdown”

Deadpan Pictures (Ireland) 

Creator: Sophie White

Producer: Ailish McElmeel 

Described as a “darkly comic drama,” with scripts for first two episodes available, it’s based on a best-selling memoir and cookbook by Sophie White: novelist, journalist and podcaster. It follows Claire, a hedonistic young chef whose life veers off-course after some routine recreational drug use sends her spiralling into psychosis. The series charts the far-reaching impacts of Claire’s nervous breakdown on her career, personal relationships and identity. 

“Ruth’s Ghosts” 

A Luminous Mind Production, Temair Pictures (USA), Oma Inge Film (Germany)

Creator/writer/director: Jennifer Fox

Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tara Grace, Jana Lotze, Oren Moverman, Simone Piro, Beverly Rogers  

In her “supernatural legal thriller,” Jennifer Fox jumps to 2030 New Orleans, where a national abortion ban ignites a family war between three generations of women. As her granddaughter gets pregnant, devout lawyer Ruth, “torn by love, faith and betrayal,” will “face a choice that will define them all.” “It’s a truly unique, suspenseful and multidimensional series with universal resonance,” she says. Zas Films and Andromeda Film are also on board. 

“Shit Happens”

Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion (Austria)

Creators/head-writer: Magda Woitzuck

Writer: Calle Fuhr

Directors: Arman T. Riahi, David Wagner

Producers: Katharina Posch, with Michael Kitzberger, Wolfgang Widerhofer, Markus Glaser, Nikolaus Geyrhalter  

Inspired by true events, and a podcast, this six-part miniseries from Austria spotlights a young woman – and a single mom – who, against all odds, becomes the most successful hash dealer in the late 90s Vienna. It was granted development funding by the Vienna Film Fund. “At the core of the show is a woman breaking free from the limits society places on her,” observes producer Katharina Posch. 

“Sk8 or Die: The Lee Ralph Story” 

Tavake (New Zealand)

Creators: Tom Hern, Halaifonua Finau

Directors: Travon Free, Martin Desmond Roe, Tom Hern

Producers: Tom Hern, Nua Finau, Julian Arahanga, Tony Hawk, Steve–O  

Boasting skateboarding legend Tony Hawk and “Jackass” survivor Steve-O among its exec producers, this new scripted anthology series – now in final stages of financing, with scripts for first two episodes locked – is based on “powerful true stories from within the culture.” Season 1 follows Lee Ralph: “an eccentric, vert-pro, turned folk hero. Lee’s story is proof that real life can be as mad and magical as the best fiction,” says producer Tom Hern.