Netflix was one of the main protagonists on the first day of Series Mania Forum (the Series Mania Festival market event). Larry Tanz, vice president of content for the platform in EMEA, offered images of new productions from the region, specifically from France and the Netherlands.
In an exclusive presentation to buyers and the press, which demanded that images of the screenings not be disclosed, the executive specified that several of these productions are the result of the company’s development units throughout Europe, as well as co-productions with local companies.
One of the titles featured was an untitled thriller series starring Isabelle Adjani, and Amsterdam Empire, a Dutch crime series starring and executive produced by Famke Janssen.
Tanz described the untitled French thriller series as revolving around a young mother on the run who finds an unexpected opportunity to get back on her feet by becoming a picker at a prestigious flower farm in Provence. But the mysterious death of the company’s family patriarch makes her her prime suspect.
Meanwhile, the crime series Amsterdam Empire, directed by Jonas Govaerts, follows Jack van Doorn, a wealthy and notorious founder of the Jackal coffee shop empire, as he has to fight criminals, competitors and Dutch laws to prosper. The series was created by Nico Moolenaar, Bart Uytdenhouwen and Piet Matthys. Moolenaar is also an executive producer. Pupkin Film BV produces the film along to A Team Productions.
Likewise, during the conference, the executive commented that the streamer has more than 40 productions filming in Europe in the production pipeline and is working with 400 associated producers.
Tanz also referred to the lack of flexibility in the investment requirements linked to local fund applications of the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive and argued that this could harm creativity. ‘In France, Netflix has signed a three-year agreement to invest a minimum of 40 million euros in the financing of French and European films released in French theaters’.
He also spoke about Netflix‘s operations in Spain, highlighting the country for its flexibility in investment procedures, ensuring that the great slate of productions there is due to this.
‘Flexibility is a great way to encourage creativity. And when we have restrictive limitations, this can stifle creativity’, Tanz said. ‘The more flexibility we can have, the more we can do. I think Spain is a good example of this. It is a country that has obligations, but there is a lot of flexibility in them’, he added.
Likewise, he said that Netflix was continuing to invest heavily in acquisitions in Europe. ‘We have forged partnerships with local film groups in key markets, such as Studiocanal in the UK and Constantin Films in Germany, with whom we collaborated on the limited series Dear Child,’ he concluded.
