Crime drama “Bookish” from “Sherlock’s” Mark Gatiss and “Estranei,” directed by Cosimo Alemà, will world premiere at the inaugural edition of the Italian Global Series Festival. IGSF, headed by artistic director Marco Spagnoli, will run June 21-28 in Rimini and Riccione, Italy.
Gatiss is “Bookish’s” executive producer, creator and lead actor. The six-episode limited series, which is set in London in 1946, is produced by Eagle Eye Drama for UKTV and PBS, in association with Happy Duck Films and supported by the Belgian Tax Shelter. Beta Film holds worldwide distribution rights on all seasons, while PBS Distribution holds the North American rights.
The show centers on a bookshop in London’s Archangel Lane, named after its eccentric but whipsmart owner, Book (Gatiss). A former military spy turned maverick detective, Book relishes helping the police solve their most complex murder cases.
He lives happily with his sassy, exuberant wife, Trottie (Polly Walker), who owns the wallpaper shop next door. Friends from childhood, they share a deep bond of love and respect for each other, but theirs is a “lavender marriage” of mutual convenience. For Book is a gay man at a time when homosexuality is illegal.
Blissfully happy at home, Book nevertheless carries with him a sadness, as the love of his life was betrayed and died in the war.
When Jack (Conner Finch), a young man with a past as an ex-convict, is sent to work at the bookshop, Book and Trottie welcome him into the family fold with open arms. But it’s not long before Jack starts to suspect that his appointment was anything but random. Could their past be inextricably linked?
Attending the IGSF for the “Bookish” world premiere on June 24, Gatiss will also present a television screenwriting masterclass.
The Italian series “Estranei,” an eight-episode drama produced by Eagle Original Content, Rai Fiction and RaiCom, stars Elena Radonicich, Kelum Giordano, Ricky Memphis, Marco Cocci, Giulio Scarpati and Isabella Ferrari. It will also have its world premiere on June 24.
The series takes place in a small town in Northern Italy, where one of the largest Sikh communities in Europe lives in harmony with the local population. But the disappearance of two young lovers – Camilla and Manraj, modern-day Romeo and Juliet from seemingly distant worlds – shakes this fragile balance, setting off a chain of death, rivalry and unspoken truths.
Investigating the case, with all its unexpected twists, is a talented local law enforcement agent Laura Macchi (Elena Radonicich), who has returned to her hometown to care for her elderly father, the town’s mayor. In her effort to preserve the delicate harmony between the two communities – a balance her father had built over time with great dedication – Laura will find herself digging into a murky past, uncovering disturbing secrets that implicate the entire town.
IGSF is an updated incarnation of the RomaFiction Fest, which ran annually for 10 years from 2007-2016. In addition to screenings, masterclasses and fan events with Italian and international talent, first looks of new series in production will also be presented by attending cast and creatives for public audiences.
The full festival lineup will be revealed at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18.
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