Series Mania Sets Plans for Lille Dialogues

Series Mania’s Lille Dialogues, set for March 24, has lined up its guest of honor, keynotes and panelists.

The one-day Lille Dialogues summit brings together European lawmakers and international TV industry leaders to encourage joint reflection on the challenges facing the industry and to promote international cooperation.

The event, which is part of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2022, is organized in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, the CNC and the European Commission.

The guest of honor is Margrethe Vestager, European commissioner for competition and executive VP for a Europe fit for the Digital Age, who will deliver the opening speech.

Raffaele Annecchino, president and CEO of international networks, studios and streaming at Paramount, will deliver a keynote.

Priya Dogra, president of WarnerMedia EMEA and Asia (excl. China), will also deliver a keynote.

The day will also feature Georgia Brown, head of European originals at Amazon Studios; Jan Mojto, CEO of Beta Film; Gilles Pélisson, CEO of TF1 Group; and Nicolas de Tavernost, chairman of the executive board and CEO of M6 Group.

The session Investing In Talent: How To Drive New Narratives will feature Delphine Ernotte-Cunci, CEO of France Télévisions and president of the EBU; Mo Abudu, CEO of EbonyLife Media; Romain Bessi, CEO of Newen Studios; and Young-kyu Kim, CEO of Studio Dragon.

The panel for Audiovisual Shooting Locations: A Creative Breakthrough comprises Caroline Cooper, COO of Sky Studios; Chiara Sbarigia, president of Cinecittà; Edith Sepp, CEO of Estonian Film Institute and VP of EFAD; Godefroy Vujicic, CEO of Pictanovo; and Hsiao-Ching Ting, chairperson of Taiwan Creative Content Agency.

Collaborating Across Borders is a session that will feature Gina Nieri, executive board member of MFE (Media for Europe); Bruno Patino, CEO of ARTE; Jens Richter, CEO of international at Fremantle; and Moritz von Kruedener, managing director of Beta Film.

Writing at the Heart of it All!—in partnership with FSE (Federation of Screenwriters in Europe)—will feature a panel discussion with Pieter Bart Korthuis, screenwriter/director; Pascal Rogard, CEO of SACD; Marie Roussin, screenwriter; and Stefano Sardo, writer, director, producer and head of Italian Author’s Guild 100autori.

The session Private Equity Financing: A Solution to Preserve the Independence of Our Sector?—in partnership with the EPC (European Producers Club)—will feature among its panelists Mariela Besuievsky, producer at Tornasol; Jorge Sanz Gonzalez, mandate manager for the EIF (European Investment Fund); Caroline Houben, producer at Paragon; and Sebastian Raybaud, CEO of Anton Capital.

Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of Series Mania, said: “This year’s theme is ‘Empowering the Audiovisual Industry with Creativity.’ Now more than ever, our goal is to promote a culture that fosters pluralism, diversity and social cohesion.”

Rodolphe Belmer, president of Series Mania, added: “Creativity is the starting point for the influential stories that end up on our screens, therefore it’s an essential topic to explore in our industry. We look forward to welcoming our esteemed guests to Lille to share their ideas and expertise.”