The Italian Global Series festival is a celebration of international television, and this year's edition promises to be a star-studded affair. With a focus on the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, the festival will showcase a diverse range of series, from drama to comedy, and limited series. The event, held in Rimini and Riccione, Italy, from July 3 to July 11, will feature a star-studded lineup of actors, writers, and producers, including John Hannah, Bertie Carvel, and Robert Powell. The festival's artistic director, Marco Spagnoli, has curated a program that includes international competition selections, conversations series, and notable Italian premieres, all free to the general public.
One of the highlights of the festival is the celebration of Star Trek's 60th anniversary. The event will feature a special preview screening of an episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and a conversation with actress Jeri Ryan, known for her role in the Star Trek universe. The festival will also host a special event with married Turkish film and social media stars Ozge Gürel and Serkan Çayoğlu, discussing their work and lives in the public eye.
The International Competition is a key feature of the festival, with 21 series from 15 countries, including Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America. The competition is divided into three sections: drama, comedy, and limited series. The Maximo Awards will be presented for best series, best lead actor, best lead actress, and best creator/director, along with a special jury prize. The drama series jury will be led by U.S. producer Marti Noxon, while the limited series jury will be headed by director and screenwriter Nicholas Meyer. The comedy series jury will be presided over by French actor and playwright Bruno Gouery.
The drama section of the competition includes Benidorm Is Murder, a U.K./Spanish production directed by Simon Delaney and starring John Hannah; Emergency 53, an adrenaline-fueled medical series from Brazil; Secret Service, a political spy thriller directed by Oscar winner James Marsh and starring Gemma Arterton; Speaking Dead, a Korean thriller; Burden of Justice, a Swedish legal drama; I casi di Teresa Battaglia – Figlia della cenere, an Italian drama by Kiko Rosati that stars Elena Sofia Ricci; and The Terror With Devil in Silver, an anthology series produced by Scott Free, with appearances set for Riccione by its two leads, Judith Light and CCH Pounder.
The limited series section features Le Rouge et Le Noir, a new adaptation of Stendhal’s novel The Red and the Black, starring Victor Belmondo and featuring Camille Razat and Virginie Ledoyen, both of whom will be traveling to Rimini alongside director Gaël Morel; Falling, the first romance by Jack Thorne and directed by Peter Hoar; The Widow Killer, a noir set in Prague in 1945; Raza Brava, an epic tale of rebellion set in the world of Santiago’s ultras, beginning during the Chilean General Augusto Pinochet dictatorship; Laura’s Treatment, starring Valérie Bonneton, from France; One of Us by Andrea Rebuzzi, starring Raoul Bova; and The Tribute, a twist-filled family drama starring Elsa Pataky, with a cameo by her husband, Chris Hemsworth.
The comedy section includes Boho, a generational portrait set in the multicultural neighborhood of Borgerhout in Belgium; The Flaws, a German comedy created by a theater collective and produced by Razor Film; Happily Ever After from Canada, which challenges the myth of “forever” at age 25; Una piccola formalità, an Italian series by Davide Marengo and starring Pilar Fogliati; Leonard and Hungry Paul, an Irish comedy starring Alex Lawther and featuring the voice of Julia Roberts; Riot Women from the U.K., which bears the signature of creator Sally Wainwright, who will be attending the festival alongside star Tamsin Greig; and Cell Block B, a prison comedy originating from the Czech Republic.
The festival's conversations series will include a session entitled “Lost in Fellini,” hosted by Carlton Cuse, joined by Oscar-winning writer and showrunner John Ridley. There will also be a conversation between executive producer David W. Zucker and producer Steve Stark about the future of international production, and an event with married Turkish film and social media stars Ozge Gürel and Serkan Çayoğlu, discussing their work and lives in the public eye. The festival will also host a special preview screening of an episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which will debut on July 23 on Paramount+.
