Series Mania Melbourne Heads to Second Edition

By Patrick Frater

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – “American Woman,” a pilot for a new TV show, created by John Wells and starring Alicia Silverstone, is among the first titles unveiled for Series Mania Melbourne.

The TV festival cum market is in its second year in Australia, and will run for four days, July 19—22 as a public event, with July 20 set aside as an industry day. Melbourne is organized by ACMI and Film Victoria.

They unveiled 11 TV series and 4 web series and expect to announce more titles later. Other highlights among the first titles. include Fox Networks’ “Deep State,” an espionage thriller starring Mark Strong. ’s Robert Connolly (“The Slap,” “Balibo,”) directed the first of eight episodes and is expected to attend the festival. Australian web series, “Wrong Kind of Black” about the experiences of Indigenous Australia, via the eyes of DJ Boori Monty Pryor, gets a runout, as does French drama “Maman a Tort,” in which a child denounces his mother.

The industry section, called Stories Without Borders, will look at key trends, challenges and opportunities for industry professionals looking to create premium television content for the global marketplace.

“Series Mania Melbourne taps into the knowledge of some of the best creators and executives in the TV biz, whilst highlighting the incredible capabilities of Victorian creatives and the depth of screen culture in our state,” Film Victoria CEO, Caroline Pitcher said.