The 64th Monte-Carlo Television Festival opens on Friday with CBS Studios’ “Watson,” starring Morris Chestnut. Over the following days, nine drama shows will vie for the Golden Nymphs. Here are the competitors:
“Vanguard” (Sweden), miniseries, international premiere; produced by FLX with Film i Väst for SVT; distributed by Viaplay Content Distribution
“Vanguard” tells the story of an unlikely media mogul and trailblazer of technological reform, torn between passion and duty. It’s a tale of fearless entrepreneurship, a desire to change the world — and a sibling rivalry in a powerful family fractured by old wounds.
“Vanguard”
“The Bombing of Pan Am 103” (U.K.) miniseries, international premiere; produced by World Productions; released by BBC in the U.K., and Netflix worldwide
A drama based on the events surrounding the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and the joint U.K.-U.S. investigation that sought to bring the perpetrators to justice. Flight Pan Am 103 was en route from Heathrow to JFK when a bomb exploded in its hold over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing 270 people, including 43 British citizens and 190 Americans.
“The Bombing of Pan Am 103”
Courtesy of Mark Mainz/BBC/Netflix
“Sherlock & Daughter” (U.S.-U.K.), series, French premiere; produced by Starlings Television and Story First; distributed by Federation Studios
Sherlock Holmes, played by David Thewlis, finds himself unable to investigate a sinister case without risking the lives of his closest friends. Meanwhile, young American Amelia, played by Blu Hunt, learns that her missing father may be the esteemed detective. Sherlock battles with his intellect and his emotion when he is confronted with this young woman claiming to be his daughter.
“Sherlock & Daughter”
Courtesy of Starlings TV Distribution
“Deepfake” (Canada), miniseries, international premiere; produced by Sphere Media; distributed by Sphere Abacus
Twenty-five-year-old Stéphanie’s life is upturned when a compromising video of her mother goes viral. Stéphanie believes the video, which wrecked her mother’s political career and hurt her influential family, is a fake – despite expert consensus that it’s genuine. But who created the deepfake, and why?
“Deepfake”
Courtesy of Sphere Abacus
“Good Cop/Bad Cop” (Australia), series, French premiere; produced by Future Shack Entertainment and Jungle Entertainment; distributed by ITV Studios
“Welcome to Eden Vale – a little slice of heaven on Earth.” So read the signs on the outskirts of the seemingly idyllic American town, but darkly comic crimes and tangled relationships lurk beneath the surface.
“Champagne – Peppino di Capri” (Italy) TV film, international premiere; produced by O’Groove Production for RAI
The film follows the rise and fall of singer-songwriter Peppino di Capri in the 1950s and 1960s, and his turbulent relationship with Roberta. Thanks to the support of Bebè, his best friend and longtime drummer, and a new lover, Giuliana, Peppino goes on to win the Sanremo Festival for the first time.
“Don’t Give Up” (South Africa), TV film, world premiere; produced by Videovision Entertainment and Distant Horizon
A touching tale of a young, homeless mother and her bid to survive in the harsh environment of modern-day Johannesburg. Writer-director Darrell Roodt was Oscar nominated for “Yesterday” in 2004.
“Don’t Give Up”
Courtesy of Videovision Entertainment
“One Hundred and Thirteen” (Germany-Austria), series, international premiere; produced by Windlight Pictures and Satel Film; distributed by ITV Studios
When a bus crashes on an inner-city highway, leaving a path of destruction in its wake, it triggers a complex, high-stakes investigation as detectives try to solve the mystery of what happened. But it also has a profound effect on numerous seemingly unconnected lives.
“One Hundred and Thirteen”
Courtesy of Windlight Pictures
“On a Day in September” (Germany), TV film, world premiere; produced by Network Movie Film- Und Fernsehproduktion, Made in Munich Content & Films GmbH for ZDF in collaboration with ARTE
On Sept. 14, 1958, German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and French Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle meet for the first time. The encounter of the two charismatic statesmen is fraught with tensions but will mark the birth of the German-French friendship as well as the European unification movement.
“On a Day in September”
Courtesy of ZDF/Nico Neefs
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