The quirky and fun new series follows 17-year-old video store employee, Hayley, as she figures out her sexuality in the ’90s. An important story about representation and visibility, Videoland celebrates the queer community and the history of film.
It was the global premiere of the series from writer/director Jessica Smith (The Test) and producer Scarlett Koehne (Loving Captivity) and was received with a warm welcome by the French audience and jury.
Videoland was one of only six projects selected for this year’s Comedy Competition, which also included Chameleon (Belgium), Les Oubliettes (Canada), Smothered (UK), Players of Ibiza (Germany), and Extra (France).
The only series in the category not commissioned by a local broadcaster, Videoland entered the running as the only independently produced project. “Being quite a small team going up against these big players and then winning really speaks to the heart of the series, and proves to international buyers that Australian comedy does indeed travel,” said Koehne.
Smith and Koehne attended the festival along with lead cast member Emmanuelle Mattana (Mustangs FC), whose father is a French migrant to Australia. Mattana became an audience favourite when she introduced herself in her second language as a “lesbian Timothee Chalamet” at the premiere of Videoland earlier in the week.
Reflecting on the win, creator Smith, said “I’m thrilled, and a little shocked, we didn’t expect it. But at the same time, the entire cast and crew put their heart and souls into this series, and I really think it shows on screen, so to have that recognised at such a prestigious and competitive festival feels incredible. It was a huge win for us, especially as a comedy. You never know how well your jokes are going to land for an international audience but they really embraced it. And while this was a very personal story to me, it’s certainly not a unique one and it was wonderful being reminded how universal the themes are. Looking at where all the awards went, I think representation of diverse stories was the big winner on the night, and that’s exciting to be a part of.”
Videoland was produced with support from Screen Australia, VicScreen and the Queer Screen Completion Fund. The team’s travel to Series Mania was made possible by Screen Australia and VicScreen.
For updates on where and when Videoland will be released, follow @videolandseries on Instagram.
