While at Series Mania Festival, Larry Tanz, Netflix‘s VP of EMEA Content, unveiled ambitious new shows commissioned from France and the Netherlands, including an untitled thriller series starring Isabelle Adjani, and “Amsterdam Empire,” a Dutch crime series starring and executive produced by Famke Janssen.
The untitled French thriller series revolves around a young mother on the run finds an unexpected opportunity to bounce back by becoming a picker in a prestigious flower farm in Provence. But the mysterious death of the family patriarch of the company casts her under the spotlight as the prime suspect. As she grapples with the mounting accusations, she uncovers a shocking revelation – she’s the unexpected beneficiary of the late patriarch’s estate, unearthing her deeply-rooted connections to this affluent lineage.
The series is created by Nils Antoine Sambuc and will be directed by Marie Jardillier. Itinéraire Productions, a UGC company, is producing.
Directed by Jonas Govaerts, “Amsterdam Empire,” meanwhile, follows Jack van Doorn, the rich and notorious founder of the coffee shop empire Jackal, who has to fight criminals, competitors and absurd Dutch laws to thrive. When his affair with a well-known journalist comes to light, it turns out that his most dangerous enemy has been living under his roof all this time: his betrayed wife. The series is created by Nico Moolenaar, Bart Uytdenhouwen and Piet Matthys.
Janssen is executive producing with Nico Moolenaar. Pupkin Film BV is producing, with A Team Productions.
During the session at Series Mania, Tanz also revealed Netflix currently has over 40 European productions shooting in Europe and is working with 400 producers. Tanz also addressed the lack of flexibility in the investment requirements tied to local applications of the E.U.’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive and argued these quotas could hurt creativity. “In France, Netflix is on a three-year agreement to invest a minimum of €40 million in the financing of French and European movies which will be released in French theaters. Tanz cited Spain as a country where investment quotas are more flexible, and where Netflix is boasting a busy pipeline of content. The streamer recently shot the series “Kaos,” a mythological dark-comedy television series created by Charlie Covell.
“Flexibility is a great way to encourage creativity. And when we have constricting and sub-quota limitations, it can stifle creativity,” said Tanz. “The more flexibility we can have, the more we can do. I think Spain’s a good example of that. It’s a country that has obligations, but there’s a lot of flexibility in those,” he continued.
Tanz acknowledged that streaming was a great business but also “really hard and very expensive and that has caused some competitors to dial back or in some cases to exit countries entirely.” He said Netflix was “continuing to invest in content,” notably through acquisitions. Tanz pointed out Netflix has forged partnerships with local film groups in key markets, such Studiocanal in the U.K. and Constantin Films in Germany with which Netflix collaborated on the limited series “Dear Child.”
