Fifth Season has picked up worldwide distribution rights to Greek teen drama series ‘Milky Way’, an eight-part coming-of-age story centred on an unwanted pregnancy, written and directed by Vasilis Kekatos, who won the Palme d’Or and the Queer Palm at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival for his short film ‘The Distance Between Us and the Sky’.
Produced by Foss Productions in association with Play2Place and in co-production with Greek broadcaster Mega TV, “Milky Way” was the first Greek series to compete at Series Mania, where the edgy drama invited comparisons to HBO’s “Euphoria”.
The show, which launches in Greece on 2 November on Mega and Vodafone TV On Demand, will premiere its third episode at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival on 10 November. It marks the first Greek series acquisition for Fifth Season, the production and distribution company formerly known as Endeavor Content.
Set in a remote mountain town, Milky Way follows high school senior Maria, whose dream of becoming a dancer is shattered when she’s impregnated by her long-time boyfriend Tasos. Her parents expect her to become a married teenage mother, isolating her from her friends. The arrival of Joe, a newcomer from Athens, sparks a special bond. Maria’s life is full of twists, turns and adventures that challenge societal expectations. On a transformative journey, she must decide whether to conform or defy norms in order to shape her own destiny.
Arvand Khosravi, SVP of scripted television strategy at Fifth Season, said: “The incredibly talented writer-director Vasilis Kekatos reminds us why Greek storytelling has transcended boundaries and stood the test of time for thousands of years. Milky Way offers a thought-provoking exploration of social norms and personal choice that will resonate with audiences around the world. Audiences will be captivated by these performances and the visual poetry of this coming-of-age story.
Stelios Cotionis, CEO of Foss Productions, added: “Bringing ‘Milky Way’ to life really felt like coming of age for a second time here at Foss. Only this time it was more fun. And we couldn’t have done it without the support of Mega TV. We are so happy and excited to be embarking on this redemptive journey with a pioneering partner like Fifth Season. We have complete confidence in their taste and look forward to the next steps in our collaboration.
Speaking to Variety while the series was still in development, Kekatos described Milky Way as the story of a teenage girl who “defies what her environment tries to tell her is right and moral in order to find her own way in life and claim the self-evident right to self-determination”. He said he hoped the show would address what he saw as a lack of “youthful and daring content” on Greek television.
“I want our series to change that,” he said. “From now on, I want people my age or even younger, people with groundbreaking ideas, to be given the green light to realise their vision. I want the industry to trust the new generation, the new generation that comes with the momentum to change what we knew. Because the audience has proven to be there. Open to all proposals, ready to listen, to see, to feel”.
The Thessaloniki Film Festival runs from 2 to 12 November.
