On Tuesday, the upcoming Slovak series Naši lúdý (Our People) was named the winner of the Series Mania Co-Pro Pitch at the Series Mania Forum 2024 in Lille, France.

The project competed against 14 other titles from Japan, France, Germany and Eastern Europe. The criminal miniseries will tell the mosaic-told story of the murder-for-hire of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kušnírová, which shook the whole of Slovakia in 2018.

The project was presented by Jakub Viktorín, Tomáš Hrubý and Miro Sifra who drew a round of applause from the audience following their presentation, which intrigued the audience by describing their eureka moment while researching the crime drama story, saying, it “Felt like the world of Fargo.”

"It's not just a prize for us, it's mainly a message for Ján and Martina's parents: there are still many people who haven't forgotten what happened. And not only in Slovakia, but also abroad. Support from the largest television festival means that this project will not die, even if, paradoxically, no television is interested in it in Slovakia," wrote Tereza Nvotová, the writer and the director of the project, on Facebook.

The six-part political drama series from Nutprodukcia is based on the grim true-life tale about the killing of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová, in 2018. “These are stupid criminals. They were getting advice (to commit murder) from fortune tellers,” said Hrubý.

Kuciak has been investigating tax fraud among top Slovak criminals and several people have been jailed for the deaths, though businessman Marian Kočner, who was jailed in 2020 for separate crimes, has twice been acquitted of planning the killings.

The award was announced by Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of Series Mania, and professional jury president Nina Lederman, EVP Global Scripted Development & Programming at Sony Pictures Television. Other jury members included Marco Chimenz, Group Co-General Manager, Federation Studios in Italy; Jennifer Ebell, EVP, EMEA Sales and Acquisitions at Fifth Season in the UK; Marianne Furevold-Boland, Head of Drama at Norway’s NRK; and Karin Marelle, VP Program Acquisitions & Co-Productions at Starz. They presented the check for €50.000 to the Our People team.

“Our People is a smart, thoughtful, compelling story that enlightens and entertains while giving power to truth. We encourage the writing and producing team to pursue their goal,” said Lederman.

“The Co-Pro Pitching Sessions are one of the most anticipated parts of the Series Mania Forum and we are delighted to be giving the €50,000 prize to Our People. We are extremely pleased that our distinguished jury chose to give the award to this explosive political drama out of Slovakia that delves into the murder of an investigative journalist and brings to the forefront the questions surrounding free speech, an issue very important today. This story also emphasizes the fact that important local stories when told strongly will resonate worldwide,” commented Herszberg.