Ljubljana - The start of May will bring a new Slovenian TV series that seems to be tailor-made for fans of TV dramas imbued with a sense of mystery and thriller. The 8-episode series will premiere on TV Slovenija on Sunday evening, featuring several famous Slovenian actors.

The new series, Trigrad, is set in a fictional remote village of the same name in the mountainous area in north-western Slovenia.

Directed by Sonja Prosenc, an acclaimed filmmaker known for her depictions of dreamlike worlds and poignant topics, the series stars Marko Mandić, one of Slovenia's most renowned actors. He will be joined by actors Katarina Stegnar and Suzana Krevh, among others, public broadcaster RTV Slovenija said.

The plot revolves around a middle-aged man who returns to his home town after 30 years to sell his inheritance, a house with a forest attached to it.

But strange things start to take place against a backdrop of a conflict between those who believe in the sanctity of the forest and those who only pursue their business interests, the director told the STA. Some even think the forest should be left undisturbed as people have gone missing after entering it.

Touching upon a broader context of making a TV series, Prosenc finds there are no systemically developed mechanisms for this in Slovenia. She wishes there would be possibilities for long-term development, preparation and realisation of a series, same as it is in the world of filmmaking.

"These series that we are doing in Slovenia are forced to be made under production and time constraints, yet there has been tremendous progress in recent years. TV series have really evolved," she said, hopeful that Trigrad will continue this trend.

Last week, the new series was presented at the international event Series Mania Forum 2022 in Lille, France, as part of the Coming Next from Balkans section, which aims to showcase the most promising drama series from the region.

Trigrad comes after TV Slovenija launched several TV series in recent years that were seen as a move towards a high-quality television production. This era began with the popular TV series The Lake based on the best-selling novel of the same name in what was a nod to Nordic noir.