By Tim Dams and Rebecca Leffler Screen Daily 29 March 2025

Source: Series Mania / J Lelong

Series Mania

There are few better places than Series Mania’s industry Forum to gauge the mood of the scripted TV industry. For three concentrated days this week, execs from the international TV business gathered in Lille to talk business, scout for shows and to swap ideas. 

Screen distills the key conversation points from the 2025 edition.

Stability returns – but the market has shrunk

Peak TV is very much over: globally, scripted TV orders are running about 25% below the peak TV era, Ampere Analysis said in a Series Mania presentation. But there is a newfound stability in the series market, which has levelled out after the crash caused by the 2023 writers and actors strikes, the streamer focus on profitability and the slump in the commercial TV ad market. Striking a positive note, Ampere’s executive director Guy Bisson said: “The good news is that stability is predictable, and that is good for business.” Banijay’s head of scripted, business, Johannes Jensen also told Screen that the market has stabilised compared to last year. It might be challenging to finance shows, Jensen said, “but there is a big demand, especially here in Europe, for scripted. We’re not going further down.” ITV Studios president of global partnerships Ruth Berry echoed this in a keynote address. After a “perfect storm of macroeconomic challenges”, she said it feels like “there’s more buoyancy in the market.”

Time to collaborate

Given the challenging market conditions, producers and broadcasters are increasingly looking to collaborate. Co-production was the big talking point of Series Mania. The contraction has forced greater entrepreneurialism, said Banijay’s head of scripted, creative, Steve Matthews. “I’m certainly seeing more openness to cleverer ways of financing.” In the UK, many scripted series – even those greenlit by broadcasters such as the BBC – remain on hiatus as producers attempt to fill deficits. In part, this is because the UK’s traditional co-production partners in the US have retreated amid the challenges facing the network and cable businesses in the States. “The US are not co-producing – they are standing by,” one exec told Screen. As a result, the UK is increasingly looking to Europe to plug financing gaps. (However, several European execs said that the expectations of UK producers can be “unrealistic”.) Notably, the BBC and German broadcaster ZDF announced a scripted co-commissioning partnership at Series Mania.

European confidence

European broadcasters, of course, have long collaborated on scripted production. For example, Series Mania competition title Kabul, which has a budget of €20m, is backed by Euro broadcaster commissioning initiatives The European Alliance (comprising Germany’s ZDF, France Télévisions and Italy’s Rai) and New8 (which includes five Nordic broadcasters as well as ZDF, the Netherlands’ NPO and Belgium’s VRT). Perhaps because they have collaborated for many years out of necessity, the Europeans seemed to be the most upbeat contingent at Series Mania. By comparison, one felt the US and UK industries are finding it harder to adjust to the new market reality. France’s culture minister Rachida Dati called for “a European leap forward for culture” during a speech and stressed the strategic importance of European productions in the current international context. “When it comes to series, the United States were pioneers and have long dominated our screens. But today, and for quite some time now, Europe has been back in the game!” She cited series like festival closer HIP, which has traveled to some 100 countries including a US remake on ABC, The Bureau and Kabul. She added: “We create European gems by joining forces. […] I’m convinced that now is the time for a great European cultural awakening. We hold all the cards.”

The elephant in the room

President Donald Trump might have upended transatlantic alliances since taking office, but there was a curious lack of public debate at Series Mania about his policies and actions. Several French execs told Screen that last week’s news about a French scientist being denied entry into the United States, apparently because the scientist had expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration’s research policy, was one of the causes for stymying debate. One told Screen: “One subject that is missing in the conference is whether collaboration with the US will change given the new political landscape… but we’re all scared to have our visa refused because of what happened to that French scientist at the airport.” The lack of political discussion was despite geopolitically-charged series powering the line-ups at both the festival and market including Kabul about the US and European withdrawal from Afghanistan, The Deal about US-Iran nuclear talks, Mussolini: Son Of The Century about the rise of fascism, and State Of Alert, TF1’s France-Israel espionage thriller.

The cinema-to-series crossover

The crossover between the film and TV worlds was evident throughout Series Mania. At the Forum, the winner of the first annual Buyer’s Choice award, The Deal, was created by Swiss filmmaker Jean-Stéphane Bron and French auteur Alice Wincour, known for Paris Memories and the upcoming Couture starring Angelina Jolie, with Gaumont and Anatomy of A Fall’s Les Films Pelleas among the co-producers. Kabul, also in competition, is co-produced by Mediawan’s 24 25 Films which comes from the world of feature films. One of France’s top film producers Charles Gillibert’s CG Cinema, which is behind upcoming features including Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother and Couture, pitched series Kitchen Hustle at Coming Next from France. On the festival side, Cha Cha Real Smooth filmmaker Cooper Raiff brought his indie series Hal & Harper, Amanda Seyfried was in town for Long Bright River, Joe Wright was in competition with his Mussolini: Son Of The Century series, and Netflix brought family comedy Asterix And Obelisk: The Big Fight with producer Alain Goldman and creator-writer-director Alain Chabat with a cast that mirrors a Cannes film festival red carpet including Gilles Lellouche, Anais Demoustier, Geraldine Nakache, Thierry Lhermitte, Jeanne Balibar and more.

Crime rules

The demand for crime dramas remains as strong as ever. Some 31% of European scripted commissions are in the crime or thriller genre, according to Ampere research. The streamers like crime even more: almost half of their European original commissions are crime. As they embrace advertising and become more like commercial broadcasters, the streamers need audiences to return again and again – hence their keen interest in crime procedurals. Having gone off the boil, comedy is making a return too, representing 20% of scripted commissions. But the more expensive genres such as sci-fi and fantasy are lagging behind. Ampere also said that streamers are moving away from commissioning kids originals, preferring to licence instead. Recognisable IP and/or highly regarded talent are also important for commissions. Drama Republic co-chief exec Roanna Benn said forthcoming BBC1 drama Riot Women – about five women who form a makeshift punk-rock band – would have struggled to sell in today’s drama landscape if it didn’t have Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley) on board as the writer. “There are no dead bodies in the show, and that makes it harder these days,” she said.

Public service mainstays

The streamers might have returned to growth, but the public service broadcasters remain key to scripted producers. European Audiovisual Observatory research unveiled at Series Mania revealed that over half of fiction titles produced in Europe in 2023 were commissioned by public service broadcasters (55%), followed by private broadcasters (31%) and global streamers (14%). The challenge is that spend by broadcasting groups is stable, meaning it is decreasing in real terms. After a period of retrenchment, one senses that the spring is returning to the step of the streamers. Both Netflix and Amazon used their presentations to emphasise that they are commissioning in Europe. Politically they need to be seen working with European creators, particularly when European audiovisual financial obligations are being implemented in more countries. Nicole Morganti, Prime Video’s head of originals for Southern Europe, said that its upcoming Italian original Costiera had a US director in Adam Bernstein and a US lead, but it was a “true Italian story, written by Italian writers,” featuring an international cast from France, Spain and the UK, an Italian co-producer in Lux Vide and where “the Amalfi Coast is a protagonist.”

“Indie TV” struggles to take shape

As European co-productions with bolstered budgets and built-in broadcasters multiply, streamers produce content in-house and major groups like Mediawan, Banijay and Beta arrive with fully financed and talent-driven packages in tow, the market leaves little room for smaller, independent productions. While festival founder Laurence Herzsberg told Screen that “we are seeing more and more independent series not financed by traditional studios”, such projects are struggling to stand out. Cooper Raiff’s Hal & Harper, bowing in competition at the festival, was a six-year labour of love for the filmmaker self-financed by his Small Ideas production company. After premiering in Sundance, the series has signed a soon-to-be-announced US distributor, but the deal has been months in the making.

Series Mania matures

Now in its tenth year, Series Mania has been well and truly embraced by the scripted TV market as a co-production forum. Despite peak TV being over, attendees to its industry-focused Forum were at a record high. If anything, Series Mania has been bolstered by the demise of MipTV in Cannes, and doesn’t seem to have been affected by the growth of February’s London TV Screenings and the launch of MipLondon. There were plenty of big international delegations at the Forum. The newly launched Buyers Upfront was praised by many for the quality of its line-up, and attracted more than 100 international acquisitions execs from companies Apple TV+, Max, NBCUniversal, Canal+ and Channel 4. Likewise, delegates were impressed by the Series Mania Forum’s flagship Co-Pro Pitching Sessions, which saw the romantic comedy Tokyo Crush win the best project award. The conference sessions were well attended. But they tended to be slick and stage-managed (Netfix had masked pink guards from Squid Game marching on to the stage) rather than revealing or newsworthy.

• International television execs head to Series Mania amid painful transition from peak-TV era

Sean Slatter IF Magazine March 25, 2025

When Australian-Scottish screenwriter Zara Symes worked at London’s ITV News in the early 2010s, a story about the names of the city’s Crossrail tunnelling machines caught her eye.

While christening one of them Elizabeth was easy enough to understand, giving another the title of Phyllis seemed slightly more obscure.

After some initial research, Symes discovered the tunnel was named after Phyllis Pearsall, founder of Geographers’ A-Z Map Company.

“That’s kind of what put me down the rabbit hole of finding out everything about Phyllis, reading her memoir, [and] reading basically everything about her, and just becoming obsessed with the story,” Symes said.

Pearsall would become the subject of Symes’ debut feature screenplay, which is garnering renewed interest after being recognised at New York’s Athena Film Festival earlier this month.

Based primarily on Pearsall’s self-published autobiographies, A to Z offers a portrait of an outspoken and restless woman who defied the gender expectations of her time to walk every street of post-WWII London to create the first truly comprehensive and accessible city map. In crafting the story, Symes also drew from a website created by the painter and writer’s half brother Alex Gross, which refutes several of the books’ claims.

It was one of three winners in the Athena List script competition, the signature program of the female-facing festival’s Creative Development program, which spotlights scripts featuring women leaders at the heart of the story so they may be able to get made.

Symes said she submitted the script after receiving a notification from a festival tracker app that the Athena List was seeking scripts specifically about women in STEM, adding it was one of the few festivals she had come across where it was free to enter.

“There’s quite a big industry these days about entering scripts, ostensibly to cover the cost of script readers,” she said.

“People who are trying to break into the industry often get nominal fees to read scripts and give coverage and then progress the ones that they want to put forward into the competition.

“But Athena List is free, which I felt like was such a strong way of supporting women in the industry, because it gets really expensive, and writers don’t always get paid a lot of money.”

The inclusion of A to Z in the list comes more than a decade after Symes completed the script. She had decided to “let sit” for a while, following an initial round of unsuccessful meetings.

“It was essentially at the beginning of my writing career,” she said.

“I’d had a couple of TV shows optioned but nothing made, and then you are coming in with a script where the budget is potentially over $100 million because it’s a period piece shooting in Central London, and some of the set pieces are quite ambitious in covering London, including a big scene about the Blitz. Having a new writer come in with a script like that doesn’t give it a whole lot of momentum.”

Instead, Symes used A to Z as a sample for other opportunities to build her career.

Since then, she has served as a member of BAFTA Connect and worked as a script editor and development coordinator across new and returning series at NBCUniversal, including the studio’s 2019 Venice Berlinale-nominated multi-narrative VR/AR series ELEVEN ELEVEN.

Her other credits include being a writer/producer on On Air, starring Doctor Who’s Mandip Gill, and making her film directorial debut with Puff, which was awarded Best Microshort Film by the BFI 225 Film Club’s Female Excellence in Direction awards.

Symes has several television series in development and is working on a Scottish Highlands-set feature with UK producers titled Sin Eater. Set in the Scottish Highlands, the story is inspired by the historical ritual by which a poor person or outcast would consume a meal to take on the sins of a deceased person.

The Sydney-born creative is also preparing to start production on BFI-funded short film, He Died But Wouldn’t Leave, a “zombie genre heartfelt horror film” influenced by caring for her father as he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

More recently, she has been spending more time in Australia, taking meetings with production companies and pitching ideas within the Australia-UK co-production space.

For now, however, Symes remains in London to forge a path to the screen for Pearsall.

“I still, however many years later, firmly believe that this is a story that would be wonderful on the screen,” she said.

“She has lessons that we all need to learn that seem to be evergreen because they are as true as when I first wrote it 10 or 11 years ago as they are now.”

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by Anthony Frajman

In 2021, Australian films had a record year at the Box Office, with ticket sales for local movies reaching their second highest level ever.

Much of that success was driven by Roadshow Films, which distributed two of the biggest local films of the year, The Dry, which ended on $20.7 million, and Penguin Bloom, $7.5 million.

We caught up with the Roadshow at Screen Forever to get his take on the prospects for local features and why Roadshow is committed to Australian films.

What did you learn from the success of The Dry and Penguin Bloom?

We’re always learning something from every release. I think what was most exciting about The Dry, certainly, was to watch it perform like a genuine tentpole, despite releasing it in the middle of a pandemic and the challenges that came with that, including occasionally running into cinema closures in different cities. It was really exciting to see the audience just treat it like a genuine blockbuster and to see it perform to those levels.

Releasing during the pandemic brought its own set of challenges in terms of decisions around when to release these films. Similarly with Penguin Bloom, it was a film that found a really broad audience. And, whenever an Australian film connects with an audience and finds its audience, it’s incredibly gratifying to see that happen, these films become part of our storytelling and particularly when they aggregate an audience, there’s probably no better feeling in terms of distribution.

What do you think were the main reasons for the success? Was it just the lack of the US films?

No, not at all. These films would’ve worked whenever they released. It was critical to find a corridor when they could have found an audience. But I firmly believe that these films, to some extent, worked in spite of the pandemic.

Certainly, for some portions of the release period, there was less competition, but there were also a ton of challenges in releasing during the pandemic. But there are plenty of examples of films that released during the corridor that didn’t work. It’s not purely because of the time they released, it’s largely because these were stories that Australian audiences truly wanted to see. They were great films that promised a degree of entertainment plus were really interesting to the audience.

In terms of those two films, they’re completely different films. Very different. One was based on a very well known, bestselling novel. The other was based on a true-life story also from a book that had a real following. So, they both had some very strong IP from which they originated, but very, very, different in terms of what they promised for audiences, but were very compelling, that audiences wanted to see at the cinema.

What are some of the major challenges you are facing as a distributor?

I think there are myriad challenges with every release. Every single release is brought with decisions from, ‘have we got a campaign that is not only portraying the film in a way that is really true to the film itself, but that is also going to be really appealing. Have we been able to put those elements together so that when we then begin to take those materials to market that they are very sticky, audiences retain them as opposed to, feeling like the film was never there?’

I think getting the campaign right, is always really important, as is finding the right release corridor that can work.

In terms of challenges, the reality is that we know as distributors that we are competing for attention, we’re not just competing against other movies that are on in the cinema, we’re competing against everything, we’re competing against live sport, we’re competing against online platforms, we’re competing against video games, we’re competing against going out for a meal.

There are so many things that our audience have so much to think about during their leisure time. The key challenge is, how do we rise to the top of that pile and how do we do it strategically? And how do we make sure that the film that we are getting behind is going to capture attention very quickly, because releasing films at the cinema is quite different to putting a film up on a platform where it might be able to find an audience over time, we have to have an immediate reaction.

There’s more than enough challenges and risk in taking these films to market. But if they connect, they can have a very strong life and a great return on investment.

How does that immediate reaction and audience experience differentiate with filmgoing? What does it offer?

Firstly, it’s still quite a different experience, sitting in a cinema. I think one of the magical things about sitting in a cinema is it’s a collective experience. It’s an experience that you share, and you feel the excitement of the audience around you. It’s a night out. And also, with very few exceptions, nobody can put the scale of a big wide screen cinema into their house. In the case of The Dry, Robert Connolly shot that film on 4K, he wanted to present it in the biggest arenas, the biggest cinema environments we would be able to find. And that experience is a very visceral one. I love watching movies on streaming. I watch an enormous amount of content and I absolutely love it, but the experience of going out, of being out, whether it’s with friends or family, or just with other people who want to experience something in a collective way, is still something that is very, very unique.

I think it’s not an either/or situation, there’s opportunities for both of these things to exist and flourish.

Roadshow has focused a lot on Australian films recently. Is that going to continue?

Yes, very much so. We’re an Australian company, we’ve always believed in the power of Australian stories and we’ve always believed in supporting Australian cinema because we think it’s good business and it’s proven to be very good business for us. And we believe it will continue to be really good business. We’ve got a number of Australian films that we’re going to be releasing over the next 12 months, from Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife, the Legend of Molly Johnson, and Robert Connolly’s Blueback. We’ve also got George Miller’s 3000 Years of Longing. We’re about to start production on Better Man, Michael Gracie‘s new film, and we’ve got numerous others in development and numerous others slated, that we haven’t yet announced. It’s a core part of our release slate.

Are you happy with how the theatrical market has been going and its recovery?

It’s recovering slowly. It hasn’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels. As Australia has moved into the period of living with the pandemic, we’ve also seen a much more consistent way for the cinemas to operate. And then they’ve just emerged from two years of lockdowns and shutdowns. There’s now the opportunity for a more normalised release schedule and for a more normalised release pattern for cinemas. Now that we’re seeing that, I think there is the opportunity for recovery, but there’s still a long way to go. Older audiences have been the slowest to return in large numbers, and that’s going to take some time.

What are you looking for from feature producers?

For us, we’re always looking for stories and ideas that we think we are going to be able to take to a broad audience. The majority of the films that we tend to get behind are wide release films, that’s really our bread and butter. It’’ not exclusively that way, but that’s our bread and butter. We are also very interested in existing IP that can be taken out, whether it’s from a novel, or an idea that we know people are familiar with, because what we’re looking for is something that we are then going to be able to take to market and present to audiences. And they’re going to really be able to understand what it is we’re providing. But the most important thing is a story that we think can be created and can become a really compelling piece of cinema.

You’re also expanding to TV, is that going to continue?

Absolutely. We’ve partnered with the Edwards, John and Dan Edwards in Roadshow Rough Diamond. That’s been a very exciting and key development for us in terms of making television drama. We’re also working with Paul Clarke at Blink, that’s very much in the non-fiction space as opposed to fictional drama, but absolutely, television is a critical piece of the production puzzle, and it’s important that we are doing more and more in that space. Working with Roadshow Rough Diamond has been a key part of that.

You’ve recently announced Cate Blanchett’s new film, The New Boy, directed by Warwick Thornton. How did that film come about, and can you share anything about it?

I think Warwick Thornton is one of our most extraordinary filmmakers, and when the opportunity presented itself to work with Warwick, we were really excited about what that could be, and what he could create. And of course, having Cate Blanchett come back to Australia to do her first feature film here in some time, seemed like just a wonderful opportunity. We count ourselves very lucky that we’ve got the opportunity to be part of that. And we couldn’t be more excited about working on that one.

Are you looking to become more involved in films at an early stage as a partner?

We are looking to get involved in projects at early stage, we’re very comfortable with that. Over the last five years or so, we’ve developed a lot more projects ourselves. We recognise that we have a responsibility to do that if we want to have involvement in the sort of films that we’d like to distribute. We also have to be present and committed to development. We’ve made that a core part of what we do now and expect that to continue.

The 40% Producer Offset for features was recently revived and played a key part in a number of the Australian films from 2021. How critical was getting that back?

Absolutely critical. Every filmmaker knows this, it is incredibly difficult to get the funding to make a feature film. Every feature film is pretty much a miracle. Our government has provided incredibly generous incentives. It certainly seemed to me that the risk of compromising those works by filmmakers, as well as limiting the number of films was a very real possibility if that 40% had not been retained. Our government’s support is absolutely necessary, that is the reality. It comes down to: do we want to have our own stories on screen? Do we want Australian children to be able to see films during their school holidays? Do we want them to just see American films, or would we like them to see something that comes from their own culture? Do we want to tell more of our tales? And how do we do that? We’re incredibly lucky to have the 40% offset. We can never take it for granted. And it was really important that it was retained.

A number of films from last year may have struggled to get made without that offset in place.

I know for certain, some of them wouldn’t have been able to. It’s not even that some of them would’ve been made in different ways. No. Some of them would never have been made. Because it took incredible risk from investors, from distributors, to be able to get some of those films made. And the 40% was absolutely key. So, we were very grateful to have it. And the fact that we nearly saw it reduced has made me even more grateful for its existence.

Many Australian films in 2021 had a major star (The Dry, Penguin Bloom, High Ground). How critical is having a major star for Australian features?

It’s not the be-all and end-all, but it’s certainly very important. It certainly can help you to differentiate work. You can’t underestimate the importance of Eric Bana to The Dry. You can’t underestimate the importance of Naomi Watts to Penguin Bloom or the importance of the combination of Sam Neill and Michael Caton to Rams. They promise and guarantee a certain type of experience for audiences. So cast is really, really important. Cate Blanchett, coming back to do The New Boy, it’s unbelievably exciting that she’s going to be in a local cinematic production. She’s one of the greatest Australian actresses, actresses full stop, of all time. And she makes a limited number of films and she’s going to come back here and make a film, that is an event in itself. So, casting is important, but it’s also incredibly important to be able to ensure that we’ve got new voices coming through as well.

Are you optimistic about the outlook for Australian films?

Yes, I’m very optimistic about the outlook for Australian films. I think they have unique advantages. That’s not to say that there aren’t challenges and things to be aware of that make the environment competitive. It is hyper competitive, but I think there’s in aggregate less films coming through now from the studios, it’s creating windows for releasing films successfully, if those films have what it takes. So yes, I’m very bullish about the future of Australian cinema, but our films have to continue to be extraordinary for them to work in that theatrical environment.

By Ellie Calnan 22 March 2025 Screen Daily

Philip Barantini, the director behind Netflix’s smash hit series Adolescence, talks to Screen about the logistics of shooting in one take, how he found the show’s breakout star and plans to screen the series in classrooms. 

Source: Netflix

Philip Barantini and Owen Cooper on the set of ‘Adolescence’

When Netflix came on board Adolescence, the one-take series about a teenage boy accused of murdering a classmate, the streamer had to put a lot of trust in director Philip Barantini and producers Plan B Entertainment, Warp Films and Matriarch Productions.

“Normally they can come in in the edit and that’s when all the tweaks and changes can be made,” says Barantini, who broke out in 2021 with his one-shot feature Boiling Point. For obvious reasons, that was not an option here. “They were nervous. I know they were nervous,” the director admits.

Netflix can breathe a sigh of relief. Adolescence is currently the streamer’s number-one English-language series globally and has caught the attention of everyone including UK prime minister Keir Starmer.

“It’s nuts, it’s crazy,” says Barantini, who speaks to Screen from Malta where he is in pre-production on another Netflix hit, Enola Holmes 3. “You always hope it would happen, but I couldn’t have imagined this.”

Netflix’s executive producer Toby Bentley did, however, suggest one major change halfway through the week-long filming of episode two. “The drone was meant to fly off and stay in the air and just slightly tilt over the murder site before flying away into the distance,” explains Barantini.

Bentley suggested bringing the camera down to the murder site to show Stephen Graham, who stars, produces and co-created the show, laying down flowers. “The hairs on the back of my arms just stood up,” the director continues. “[Bentley] was like, ‘Is that even possible?’ – I genuinely didn’t know but I had to try.”

Many of the elements that make up Adolescence seem impossible – Zoom calls with Brad Pitt, perfectly-timed locations and a breakout star with no prior acting experience. Barantini takes Screen through it all and why he does not want to be known as “the one-take guy”. 

How did this idea for Adolescence first come about?

Boiling Point had just come out and I was having a bunch of general meetings with producers and one of the meetings was with Plan B. Jeremy [Kleiner, Plan B’s co-president] said they were looking to get into the TV space and would love to do something with Stephen [Graham] and I that used the one-shot format per episode. The original idea was eight episodes but I wasn’t sure about that so it went down to four episodes. 

Stephen and I both love [Channel 4 doc series] 24 Hours In Police Custody. There was something about the ticking clock and the stress of that show but also the intrigue of what these police have to go through. That was sort of the spark. Then there’d been a series of stabbings in the news, young boys stabbing and killing young girls. And we thought, “Why on earth are these kids doing this to each other?”

Stephen pitched that idea to me, and we got on a call with Plan B – with Brad Pitt, Jeremy and Dede Gardner – and they loved it. We got Warp Films on board to co-produce it with us. I’d been desperate to work with Jack Thorne for years so he and Stephen went away and wrote it together. Jack was the one who came up with the incel side of it and the social media element.

Netflix came on board in December 2023 and we went into pre-production in February 2024 and started shooting in July in north Yorkshire.

How did you end up casting Owen Cooper as the central character, Jamie? Did you always want someone who had no previous experience?

Initially, because young actors can only work a certain amount of hours, we thought it might be better to try and get someone a bit older, maybe 17 or 18, who looks 13. But these 18-year-olds were coming in and they looked young but they had differently shaped bodies, you could tell they were about to become men. It became apparent that we needed a proper 13-year-old.

We saw over 500 tapes. I wanted Shaheen Baig, my casting director, to look at theatre schools and youth clubs but also more open stuff so she handed out flyers at shopping centres and anywhere where young kids might hang out.

We got it down to four or five young lads. Owen [Cooper] was the standout from day one but Stephen and I made a pact that out of these five, they all had to get some part in the show. We didn’t want to bring them through all this stress just to say no.

What was it like working with Owen?

Source: Netflix

Owen Cooper and Philip Barantini on the set of ‘Adolescence’

Actors have trained for most of their lives to do what Owen just does instinctively. He’d done a couple of drama classes as a hobby but he’d never really acted before. He didn’t have any preconceptions.

We shot episode three first [largely a two-hander between Cooper’s Jamie and Erin Doherty as a court-appointed psychologist] because of Stephen’s schedule and I was nervous about it. I thought, I’ve got to work really hard with this kid if he doesn’t know his lines and we only have two weeks. But he came in for the first day and he was off-book completely.

I was egging him to go further [in episode three], really push it, and he lost it at one point and got upset because I don’t think he’s ever been that aggressive towards anybody in his life. I took him aside and we had a heart-to-heart. I said to him, “What you felt in there, it’s so real. But you know it’s not you. It’s just acting. You’re special because not all actors can do that.” 

What was the split between real locations and sets?

We started with the police station because that was our main base for episode one. Because of the script, we needed to drive from a house into a police station. We found these studios in Pontefract, Yorkshire [Production Park] that had never been used for filming – it was a rehearsal space for massive artists. We took over one of the studios and built the police station in there.

Then our location manager had to find a house that was no longer than about three minutes’ drive. He letter-dropped and we looked at different houses in the area; the one we used was perfect in every way.

For the school, we found the local school which was two minutes away from where the studios were. It was a community college. Then for Wainwrights [the garden centre in episode four], we found this big empty warehouse and Adam Tomlinson, our production designer, turned it into what you see in the show. Episode three was all shot in a studio.

How did you plan for the logistics of shooting in one take?

Source: Netflix

Philip Barantini and Matthew Lewis on the set of ‘Adolescence’

We had to plan way more in advance than you would do with a conventional show because the actors need to rehearse in the spaces and we need to know exactly where the camera can go. Me and [Matthew Lewis, the cinematographer] had models of the police station and we used little figures and a little camera to map it out. When they were still building the studio but the walls were up, we would go down after everyone had gone home. Matt would have his iPad and then I’d play all the characters and we’d just be walking around and be like “Right we can’t go in that door, let’s try this one”.

We shot each episode in three-week blocks. We’d have a week of rehearsal with me and the actors; a week of tech rehearsal with the whole cast and crew; and then we’d do two takes a day for the final week so 10 takes in total. Sometimes we’d have to stop and go again, and that was one take, so for some episodes we did up to 16 takes. It usually ended up being the last take that we’d use.

What was the hardest episode to shoot?

Technically, episode two [in the school]. We had to jump out of a window, we were running up the street, there were near misses with the cars and the drone as well. On top of that, you have 370 kids. Most were from the school because it was the summer holidays and we asked them if they’d be interested in being in this show.

It was Tuesday of the shoot week [when Bentley suggested the alternative ending with the drone landing at the murder site]. So on Wednesday morning, we scrapped the first take and practised that move. On Thursday, we woke up and the wind was so bad that we couldn’t even fly the drone so we had to come up with another plan to end it. We thought, We’ll still have Stephen in it but we’ll have him just stood at the school gates and he’s got the flowers, which is still a powerful moment. On Friday, we came in in the morning and it was windy but we tried with the drone anyway, and it didn’t really work.

On the final take on Friday, it was lovely. The wind had gone, and we took off the drone. Once the drone took off, my monitor lost the signal. All of the monitors lose signal because we can’t get the feed from the camera that far away. The only people that can see it are the drone operator and the follow vehicle who are following the drone to then land it. There was about 10 minutes after it took off where none of us knew. Someone said it had landed and we were all silent. Then they went, “We got it, we got it, we got it!” The whole room just erupted.

Is it true that there are plans to show Adolescence in schools?

The wheels are in motion from what I’ve heard, yes. Keir Starmer is all for it. It’s incredible, that’s the win for me.

Would you do a one-shot project again?

I would do another one-take show or movie for sure, but it would have to be the right subject matter. It’s important the story comes first, and the one take is just the vessel carrying it there.

I don’t want to be known as the one-take guy but everything that I do going forward, I’d like to get at least a one-take sequence in there somewhere. It’s an amazing way to work and incredibly efficient. We were finished by four every day. 

Sean Slatter· IF magazine ·February 24, 2025

Prime Video Australia and New Zealand head of content Alexandra Gilbert, Stan chief content officer Cailah Scobie, and Netflix ANZ director of content Que Minh Luu.

The week just gone was one of mixed fortunes in Australia’s streaming landscape.

News of Stan’s 14 new commissions to celebrate its 10th anniversary and Paramount’s renewal of NCIS: Sydney was coupled with confirmation that big-budget drama Territory and long-running soap Neighbours would not be continuing.

Screen Producers Australia and the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance have since renewed their calls for the government to intervene with streaming content obligations, initially slated for July 1 last year.

As the global market continues to grapple with contraction and changing viewer habits, IF spoke with Netflix ANZ director of content Que Minh Luu,  Stan’s chief content officer Cailah Scobie, Prime Video Australia and New Zealand head of content Alexandra Gilbert* about their approach to local content in 2025.

IF: What do you think will be key to getting cut through with audiences this year?

Que Minh Luu: No big plot twists with our approach, but I’m glad your first question is about the audience. Ultimately, our role is to help forge and protect the emotional connection between the creator and the people they want their story to reach.

Competition for attention is aggressive, so finding those story hooks is an art. But with long-form especially, making that initial narrative promise is far easier than maintaining it across multiple episodes. Follow through on the hook is about landing the feelings with the audience – essentially clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.

Cailah Scobie: I think something we talked about is connection and I think that connection is what will come through with audiences. We’ve announced an incredibly diverse slate and really our aim is to ensure we’ve got something for everyone, from body horror features to family features to murdering gnomes to beautiful stories about organ donation and grief and love and hope. It all comes down to people connecting with other people through stories.

Emily Blunt in upcoming Stan Original Film ‘One More Shot’

Alexandra Gilbert: This year, a significant focus will be on delivering diverse, authentic local stories that resonate with Australian audiences, alongside our global slate. Our strategy includes balancing iconic franchises like Reacher with uniquely Australian narratives, like The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Top End Bub,  offering premium live sports content, including ICC World Cup Cricket, NBA and further showcasing Prime Video as the first-stop entertainment destination where customers can get their favourite content, all in one app. Our global teams continue to deliver exceptional entertainment that resonates both worldwide and with Australian audiences. We’ve achieved unprecedented success with our content, including four of our most-watched TV series ever and two of our most successful films to date. Australians have enthusiastically embraced both returning favourites like Reacher, The Boys, and The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, as well as compelling new series like Fallout. Our films have also seen remarkable success with standout recent hits including Road House and The Idea of You.

IF: How do you plan on building your slate this year, and how does your approach differ from 2024?

QML: The slate is always a work in progress. We started four and a bit years ago with targeted bets to see what connected with Aussie viewers. Now we move with more conviction as we launch, reflect, and iterate. 2024 was a ‘go big’ year with Boy Swallows Universe – our biggest performing local show ever – followed by Heartbreak High S2 and Territory. The AACTA recognition for all three meant a lot to us. 2025 has started strong with Apple Cider Vinegar, with The Survivors and Son Of A Donkey to follow, plus more announcements coming. A streamlined approach to financing can provide more certainty for creative partners, with emphasis on development time. We aim for 80 per cent of scripts to be in third draft before pre-production begins, which means happier HODs, stronger creative, and better shows for our audiences.

CS: We’re ten years old and we are always learning more about our audience. We know what audiences want and what they are looking for, and we are always genuinely looking for stories that will stand out. Alongside the big time and investment we put into making the shows, we also market them heavily to ensure they get to the broadest audience possible. That is absolutely the aim of everything we are doing.

AG: As we move into 2025, our commitment to delivering compelling entertainment that resonates with Australian audiences remains stronger than ever. We’re particularly excited to be launching two distinctly Australian Original series: an adaptation of Richard Flanagan’s prestigious Man Booker Prize-winning novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North, and Top End Bub, a series inspired by the beloved Australian film Top End Wedding, Beyond our Australian Originals, our continued partnership with Roadshow Films ensures a robust pipeline of content specifically curated for Australian audiences. Australian viewers can also look forward to our premium drama offerings, including Nine Perfect Strangers season two, featuring an exceptional cast including Nicole Kidman alongside Australian talent Murray Bartlett, as well as Christine Baranski and Henry Golding. Nicole Kidman also stars in the film Babygirl which we will bring to Prime Video audiences this year. Our entertainment offering is complemented by a burgeoning slate of live sports programming. We’re in our second year of ICC cricket on Prime Video and cricket fans can look forward to extensive coverage in 2025, including the Champion’s Trophy and Men’s World Test Finals. Additionally, 2025 marks our first full year of NBA coverage, following the launch of this significant partnership in 2024.

IF: One of last year’s big talking points was the government’s inability to confirm a timeline for streaming content obligations, despite extensive consultation with the industry. Were you satisfied with the process and do you anticipate changes to the regulatory environment this year?

QML: Ultimately, everyone is working towards the same goal: telling more authentic local stories, and supporting Australian creators. Our team is lucky to be able to focus all our time and energy on making this happen at Netflix, as part of the local ecosystem and screen culture. With our permanent office now open, we’re even better positioned to deliver series and films that make Australians everywhere feel seen, heard, understood, and entertained.

CS:  We’ve been involved in the process the whole way through but our position always has been and remains that regulation isn’t required [for us]. We are already commissioning an exceptionally large volume of quality drama that’s resonating both with Australian audiences – we talked about how originals made up five of our top ten shows in 2024 – but also working globally. Outside the global streamers, Australian productions have relied on collaborations with rest of the world distributors, so it’s important our stories are unashamedly Australian and can unashamedly connect with Australian audiences but also resonate with a global audience. I think that is what we’re always looking for across the broad slate of content that we’re bringing forward.

AG: We have consistently said that despite there not being an industry failure, we won’t oppose an investment obligation that is fair, flexible, and sustainable. Prime Video has and will continue to work constructively with the government on this issue. However, I don’t want to speculate on any future changes.

IF: What are the defining traits of Australian content at the start of 2025?

QML: The brilliant Hannah Carroll Chapman, series creator of Heartbreak High, summed up the vibe of the show as, ‘Everything is funny, until it’s not… and then it’s funny again’. I have determined that this sentiment reflects our overall vibe as a nation. Proud of it.

CS: I think it is about storytelling, it’s about connection, and seeing Australia in all that encompasses on the screen. I think that’s something we’re incredibly passionate about – ensuring that our audiences can watch something and see themselves, their culture, and their stories reflected in what we’re telling.

AG: Australian content continues to be defined by its authenticity, humour, and resilience. We’re witnessing film and television creators pushing creative boundaries with bold storytelling choices – crafting narratives that masterfully balance heart and humour while celebrating Australia’s distinct cultural identity and experiences.

IF: How does Australian storytelling measure up on the world stage and are there any areas where you think it could improve?

QML: Pretty great. Production-wise we are world-class: Thor and Star Wars get made here – there’s no question we know how to deliver. Above-the-line and onscreen talent are kicking goals all over the place, and part of our work includes bringing them back home for local projects. Perhaps we need to back ourselves more: be confident in our own voice, our humour, and our way of seeing the world, rather than smoothing out edges for a global audience.

CS:  I think Australian productions are incredible. We have an incredible creative community in Australia and Australian stories are resonating, both in Australia and globally. A number of our shows have sold to huge platforms globally and that’s also the same for Australian stories told by other streamers and platforms globally. I think there’s incredible talent and appetite for Australian stories globally.

AG: Australian storytelling has earned global recognition for its authenticity and creative strength. You only have to look at the success of a show like Deadloch, which reached the top 10 in 165 countries and has retained a 100% score from critic reviews, to see how local shows can have a global appeal – and fans can’t wait for season two.

There’s an opportunity to continue evolving by delving deeper into diverse narratives and amplifying Indigenous and multicultural voices. We’re excited to champion projects that reflect this diversity with projects like Top End Bub, with Miranda Tapsell, which is coming to Prime Video this year.

IF: What advice would you give creatives wanting to work with you this year?

QML: Because we’re not a studio that self-produces, we work with established producers or production companies with proven track records delivering complex long-form productions. It’s an essential filter, but yes it can be tough getting through the door. If you’re a creator, partner with established producers who can help develop your project to market readiness.

We encourage producers to proactively seek out the next generation of creatives, unearth the best voices and ideas, and bring them to us with your creative backing. For below-the-line roles, our productions include talent development through salaried attachments and placements. Screen Australia and the state agencies that have supported our titles are also brilliant partners here.

CS: When you’re pitching content to us, [it’s about] knowing who the audience is. That would be one of our first questions. Really believe in the creative that you’re presenting and understand its point of difference in the crowded market, and make us believe in the team you’ve got to deliver it and produce it.

AG: We’re seeking ambitious original stories that could only come from Australia but speak to audiences everywhere. Our team is particularly drawn to projects with a strong creative vision and distinctive point of view. We want to hear from storytellers who are ready to push boundaries while staying true to what makes Australian content unique – its authenticity, humour, and heart.

By Jeremy Kay23 February 2025

Source: Courtesy of Neon / A24 Anora Productions LLC

Sean Baker

Film Independent handed out its 2025 Spirit Awards on Saturday afternoon (February 22), in a Santa Monica ceremony that saw Anora claim three prizes for best feature, director Sean Baker, and lead actor Mikey Madison in the gender-neutral category.

Sean Wang’s Didi took two prizes for best first feature and first screenplay, while Gints Zilbalodis’s Latvian animation Flow won international film and No Other Land was named best documentary. A Real Pain also nabbed two awards for screenplay and supporting actor Kieran Culkin.

Baker gave an impassioned speech calling for higher upfront fees for independent directors who he said take on average three years to make a feature. His words echoed recent statements by The Brutalist writer-director Brady Corbet.

“Indie film is struggling right now more than ever,” said Baker. “Gone are the days of DVD sales that allowed for a greater risk to be taken on challenging films.”

Baker continued, ”We create jobs and revenue for the entire industry. We shouldn’t be barely getting by. Creatives that are involved with projects that span years have to begin getting much higher upfront fees […] because back end simply can’t be relied upon any longer.” He concluded: “The system has to change because this is simply unsustainable.”

By Sandy George Screen Daily. 11 February 2025

Australian distributor Troy Lum is a key buyer of international and arthouse films through Kismet, and he produces too — now through Brouhaha Entertainment. He explains how he maintains his portfolio.

Taste matters, affirms Australian producer/distributor Troy Lum. “The path for a film to be successful is so narrow and only good films work,” he says. “Theatrical is feast or famine. In the old days, films that weren’t brilliant could still do business. Now, many films don’t work, but if you hit the target the sky’s the limit.”

Through Kismet, the outfit he runs with Jason Hernandez which releases in Australia and New Zealand, Lum is in the middle of a busy period distributing three awards season big-hitters: Anora, Emilia Pérez and Maria.

Anora has taken $94,000 (a$1.5m) in Australia and New Zealand in the first three weeks following its December 26 release. “Pro rata, it is tracking above the US result and is likely to reach a$2.5m-a$3m [$1.6m-$1.9m],” says Lum. “That is a fantastic result in the current climate.”

He says the core audience is a “hip crowd” of 25 to 35 year olds interested in independent films. Kismet is eyeing this “new” audience closely and, in this case, worked with social-media influencers to accelerate the word of mouth that is driving ticket sales.

In contrast, the audience for Emilia Pérez, which opened on January 16, is not defined by age. “They’re anywhere from 25 to 60-plus, into traditional arthouse and interested in the avant-garde, risk-taking and films from master directors,” says Lum.

Maria is scheduled for January 30. “The film is likely to be for more of a classic arthouse audience, 50-plus, aware of [opera singer] Maria Callas,” predicts Lum. “They are the people who saw Lee, which I produced, and Conclave.

“The overseas awards heat and publicity is doing a lot of the work for us,” he continues. “We are still putting in the work but it’s a lot about timing. Different marketing and publicity contractors have been brought on for each.”

Lum has been in the distribution business since starting at Dendy Films in 1996, developing important relationships over the years with international sellers including FilmNation, Charades, Mister Smith, Black Bear and Blue Fox.

“A film has to add up on the page and have something to say,” he notes of the kind of projects he is looking for. “Good directors are more important than ever.”

An A-list cast is also critical. In acknowledging the difficulty for indie producers in securing bank­able names, Lum points to the need to nurture a new generation of actors that attract young audiences. He namechecks a trio of rising Australian stars: Josh Heuston, from Sean Byrne’s Dangerous Animals, which is in post with Lum producing; Talk To Me lead Sophie Wilde, “a superstar in the making”; and Lee Tiger Halley, who stars with Wilde in Netflix mini-series Boy Swallows Universe, produced by Lum’s production venture Brouhaha Entertainment.

After Dendy, Lum created Hopscotch Distribution back in 2001 to release upscale indie films, which was followed in 2009 by production arm Hopscotch Features with producer Andrew Mason and screenwriter John Collee. The distribution arm was acquired by eOne in 2010 and Lum worked as head of eOne Asia Pacific, while still involved with Hopscotch Features, until he launched Australia-­New Zealand distributor Kismet in 2021. Kismet’s biggest success to date is the broad homegrown comedy Wog Boys Forever, the third film in a hugely popular franchise, which grossed $2.2m (a$3.5m) in Australia in 2022 (it was not released in New Zealand).

More on-brand for Lum was Kismet’s second-biggest hit Aftersun, which grossed $1.07m (a$1.7m) from Australia and New Zealand. “Ten years ago I was worried the arthouse market was dying out,” says Lum. “But for the first time in 15 years, it is starting to build a new audience.”

Brouhaha Entertainment is the Anglo-Australian production outfit that brings together Lum and Mason with UK producer Gabrielle Tana, and backer John Glencross, CEO of Calculus Creative Content, which has utilised the UK government’s Enterprise Investment Scheme that supports indie companies. Brouhaha secured further investment in October 2024 from US-based Anonymous Content with which it had worked on its first series, Boy Swallows Universe.

Kismet has a first-look deal with Brouhaha but the only resulting release to date has been Lee Tamahori’s The Convert, which grossed more than $630,000 (a$1m) in Australia and New Zealand. Brouhaha titles Lee, starring Kate Winslet, and Firebrand, starring Jude Law and Alicia Vikander, were released by Studio­canal and Sony respectively in Australia and New Zealand.

Brouhaha aims to produce at least two films and one series per year. In mid-2025 cameras will roll on Bharat Nalluri’s comedy OK Boomer, starring Bryan Brown and Heather Mitchell as a couple travelling to their daughter’s wedding. “It’s a road movie with a postcard feel and echoes of Muriel’s Wedding,” says Lum of the film, which has been picked up for international sales by Blue Fox.

Dominic Cooke’s Insomniac City for Altitude Film Sales is set to shoot in the third quarter of 2025. Bill Hayes has adapted his 2017 memoir about grief and his love affair with neurologist Oliver Sacks.

Anton Corbijn’s Switzerland-UK co-­production Switzerland, starring Helen Mirren as novelist Patricia Highsmith, is in pre-production and will be shot in Switzerland, Italy and Europe from the end of January for FilmNation.

Meanwhile, Dangerous Animals, described as Jaws meets Wolf Creek, is in the edit suite for Mister Smith Entertainment.

On the TV side, Brouhaha is develop­ing a series adaptation of mother-­daughter story Lola In The Mirror from Boy Swallows Universe author Trent Dalton.

Lum will attend the Berlinale remotely, taking online meetings and financing OK Boomer and Insomniac City. He plans to attend Cannes, acquiring for Kismet, taking meetings for Brouhaha and checking in on Switzerland, which will be in post in the UK. “Supporting creativity is my aim,” says Lum of how he juggles his busy life. “My companies are separate on paper but it feels like one thing.”

Brendan Swift·

February 21, 2025 IF magazine

Host Russell Crowe speaks during the 2025 AACTA Awards (Image: Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images)

The Australian Film Institute, which runs the annual AACTA awards, posted a 24 per cent increase in annual revenue last year to $6.03 million as government funding and other grants surged.

The annual financial results, which were filed with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), shows “a “government and other grants” increased to $2.75 million from $1.84 million the previous year. Sponsorship also increased to $2.44 million from $2.20 million.

The last time revenue passed the $6 million mark was in 2020.

Nonetheless, the registered charity still posted a $48,616 loss in 2024 compared to a $62,298 loss in 2023 partly due to increases in employee expenses, production expenses, and other expenses.

The AACTA awards were held on the Gold Coast this month over five days and across more than 110 events including panels, premieres, awards ceremonies, workshops, and careers expos. The event attracted more than 22,000 attendees at HOTA on the Gold Coast.

AACTA Awards sponsors include Foxtel Group, as well as the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, Screen Queensland, and Experience Gold Coast. The 2023 AACTA Awards also received $366,000 from Screen Australia according to its last annual report.

The AFI’s remuneration paid to two unnamed key management personnel for the year rose 2.1 per cent to $534, 513. The ACNC lists the responsible people as CEO Damian Trewhella and board members. The board is typically unpaid in a registered charity.

The AFI has 11 full-time employees, six part-time employees, and two casual employees. It also lists 20 volunteers according to its annual information statement.

By way of comparison, former Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason was paid total remuneration of $467,681 in 2022-23 (the 2023-24 remuneration results were split across Mason and new CEO Deirdre Brennan).