TG4 and Flemish streaming service Streamz in association with Screen Ireland are collaborating on a new six-part drama series called Northern Lights, billed as a “compelling saga of grief, human connection and the power of hope and humour in the face of darkness and adversity”.
Lionsgate Television will handle all global sales except Ireland for the series, a co-production between Irish company Deadpan Pictures and Belgium’s Potemkino, which opens with two grieving strangers see their worlds collide on a rainy night in Dublin. Revelations and confessions soon follow.
The series is written by Stephen Jones, who has adapted it from his own award-winning play of the same name and stars in the leading role of Lloyd.
The series is funded by Lionsgate, Screen Ireland, Screen Flanders, Streamz and TG4 with support from Creative Europe media slate funding, the Irish film and television tax credit section 481 and the Belgian industry‘s tax credit.
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“Having worked with Stephen Jones as an actor in TG4′s The Queen v Patrick O’Donnell, we are delighted to work with him again to bring the adaptation of his award-winning play Northern Lights to TG4,“ said TG4 executive producer Máire Ní Chonláin.
A “shadow” director, producer and script editor will work on the series as part of a training scheme, she added.
“This will create future opportunities for them in the Irish language film and drama sector and continue to enhance TG4′s potential on the world stage.”
Screen Ireland head of television Andrew Byrne said the State agency was delighted to support Northern Lights and Jones’s ”emotionally resonant” screenwriting debut.
“Making a connection with audiences at home and around the world is one of our aims in collaborating closely with an Irish national broadcaster like TG4, as well as international partners in Lionsgate, Screen Flanders and Creative Europe.”
