This year’s Italy Global Series Festival will host the premiere of Channel 5’s new crime drama series Benindorm Murder, starring John Hannah, and the high-profile Brazilian medical show Emergency 53. The second edition of the event will take place from July 3rd to 11th in the seaside cities of Rimini and Riccione.
In Benindorm is a Murderer (previously titled Death in Benindorm), Hannah plays Dennis, an ex-detective trying to escape his past and run a bar in the Spanish coastal resort of Benindorm, seeking a quiet life from the turmoil of England. However, when the bodies of tourists are discovered one after another, he is reluctantly drawn back to detective work. Dennis is seduced by bartender Rosa. Rosa is a big fan of Carolina Becker’s crime dramas. Hannah is scheduled to attend the show’s launch.
Emergency 53, which bowed for buyers at the prestigious Berlinale Series Market earlier this year and won the Studio Babelsberg Production Excellence Award, tells the story of a doctor, a nurse, and a special task force driver who overcome personal and professional dramas while taking on the responsibility of preventing the deaths of others.
The spy thriller “The Secret Service,” directed by Oscar winner James Marsh and starring Gemma Arterton, will also be released internationally at the fast-growing Italian television festival. Korean thriller “Speaking Dead” directed by Lee Jeong-hyo. And the Scott Free-produced anthology series “The Terror with Devil in Silver” entered the fest with its first U.S. title, with stars Judith Light and CCH Pounder heading to Riccione.
The festival’s Limited Series section opens with France’s Le Rouge et Le Noir, a new adaptation of Stendhal’s The Red and the Black. The film stars Victor Belmondo and stars Camille Raza and Virginie Ledoyen, who will be joining director Gael Morel in Rimini.
From the UK comes the World Bow from Channel 4 drama Falling. The drama is directed by Peter Hoare and is the first romance from Adolescence screenwriter Jack Thorne. The international premieres in the Limited Series section include the Prague-set noir The Widow Killer and the historical epic Raza Brava, set during the dictatorship of Chilean General Augusto Pinochet and in the world of Santiago’s violent soccer fans, known as the Ultras. The French series “Laura’s Cure,” starring Valérie Bonneton, will also be screened with her.
The festival’s comedy section includes Belgian “Boho,” set in Antwerp’s multicultural district of Borgerhout. The award-winning German comedy “The Flaws” was created by theater collective and produced by Berlin-based indie Razor Film. And from BBC Northern Ireland, Leonard and Hungry Paul, starring Alex Lawther and featuring the voice of Julia Roberts, was broadcast. British director Sally Wainwright’s Britbox drama “Riot Women” will also be screened, and she will be in attendance along with “Riot Women” star Tamsin Greig.
Italy’s Global Series Festival also celebrates the 60th anniversary of “Star Trek.” Actress Jeri Ryan, known for her iconic role in the Star Trek universe of Seven of Nine, will speak about modern female role models in television. There will also be an on-stage conversation with producer David W. Zucker and director Nicholas Meyer, and the festival will also feature special previews of episodes from the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4.
As previously announced, Oscar and Emmy-nominated writer and director Mayer will serve as chair of the limited series jury. Veteran American producer Marti Noxon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) will serve as the drama series’ jury chair. French actor Bruno Gouly (Emily in Paris) will head the festival’s comedy series jury.
