The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival's TV Beats Co-Financing Market, unspooling over November 17-18 in the Estonian capital, is set to showcase a selection of eight premium drama series from eight different countries, including Estonia, Germany, Spain, Israel, and the Czech Republic. This year saw a record 56 applications, marking a 40% increase from the previous year, highlighting the growing interest and quality of projects. The market, established in 2018 as part of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, aims to enhance the visibility of drama series from the Baltics, Nordics, and Central Eastern Europe (CEE).

A significant draw for applicants is the coveted Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award, valued at €50,000. Petri Kemppinen, co-head of TV Beats Forum, noted the higher quality of applications this year. Roosa Toivonen, also a co-head, emphasized the award's appeal to European indie producers facing scarce development funding, stating that priority in the pre-selection process was given to projects with strong co-production potential, particularly from non-traditional partners, and a viable package, budget, and financing plan. While crime remains a favored genre, Kemppinen observed a trend towards fascinating true stories with a touch of nostalgia. Cold War themes are also popular, as exemplified by the satire “Nuclear Sunset Cruise.”

Among the buzzy series selected is the true-events-inspired “The Abduction of Yossele Schumacher” from acclaimed Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis, known for his humanistic films like “Lemon Tree” and “Reading Lolita in Tehran.” Riklis, co-creating and co-writing with seasoned screenwriter Moshe Zonder, aims to find European partners for this six-part drama thriller. He expressed hopes that political sentiments would not impede the series' production, citing his optimism derived from past peace agreements despite conflict.

“The Abduction of Yossele Schumacher” delves into a different form of religious extremism, closer to Riklis's home. The story is based on the real 1960s abduction of a seven-year-old Jewish boy by his ultra-Orthodox grandfather, who sought to prevent him from being raised secular. This incident became a national cause célèbre, leading Israel’s Prime Minister Ben Gurion to involve the Mossad in an intensive, two-year international search that eventually located the boy in the U.S. Riklis, who has vivid memories of the case, connected with Yossele himself to bring this story to television.

The series is structured with three dramatic layers: an emotional core focusing on three equally flawed women—Madeleine Feraille (the abductor), Ida Schumacher (Yossele's mother), and Judith Avrahami (a Mossad agent)—each grieving a child. The thriller aspect follows the Mossad's global search across Israel, Italy, Germany, France, England, and the U.S. Finally, the socio-political context explores themes of oppression, liberalism, fate versus religion, and the Rule of Law versus the Rule of God, issues Riklis believes are as relevant today as 60 years ago. Produced by Eran Riklis Productions and United King Films with Israel’s Keshet 12, the project carries an estimated budget of €1.5 million per episode, with production targeted for November 2026.

Other noteworthy series in the co-financing lineup include “Helsinki 1939” from A.J. Annila, a historical drama set during the Finnish Winter War, focusing on disinformation battles at Hotel Kämp; and Florian Gallenberger’s “Nuclear Sunset Cruise,” a historical comedy about an East-German cruise ship inadvertently sailing into the Cuban Missile Crisis. “Business as Usual” (Estonia) is a dark comedy inspired by the Danske Bank scandal, exploring capitalism without rules in 1990s Estonia. “Chasing the Clouds” (Croatia) is a teen drama based on award-winning novels, addressing loneliness, bullying, and peer pressure through non-linear storytelling. Spanish mystery drama “Dark Waters” (