Ukrainian-Polish Thriller Wins Co-Pro Pitching Sessions

Series Mania Forum’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions’ jury has selected the Ukrainian-Polish thriller Unspoken as its 2023 winner.

Chosen out of 15 projects, Unspoken is based on a true story and centers on a man who is trying to save his wife and three kids from the grave danger of the Russian invasion. It is produced by Ukraine’s Toy Cinema and 2Brave Productions and Poland’s Match&Spark.

Unspoken was written by Zhanna Ozirna and Filip Syczyński and produced by Dmytro Sukhanov, Natalia Libet and Anna Rożalska, who were awarded a prize of €50,000 ($53,800).

The jury of this year’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions consisted of Caroline Hollick, head of drama at Channel 4; Michele Zatta, commissioning editor at Rai; Françoise Guyonnet, executive managing director of TV series at STUDIOCANAL; Jarmo Lampela, head of drama at Yle; and Lindsey Martin, VP of development and co-productions at CBS Studios International.

“The winning project united the judges unanimously with the raw, emotional intensity of the storytelling,” Hollick said. “The powerful, relatable tale of a father prepared to go to any lengths to save his family was a bold and original take on the most urgent subject matter of our time.”

“The Co-Pro Pitching Sessions are one of the most anticipated part of the Series Mania Forum, and we are delighted to be giving the €50,000 prize to Unspoken,” added Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of Series Mania. “We are extremely pleased that our illustrious jury chose to give the award to a Ukrainian project, which is very much connected with what is going on in Ukraine today. And despite this war, Ukraine, its creators and its culture is still very much alive and another reason to admire the courage of the Ukrainian people.”