Event Preview: Series Mania

After many successful years in Paris, Series Mania is moving to Lille in the north of France this year for what will be its ninth edition. The international festival is taking place from April 27 to May 5.

Series Mania “aims to become the major event in Europe exclusively dedicated to scripted series thanks to the backing of the Hauts-de-France region, the French CNC and the Creative Europe MEDIA program of the European Union,” says Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of Series Mania.

“The elements that have made Series Mania such a success will be amplified in Lille. It will be a popular and highly entertaining public festival, open to as wide an audience as possible, offering star-studded lineups and all underscored by a major industry sidebar: the European Project and Talent Forum, which will take place from May 2 to 4 at the congress center Lille Grand Palais.”

The European Project and Talent Forum is currently accepting submissions, with a deadline of February 23. From the entries, 15 projects will be selected. One project from the Drama Series Days sidebar of the Berlin Film Festival will also be included on an out-of-competition basis. The producer of the best project will be awarded a €50,000 prize for development by a jury of professionals.

“Professional attendees from all over the world already know that Series Mania is the place in Europe where they can find the best projects in development,” Herszberg says. “Great European series like Jordskott, Liar, Tabula Rasa, Stella Blómkvist, Trepalium, The Teach, The Manor House, Banking District, Keeping Faith and Warrior [were] pitched at Series Mania. We managed to establish a quality brand that resonates.

“Now our goal is to bring to Series Mania the creative talents that the industry is looking for and primarily writers, who are the key to a successful show. In Europe, we have a huge creative landscape but no place where the industry can meet them. Series Mania will be this place, and to achieve this goal we are working with Lorraine Sullivan, former director of the prestigious Serial Eyes program in Berlin, who is helping us to attract A-list writers and young promising talents.”

The festival is introducing new features such as the Series Mania Village, a hub where attendees can gather. Other highlights include SeriesLAB, a presentation of nine European early-stage projects that participated in a training program organized by the TorinoFilmLab, and The Lille Transatlantic Dialogues, which will gather platforms, studios, broadcasters, telcos, independent producers and creators from both sides of the Atlantic as well as representatives of national governments, funding bodies and European institutions. There will be a number of conferences and master classes with high-profile speakers as well. Hagai Levi (The Affair, In Treatment) has already confirmed his participation this year, and more speakers will be announced in due course.

Herszberg says that players from all across the media industry should attend Series Mania because it is “the place in Europe where they can spot the best projects in development and meet the scripted industry and talents in a friendly and very professional environment.

“Lille has everything to please international TV-industry execs, with modern infrastructure and historic charm—and it’s closer than you think! It is directly linked by high-speed train from CDG airport in Paris, 30 minutes by train from Brussels and 1 hour 20 minutes on Eurostar from London.

“It’s a high-profile event, very affordable and convenient and, most of all, useful for their business.”

For more information and registration, please visit: seriesmania.com/en/industry/forum

Details about the program can be found here, and information on the venue is available here.