Eco-Thriller ‘Last Light’ to World Premiere at Monte-Carlo Television Fest, Big U.S. Turnout Expected

Ben Croll
·3 min read
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MGM’s five-part limited series “Last Light” will make its world premiere at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, kicking off the festival’s 61st edition as the opening screening.

Adapted from Alex Scarrow’s popular novel, this high-throttle drama set during an international oil crisis boasts a cast toplined by Matthew Fox (“Lost”), Joanne Froggat (“Downton Abbey”), and Tom Wlaschiha (“Game of Thrones”), who are all expected to attend.

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“We want to start a conversation,” said Rola Bauer, president of MGM International TV Productions. “[The series] brings to light our dependence on oil, reminds us that we must shift away with the utmost urgency…. And it turns around the quote, ‘we don’t inherit the world from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.’”

Running from June 17 – 21, this year’s edition will play host to the world premieres of Bambú Producciones’ Jean Reno-led “A Private Affair,” Ziegler Film’s “Martha Liebermann,” and Viola Film/Rai Fiction’s “Vincenzo Malinconico,” all of which will compete for the festival’s Golden Nymph Prize.

This year’s fiction competition will also include the international premiere of Film Positive’s “Ida’s Novel,” the European premiere of Amazon’s “The Terminal List” and Paramount’s “The Offer.”

Leading the fiction jury is actor Neal McDonough, while National Geographic CEO Jill Tiefenthaler will oversee deliberation on the news and documentary competition. As a way to mark the turning of a page for this 61st edition, the festival will also invite a delegation of former jury presidents, welcoming actors Danny Glover, Ron Perlman, Jason Priestley and Jane Seymour, among others.

With the full program open to all and free of charge, the festival will also introduce a new trophy, the BetaSeries Public Prize, to give that wider audience their say. On the business front, the festival will host three days of panels, keynotes and one-on-ones that will run from June 18 – 20.

“Today, our festival is one of the cornerstone European events,” Monte-Carlo Festival CEO Laurent Puons tells Variety. “It has become the ideal venue for studios, digital platforms, and networks to promote their series. Each year they come to our principality to address the nearly 200 accredited journalists and to an eager public for whom we organize more than 20 events. So our festival is really a place for communication and promotion of new series and new talents.”

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Golden Nymph Awards

Fiction Category:
“A Private Affair” (Un asunto privado) – Bambú Producciones (Spain) World Premiere
“Ida’s Novel” (Ida Regénye) – Film Positive Productions (Hungary) International Premiere
“Made in Oslo” – Tordenfilm, Viaplay, Nordic Entertainement Group (Norway)
“Martha Liebermann” – Ziegler Film GmbH & Co. KG (Germany) World Premiere
“The Offer” – Paramount Television Studios (U.S.)
“The Terminal List” – Amazon Studios, Civic Center Media, MRC Television (U.S.) European Premiere
“The Tourist” – Two Brothers Pictures (U.K.)
“Trom” – REinvent Studios and co-produced by KYK, Pictures, Truenorth, ZDF/Arte (Faroe Islands)
“Vincenzo Malinconico” – Viola Film, Rai Fiction (Italy) World Premiere

News and Documentaries Category:
“China: The Uighur Tragedy” – Découpages, Yuzu Productions (France)
“CNA Correspondent: Wildlife Trafficking in North Sulawesi” – Mediacorp Pte Ltd (Singapore)
“Erasmus in Gaza” – Arpa Film (Spain)
“Lucy and Desi” – Amazon Studios, Imagine Documentaries, White Horse Pictures in association with Paper Kite Productions and Diamond Docs (U.S.)
“Nalvany: The Man Putin Couldn’t Kill” – True Vision (U.K.)
“Syrie, des femmes dans la guerre” – Capa Presse (France)
“The Adventure of Saul Bellow” – Ingenue Productions Ltd. (Israel)
“Undercover Asia, China’s Pet Economy” – Mediacorp Pte Ltd (Singapore)
“Zelensky: Le Clown Devenu Chef De Guerre” – France Télévision (France)

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