France TV Distribution, the sales and co-production arm of public broadcaster France Televisions Group, is launching the youth drama “A Night to Live” at the upcoming Unifrance Rendez-Vous festival, taking place from September 2 to 6 in Le Havre.
“A Night to Live” is distributed worldwide by France TV distribution, the country’s largest television exporter, and is produced by Wanda Productions, a Paris-based television advertising production company that has diversified into music videos, photography, animated films and television series for television channels and streaming platforms.
The series consists of eight parts, each episode lasting 26 minutes, and will be shown for the first time worldwide in the French competition at the La Rochelle Fantasy Festival, which will be held from September 10 to 15.
“A Night to Live” (“Our Life is in the Air”) is written by Margot Bonhomme, whose debut “Head Above the Water” earned two César nominations, and Victor Lockwood (“Mental” and “Nudes”). The series is set to premiere on France TV, a youth-focused channel whose successes include “Mental.”
The series is scheduled to premiere in the fourth quarter of 2024, and its events revolve around two teenagers, Mina and Ocean, who meet on the same rooftop in Paris where they contemplate jumping to their deaths.
Although their paths diverge—Mina comes from the poor Belleville district of Paris, and Ocean is from a high-society background—they connect and agree on a deal: to give life at least one chance for one night before deciding if death is the only option.
Ines Karmas plays Mina, while Anthony Joffe (Dieter) plays Ocean.
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Manon Farghetto, the series is directed by Anthony George and Jonathan Cohen Perry, who collaborated on the 2018 Series Mania award-winning miniseries First Love, and is produced by CG Cinéma for Blackpills.
“Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 15-24,” the show’s creators and producers said in a memo. “Yet it is a taboo, deeply painful and personal topic, making it very difficult for young people to seek help for their mental health.”
“On the other hand, an Ipsos survey conducted for the Pierre Denecker Foundation revealed that 95% of young people are generally interested in life. We wanted the story of Ocean and Mina to fully reflect this contradiction,” they added.
The show's writers and producers said they haven't come up with a perfect solution to such a complex topic, but they hope “the show will encourage teens to open up to others.”
