PARIS, FRANCE AND BERLIN, GERMANY – February 16, 2016 – For the second year, Ms. Laurence Herszberg, general director of Forum des Images and founder of Series Mania, announced today that the Series Mania Co-Production Forum (Series Mania) and the Berlinale Co-Production Market (Berlinale), have once again formed a partnership agreement surrounding Berlinale’s Drama Series Days. As part of the partnership, Series Mania and Berlinale have set up a “Project Exchange”, whereby one project pitched at Series Mania is invited to pitch again in Berlin, and, in return, Series Mania will invite a Berlinale project to pitch in Paris as part of its Co-Production Forum. The Danish drama series DNA, which was selected in April 2015 at last year’s Co-Production Forum, was pitched earlier today during the Drama Series Days. The project chosen in Berlin today and to be presented in Paris in April 2016 is a Canadian project called THE ILLEGAL.
"We selected this project for the originality of its story and its savvy mix of sports competition and political issues. The story, based on the best-selling novel by Lawrence Hill, starts in Africa and continues in Europe. As Africa is a developing market, this scenario opens multiple business opportunities. We also see major potential for a Canadian project seeking partners in Europe.” commented Ms. Herszberg.
“The main goal of this exchange is to give to the producers a second window to present their project in order to maximize the chances for them to meet the right partners and complete the financing of their shows. We are very proud of this collaboration between two major events in two European cultural capitals such as Paris and Berlin,” added Ms. Herszberg.
In addition to this partnership, Ms. Herszberg has been asked to moderate a case study on Cleverman, an upcoming American-Australian-New Zealand television drama series based on an original concept by Ryan Griffen, during Berlinale.
Series Mania and the Co-Production Forum are ramping up for the much-anticipated 2016 annual event which will take place in Paris from April 15 - 24, with the Forum running from April 19 - 21. Online registration for Series Mania officially kicked off yesterday at http://series-mania.fr/en/.
ABOUT SERIES MANIA
Organized since 2010 by the Forum des Images, the Series Mania Festival brings the best international TV series on the big screen and offers its audience (almost 22,000 spectators in 2015 with 980 industry professionals) the unique opportunity to meet and debate with renowned show-runners, directors and television talent. Series Mania has developed into a unique event with wide recognition, entirely dedicated TV series, and aimed at both the general public and industry professionals. For this seventh edition, the festival is organizing a competition featuring world premieres judged by a prestigious international jury. The event will also reach out beyond its home in the Forum des Images to host screenings in some of Paris’s great movie venues such as the Grand Rex and the UGC Ciné-Cité Les Halles.
ABOUT CO-PRODUCTION FORUM
Launched in 2013, the Co-Production Forum – the industry arm of the Series Mania Festival – has become the place to be for all those involved in the creation of TV series around the world. The third edition of the Co-Production Forum proved to be a huge hit with the 273 French and international industry professionals who participated in the event. Of the 170 projects from 30 countries for series looking for additional financing that were submitted, 12 projects – including two from France, nine from Europe and one Franco-Israeli coproduction – were selected for the Co-Production Forum. Submissions were up 106% in 2014. This year’s Co-Production Forum is supported by MEDIA, the CNC, Gaumont, Red Arrow, Newen Groupe, Lagardère Studios, and Makever.
