Disney+ drama ‘The Good Mothers’ among Berlinale 2023 Series line-up

SCREEN DAILY - 16/01/23

The Disney+ series is directed by the UK’s Julian Jarrold, whose credits include Kinky Boots, Becoming Jane and Brideshead Revisted, and Italian filmmaker Elisa Amoruso. The Good Mothers is a UK-Italy co-production and follows three women trying to bring down the Italian mafia.


The first two episodes of the six-part series is one of five series world premiering at Berlinale.

These include HBO Max series Spy/Master from Adina Sădeanu and Kirsten Peters which will also screen the first two episodes. The Romanian-German co-production sees an East German spy caught between the CIA, Securitate, KGB and the Stasi. 

Other world premieres are India’s Roar about a police officer investigating the disappearance of several women in the neighbourhood; Denmark’s Agent from actor Nikolaj Lie Kaas about a talent agent; and Norwegian satire The Architect

Berlinale Series Market

The festival also announced the ninth edition of the Berlinale Series Market which will take place February 20-22 at Potsdamer Platz.

It sees the third edition of the Berlinale Series Market Selects label, which showcases series with high market potential. Among the 16 titles selected is Norwegian sci-fi Dome 16 by Thomas Torjussen; German crime-drama Two Sides Of The Abyss from HBO Max and Israeli thriller Traitor from the creators of HBO series Valley Of Tears.

On February 21-22, the Berlinale Co-production Market will host Co-pro Series where producers from ten series projects will meet and pitch to 420 co-producers, editors, sales agents and other series financiers.

The selected projects were chosen from 218 submissions.

Berlinale Series 2023

*world premiere

Agent* (Den) cre. Nikolaj Lie Kaas, broad. TV2 – 2/8 episodes

The Architect* (Nor), dir. Kerren Lumer-Klabbers, broad. Viaplay Group – 4/4 episodes

Bad Behaviour (Australia), dir. Corrie Chen, broad. Stan – 2/4 episodes

Roar* (Ind), cres. Reema Kagti, Zoya Akhtar - 2/8 episodes

The Good Mothers* (UK-It), dirs. Julian Jarrold, Elisa Amoruso, broad. Disney+ - 2/6 episodes

Spy/Master* (Rom-Ger), cres. Adina Sădeanu, Kirsten Peters, broad. HBO Max, Warner – 2/6 episodes

Why Try to Change Me Now (China), cre. Yu Gong, broad. iQIYI, Inc – 2/6 episodes

Berlinale Series Market 2023

1985 (Bel), cre. Willem Wallyn, broad. VRT, RTB 

About Antoine (Canada), cre. Cathleen Rouleau, broad. Club illico, TVA (Quebecor)

The Ark (US-Serbia), cres. Dean Devlin, Jonathan Glassner, broad. NBCUniversal

Brown (Ind), cres. Suri Gopalan, Abheek Barua

Cuba Libre (Port), cre. Henrique Oliveira, broad. RTP

Donkerbos (S Afr), cre. Nico Scheepers, broad. Multichoice/Showmax

Out of Touch (Swe), cre. Mikael Ljung, broad. C More

Dome 16 (Nor), cre. Thomas Seeberg Torjussen, broad. NRK

Nordland 99 (Den), cre. Kasper Møller Rask, broad. DR

Pad (The Fall) (Serbia), dir. Bojan Vuletić, broad. Superstar TV

Curse Poems (Chil), cres. Paula del Fierro, Enrique Videla, Miguel Angel Rodríguez

Snow (Austria-Ger), cre. Michaela Taschek, broad. ORF, BR, NDR, ARTE

Traitor (Israel), cre. Asaph Polonsky, broad. HOT

Troll Farm (Lithuania), cres. Domantė Urmonaitė, Martynas Mendelis, Gabija Siurbytė, Ernestas Jankauskas, broad. Lithuanian National Television and Radio, TeliaPlay+

The Way Home (US-Can), cres. Marly Reed, Heather Conkie, Alexandra Clarke, broad. Hallmark Channel

Two Sides of the Abyss (Ger), cre. Kristin Derfler, broad. RTL+, Warner TV Serie, HBOmax

Berlinale Co-pro Series

The Island (UK), writ. Nick Osborne

Totonero (It) cre/writ. Emanuele Scaringi

Export Only (Rom), cre/dir. Cristina Iliescu

Decibel (Arg), cre/writ. Nicolás Britos, dir. Pablo Agüero

Earthbound (Ger), writ. Harris Goldberg

My First Family (Ger), cre/writs. Maya Zaydman and Ori Sivan, dir. Randa Chahoud

Tipping Point (Nor), writ. Brendan Foley, dir. AJ Annila

The Acid Clinic (Den), cre. Jens Dahl; writ. Jens Dahl, Dorte Warnøe Høgh and Adam August

The Chauffeur’s Son (Spain), cre. Isaki Lacuesta, Isabel Campo and Cristóbal Garrido, dir. Isaki Lacuesta 

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Molly Moffatt