Details for Cannes International Series Festival Unveiled at MIPTV

The brand-new Cannes International Series Festival is set to take place alongside MIPTV in 2018 featuring public screenings across the city as well as a co-production forum.

Details of the new event were presented at a press conference with Cannes Mayor David Lisnard, who is also the VP of the Alpes-Maritimes Department; and Fleur Pellerin, president of the Association of the Cannes International Series Festival; along with Reed MIDEM’s chief executive, Paul Zilk; Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada and the festival’s managing director, Benoît Louvet. Canal+ is a partner of the new event.

Lisnard discussed the vision for boosting Cannes as a “global village.” The city attracts some 2.3 million visitors annually and is home to a range of international events. As part of the global vision for Cannes, several initiatives are under way to develop the creative industries in the city and surrounding region, with a university campus, an “Enterprise City” for start-ups, production and post-production facilities and efforts to build its reputation as a filming location.

The plan is to make the Cannes International Series Festival the preeminent international series event with a focus on it being “prestigious, artistic, glamorous and open to the public.”

The international competition at the festival will present an official selection of ten unreleased series from all over the world and across all genres. A grand jury of at least five personalities “known for their artistic sensitivity,” alongside an “internationally renowned” president to lead the jury, will determine the prize winners. There will be more than 200 free screenings across the city, plus debates, masterclasses and retrospectives.

In addition, a writers’ residency in Cannes will be set up for ten projects. There will be a university training program for digital series in partnership with UCA in Cannes before and during the festival for 20 students. And a co-production forum will be held in association with MIPTV.