An Eric Roberts-starring rom-com and reimaginings of Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights and Sherlock Holmes are set to open America’s first microdrama festival next month.
Alza Festival, which is run by vets of Tribeca and TikTok, kicks off its first edition with a wealth of content from the buzzy new medium including Former Prodigy Media’s Billionaires’ Broken Vow starring Oscar-nominee Roberts, who is the most well-established star to feature. Billionaires’ Broken Vow follows a jilted bride who wakes up married to a mysterious billionaire after a blackout wedding and discovers he chose her deliberately as a weapon against the political dynasty that destroyed his family. That one will be given a world premiere Sunday.
Elsewhere, a Pride and Prejudice microdrama will kick things off on a Friday night alongside Moriarty Rising: A Sherlock Holmes Tale, both of which give a modern microdrama sprinkle to older stories. The same is the case for the vertical Wuthering Heights, set on a present-day American ranch, which premieres Sunday.
In a timely thriller exploring mistrust in the election process, filmmakers Gary and Edmund Entin will debut The Count. Starring Dominique Toney and Ignacyo Matynia, the series follows a retired Army First Sergeant who becomes embroiled in a conspiracy threatening American democracy.
A cult favorite from the early days of web series, the crime drama Mobking is also making a comeback in vertical form. Comedian TaTa Sherise headlines 50 Worst Dates, an improvised comedy series, while Broadway veterans Kristine Covillo and Ben Davis star in ReelArc’s psychological thriller Zero Point.
Alza is also including projects from outside of the U.S. such as Denmark’s Glaze, the country’s first original vertical fiction series, and Tokyo-set anime Lola from Morphic Studios, which marks a genre first for the format.
Alza will feature microdrama royalty on its red carpet like Nicole Mattox and Seth Edeen. The fest was revealed by Deadline earlier this year and is America’s first dedicated to microdrama. The team behind it have already said they could expand to other markets.
Microdrama first started shaping the zeitgeist in Asia, especially China, but has moved to the U.S. in a big way. The likes of Fox, Cineverse and Access Entertainment have invested in the genre, which is estimated to make annual global revenues of between $20B to $30B by 2030.
“The breadth of this lineup shows that vertical storytelling, already a global force, has earned a stage of its own,” said Pete Torres, Founder and CEO. “At Alza, we’re bringing together studio founders, creators, directors and talent, connecting them directly to their audiences and fans, as this groundbreaking format reshapes the entertainment landscape.”
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