The Franco-Japanese fiction “Drops of God”, adapted from a cult manga about wine, won Monday at the International Emmy Awards in New York, where it received the most prestigious prize for best drama series.
“It’s incredible. A great honor, a great pride, a great joy,” said Fleur Geffrier, who plays one of the two main roles.
For half a century, the International Emmy Awards have recognized the best television productions outside the United States. They take place separately from the prestigious Emmy Awards ceremony, dedicated to American productions.
“The Drops of God”, fiction in eight episodes created by Quoc Dang Tran and directed by Oded Ruskin, is a thriller in the world of oenology, taken from mangas written by Tadashi Agi and illustrated by Shu Okimoto, sold for more than 15 million copies worldwide since 2008. The series was broadcast on Apple TV+ in 2023, then France Télévisions in 2024.
The story follows Camille (Fleur Geffrier), a Parisian whose father, an oenologist and author of a renowned wine guide, has just died in Japan. Upon reading her will, the woman who cannot stand alcohol discovers that she must face Issei Tomine (Tomohisa Yamashita), student and “spiritual son” of the deceased, during three wine-related tests, to inherit her collection of great wines.
“It’s a series that talks about family, bonds, the search for identity, in the world of wine (…) which is a world in its own right,” Fleur Geffrier told AFP.
“And all that mixed with two countries that intertwine very well, Japan and France, with several languages. It talks about life, ultimately,” she added. A season 2 is in preparation.
Several other French stars or productions were in the running but left empty-handed, such as the third season of “HPI”, the comic-police series led by Audrey Fleurot, nominated in the best comedy category, Sara Giraudeau (best actress category) for his role in “Tout va bien” (Disney+), or Laurent Lafitte (best actor) for his interpretation of Bernard Tapie on Netflix.
Omar Sy took the stage to present an honorary trophy to Sidonie Dumas, the general director of Gaumont. On the red carpet, he maintained the suspense over a possible season 4 of Lupine, the internationally successful Netflix series.
“I'll keep you a little longer, the suspense (…) I can't tell you.” But “there, I said a little,” he confided.
