‘Lambs of God’ (Photo: Mark Rogers)
Lingo Pictures’ Foxtel-commissioned comedic drama Lambs of God will have its world premiere in official competition at Series Mania next month.
Created by Sarah Lambert and directed by Jeffrey Walker, the show adapted from Marele Day’s novel will compete with nine series from the UK, the US, Israel, Norway, France and Russia.
Glendyn Ivin’s BBC/ABC psychological drama The Cry, adapted by Jacquelin Perske from the Helen FitzGerald novel, will screen in the International Panorama section of the event which runs from March 22-30 in Lille, northern France.
Sharp Objects creator Marti Noxon will serve as president of the competition jury with The Good Wife star Julianna Margulies, French actress Audrey Fleurot, French writer Delphine de Vigan and Thomas Lilti, creator-director of Canal + hit Hippocrate.
Starring Essie Davis, Ann Dowd, Jessica Barden and Sam Reid, Lambs of God follows three nuns, the last survivors of the order of St. Agnes, who live in a convent on a remote and rugged island.
Their solitude is interrupted by Father Ignatius (Reid), an ambitious young priest who plans to turn the property into a money-making luxury resort. The nuns take Ignatius captive, hoping to ”bring him into the fold.”
The cast includes John Bell as a bishop, Damon Herriman as Father Bob, Daniel Henshall as the local cop and Kate Mulvany. The series will premiere on Foxtel’s showcase mid-year.
Lambert produced with Jason Stephens, who is partnered in Lingo Pictures with Helen Bowden, and Elisa Argenzio. Production funding came from Foxtel, Screen Australia, Create NSW, Screen Tasmania and Cumulus VFX. Sky Vision is handling worldwide sales outside Australia. It marked the TV drama debut of veteran cinematographer Don McAlpine.
“It’ll be a great launch pad for the show,” Lambert tells IF. “Jason Stephens and I will be going over and we can’t wait to watch it with an international audience.”
Stephens says: “Helen and I are immensely proud for Lambs of God to premiere at such a brilliant showcase for exceptional television. Making this unlikely thriller has been a joy. We can’t thank Foxtel enough for being bold enough to commission it, and our cast and crew for committing so profoundly to this strange world, these unusual characters and the timely ideas at the heart of the story.”
Lingo Pictures is also producing the 8-part comedy Upright, starring Tim Minchin and Milly Alcock, for Foxtel.
Series Mania 2019 Official Competition
Baghdad Central (Stephen Butchard, UK)
Chambers (Leah Rachel, USA)
Chimerica (Lucy Kirkwood, UK)
Eden (Edward Berger, Nele Mueller Stöfen, Marianne Wendt, France/Germany)
Identification (Valery Fedorovich, Evgeny Nikishov, Russia)
Just For Today (Nir Bergman, Ram Nehari, Israel)
Lambs of God (Sarah Lambert, Australia)
Mytho (Anne Berest, France)
Twin (Kristoffer Metcalfe, Norway)
The Virtues (Shane Meadows, UK)
International Panorama
8 Days (Peter Kocyla, Rafael Parente, Germany)
Asylum City (Eitan Tzur, Uzi Weil, Liad Shoham, Israel)
Blackout (Sergei Ursuliak, Russia)
The Cry (Jacquelin Perske, UK & Australia)
Curfew (Matthew Read, UK)
Exit (Petter Testmann-Koch, Øystein Karlsen, Norway)
Flack (Oliver Lansley, UK)
Folklore (Eric Khoo, Singapore)
The Guest (Seo Jae-won, Gwon So-ra, South Korea)
Hierro (Pepe Coira, Spain & France)
Les Misérables (Andrew Davies, UK)
Monzón (Francisco Varone, Leandro Custo, Gabriel Nicoli, Gabriela Larralde, Jesus Braceras, Agustin Bossi, Pol Bossi, Argentina)
MotherFatherSon (Tom Rob Smith, UK)
Pros And Cons (Thor Bjørn, Denmark)
Success (Marjan Alčevski, Croatia)