Berlinale Series Market: Ken Burns’ ‘American Revolution,’ Titles From Ruben Östlund and Alonso Ruizpalacios Score Selection

Berlinale Series Market Selects will welcome 17 scripted shows and three docu-series this year, including Ken Burns ’ latest offering “The American Revolution,” co-directed with Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt. ‘The Pushover’Courtesy of Reinvent Yellow Other potential highlights include Globo’s “Emergency 53,” starring Fernanda Montenegro, who scored a best actress Oscar nomination for “Central Station.” Amid the BSM’s Co-Pro Series projects, to be presented on stage at the Berlin Series Market, one of its biggest traditions, “A Phone Rings in the Middle of the Night” marks the first fiction series from Plattform Producktion, the Swedish production outfit co-headed by Cannes Palme d’Or winning director Ruben Östlund (“The Square,” “Traingle of Sadness”). Further projects are set to be directed by “Andor” helmer Alonso Ruizpalacios, one of Mexico’s younger go-to cineastes, and Oscar winner Danis Tanović (“No Man’s Land”). The Berlinale Series Market is also launching two new initiatives this year: the Studio Babelsberg Production Excellence Award, awarded to an outstanding series in Berlinale Series Market Selects, and Series Match, Germany & Ibero-America, organized with Spain’s Iberseries & Platino Industria market. Latter aims to connect Ibero-American and German production companies. Put this together with the six series announced Wednesday as selected for the Berlin Film Festival and it looks like series, after a period of uncertainty, are back with a bang at Berlin, one of the first A-List festivals to sense their importance, screening its first series in 2010. Declarations made to Variety by Tanja Meissner, director of Berlinale Pro, in his same article leave little room for doubt as to this regard. Popular on Variety Detailing the events that grew into a struggle engaging more than two dozen nations, “The American Revolution” is narrated by Peter Coyote and includes the first-person voices of nearly 200 individual historic figures, read by - among many other starry names - Josh Brolin, Claire Danes, Morgan Freeman, Paul Giamatti, Tom Hanks, Ethan Hawke, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton and Meryl Streep. It has already been sold to France and Germany (Arte), and Australia (SBS). “We are delighted that ‘The American Revolution’ has been selected for the Berlinale Series Market. This recognition reflects the series’ universal relevance, bringing to life a story that continues to resonate across cultures and generations. It is an honor to share this deeply human exploration of one of history’s defining moments on an international stage,” said Joe Barrett, Vice President of Global Sales at PBS Distribution. “As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, ‘The American Revolution’ offers a cinematic journey into the founding of a nation, voiced by an extraordinary cast who bring first-hand historical accounts to life,” he added. “The series combines meticulous scholarship, immersive storytelling, and visual artistry to present history with immediacy, depth and resonance for viewers around the world.” “In Pursuit of the True Shaman” and Canada’s “The Struggle for Mother Water” will round up the Docuseries section. “‘In Pursuit of the True Shaman’ is a journey into a vanishing world...

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