France TV Distribution Takes Six-Part Thriller The Island of Lies to Mipcom
A woman walks free after half her life in prison, with two months to prove she should never have been locked up. That is the starting point for "The Island of Lies" ("Sans Retour"), a six-part mystery thriller from France. France TV Distribution is launching the series to international buyers at Mipcom, the television market in Cannes where channels and streamers shop for programmes, as reported by Variety.
The story centres on Emma, played by Elisa Erka. She is 33. Convicted as a teenager for a double murder, she may have spent half her life behind bars for a crime she did not commit. A fresh piece of evidence leads a court to suspend her sentence, meaning she leaves prison while the case still hangs over her.
A suspended sentence here means freedom with conditions. Emma has two months to prove her innocence before she faces a new trial or returns to jail. To do it, she travels back to Kerlann, the Breton island tied to the original killings, to search for the truth about what happened.
Erka leads a cast that also includes Amir El Kacem, Béatrice de la Boulaye and Charlotte De Turckheim. Julien Seri directs the six episodes. Six parts means one story told across six episodes with a set ending, rather than an ongoing series designed to return each year.
The programme was produced by Fontaram Productions and Ramona Productions for France Télévisions. Vincent co-produces for Ramona, while François Aramburu produces for Fontaram. Ramona Productions is the independent French company founded by Olga Vincent and Jean-Pierre Alessandri, according to Ramona Productions.
The scripts are by Olga Vincent and Pascal Fontanille. Vincent wrote with Fontanille and stayed on as a producer. That keeps the writing and production of the limited story under the same team.
Sales outside France are handled by France TV Distribution, which sells broadcast rights to channels and platforms in other countries. Senior vice-president of international sales Julia Schulte is leading the Mipcom launch. In trade terms, an international launch means the distributor is now offering the programme for licensing by territory and by window, meaning where it can be shown and for how long.
For viewers abroad, that is the first step before any local broadcaster or streamer can buy the show. No onward deals have been disclosed in the report. The sale comes first, then the local slots follow.
