France’s Cineteve Ramps Up International Drama Production With Top Creatives (EXCLUSIVE)

By Elsa Keslassy

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Paris-based independant company Cineteve is on board to produce a flurry of ambitious series, including the political comedy “Parlement,” the border-crime thriller “Nine,” the French revolution western “Cagliostro” and the spy thriller “Gaston.”

All four projects are being spearheaded by ’s founder Fabienne Servan-Schreiber, and Thomas Saignes who joined the company less than a year ago to develop and produce high-profile international drama.

“Parlement” is a half-hour comedy series about the European Parliament written by Noé Debré, whose credits include Jacques Audiard’s Palme d’Or winning “Dheepan.”

The series centers around an aimless 20-something man who works at the European Parliament in the midst of a post-Brexit chaos and sets off to take his fate in his own hands. Cineteve is partnering up with Studio Hamburg’s CineCentrum and All3’s 7Stories to produce the series which is now in advanced development. A French commissioning partner will soon be announced.

“Nine” is a returning six-part border crime thriller written by Louis Lagayette (“Trendy”) and Jeremie Guez, the hot up-and-coming French writer/director who’s about to direct “The Sound of Philadelphia” with Matthias Schoenaerts and Garrett Hedlund.

“Nine” intertwines the lives of multiple characters, including a 30-year-old British Border Force officer who is assigned to collaborate with the Spanish police in Gilbraltar and has to partner with a 50-year-old local officer with a troubled past and shady methods. The multi-perspective story also revolves around a family of Malian migrant on a journey to reach Europe and a young Moroccan man working for a smuggling gang.

Cineteve will be partnering up with Spanish and U.K. producers, and already registered strong traction from major Sales-Agents. Saignes said “Nine,” which is at pilot- stage, is inspired by movies like “Sicario” and “Traffic.”

“Cagliostro” is an eight-part series written by Jacques forgeas (“Palace Beach Hotel “), Caroline van Ruymbeke (“Glacé”) and Philippe Venault (“Souviens toi”). The french language high-end series is based on the famous saga by Alexandre Dumas and chronicles the premise of the French Revolution through the story of Count Cagliostro who brought the Monarchy to a halt by influencing the corrupted nobility and manipulating Marie-Antoinette, among other women close to the royal court. Saignes described “Cagliostro” as being in the veins of “Peaky Blinders.”

Meanwhile, “Gaston” is a serialized political spy drama written by Raphael Chevenement, Ruddy-Williams Kabuiku, Jeanne Aptekman with consulting of Modi Bari. The politically-minded series is set in 1960’s France and follows Gaston, a 30 year old black man working as an executive in a major French oil company. Fighting prejudice to climb the social ladder in a white and conservative France, Gaston accepts a mission from the French Secret Services to take down a popular black leader in Africa, leading him to experience a moral dilemma and feel torn between his identities.

Saignes said “Gaston was a ‘Black Don Draper’ in a ‘State of Play’ kind of period-suspense, unfolding between Africa and Paris.”

The banner is also known for its strong documentary footprint and is one of the first production company which got involved in interactive and VR content through its label Cineteve Experience. Under the helm of David Bigiaoui for eigth years, Cineteve Experience is producing a pair of high-profile interactive dramas, “Ordesa” and “Republique”, and “The Scream,” a VR documentary based on Edvard Munch masterpieces.

“Ordesa,” is a interactive drama created by Nicolas Pelloille and Nicolas Peufaillit (“A prophet,” “The Returned”) and commissioned by Arte. Inspired by Guy de Maupassant’s “The Horla,” the drama features real video game footage and turns the user into an actor and a gamer.

“Republique,” directed by Simon Bouisson, and co-written by Olivier Demangel (“Wei or Die”), is a daring drama taking place in the heart of Paris during a terror attack. The drama follows three stories taking place at the same time and location. The drama is being co-produced by Résistance Films and has been commissioned by France Televisions.