LILLE & PARIS, FRANCE – March 02, 2020 – As one of the most anticipated events of Series Mania Forum, Mr. Rodolphe Belmer, President of Series Mania, and Ms. Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director, announced today the key speakers and participants for its third annual Lille Dialogues (formerly Lille Transatlantic Dialogues) set for March 26. This one-day summit joins together major political decision makers and leading industry executives for a day of reflection, announcements, and debates on the future of the audiovisual industry.
"Our global and changing TV world needs an informal summit to discuss future business trends and antagonist positions. These dialogues can help to bridge the differences for a better mutual understanding,” commented Ms. Herszberg. “We are delighted to be welcoming this esteemed group of individuals to Lille and look forward to a stimulating day of dialogue and debate.”
The day will be opened with a speech by Ms. Margrethe Vestager, the Executive Vice President of the European Commission for a Europe fit for the Digital Age and will be closed by the French Minister of Culture, Mr. Franck Riester. Ms. Bénédicte Linard, Belgian Minister of Culture, will also be in attendance.
The day includes a rich program of conferences with key speakers to talk about the main changes in the sector and the resulting regulatory changes. Highlights will include keynotes by:
- Andrea Scrosati, COO, Fremantle, United Kingdom
- Giorgio Stock, President, WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks, Distribution and Advertising Sales, EMEA and APAC, United Kingdom
- Matt Brodlie, Senior Vice President International Content Development, Disney+, USA (TBC)
Another highlights this year will be a session entitled “Can series save democracy?” which was born out of the observation that television series can act as an irritant for certain political leaders whose democratic legitimacy or approach to governing is the subject of debate. Panelists include:
- Sandra Laugier, Philosopher and Author, France
- Hagai Levi, Screenwriter, Israel
- James Poniewozik, New York Times journalist and author, USA (TBC)
One of the sessions will discuss TV channels entering the streaming era and how best to remain competitive and attract high-end projects. Panelists include:
- Delphine Ernotte-Cunci, CEO, France Télévisions, France
- Christoph Mainusch, Co-CEO, CME, Czech Republic
- Gilles Pélisson, CEO, TF1 Group, France
- Nicolas de Tavernost, Chairman of the Executive Board & CEO, M6 Group, France
- Ulrich Wilhelm, CEO, ARD, Germany
Also confirmed for the day is a debate on the risks and opportunities for the circulation of European works online (in partnership with the European Film Forum of the European Commission). Participants will include:
- Madeleine de Cock Buning, Vice President of Public Policy EMEA, Netflix, Netherlands
- Jan Mojto, CEO, Beta Film, Germany
- Lucia Recalde, Head of Unit, European Commission, Belgium
- Justine Ryst, Executive Director, YouTube, France
- Alan Sim, Executive Producer, Finland
Additional sessions with topics ranging from Brexit and climate change to improving gender balance and inclusiveness in TV series are also confirmed.
For additional information on Lille Dialogues, please visit:
https://seriesmania.com/les-dialogues-de-lille/en/
ABOUT SERIES MANIA
Created by Laurence Herszberg in 2010 in collaboration with artistic director Frederic Lavigne while both were at the Forum des images, the Series Mania Festival brings the best international series to the big screen and offers audiences (over 72,000 spectators in 2019) the rare opportunity to meet and learn from renowned showrunners, directors and television talent. Series Mania has developed into a unique event with wide recognition that is entirely dedicated to series, aimed at both the general public and industry professionals. For the 2020 edition, from March 20-28, the Festival will once again be held in the charming northern French city of Lille (Hauts-de-France). As usual, it will include a program of world premieres and series selected for competition, overseen by a prestigious international jury.
ABOUT SERIES MANIA FORUM
Launched in 2013, Series Mania Forum, the industry arm of the Series Mania Festival, has become the place to be for all those involved in the creation of series from around the world. In just a few years, Series Mania Forum has already seen many projects come to fruition, including Eden, Stella Blomkvist, Keeping Faith and Tabula Rasa, with many others currently in production. In 2019, the Forum held its second edition of Lille Transatlantic Dialogues, a one-day summit bringing together high-level political, corporate, creative and economic players from the TV and culture sectors in Europe and North America. With more than 3,000 registered professionals expected in 2020, the Forum (March 25-27) is now the place where industry talent and decision-makers meet to create the new generation of serial fiction.
ABOUT LILLE DIALOGUES
Now in its third year and part of Series Mania Forum, the Lille Dialogues is a one-day summit joining together major political decision makers and leading industry executives for a day of reflection, announcements, and debates on the future of audiovisual creativity. The Lille Dialogues is a joint initiative between Series Mania, the French Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC), the Europe Creative - MEDIA program of the European Union with the collaboration of the Hauts-de-France Region. Past participants have included Reed Hastings (Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, Netflix), Ted Sarandos (Chief Content Officer, Netflix)), Sophie Turner Laing (CEO, Endemol Shine Group), Delphine Ernotte Cunci (CEO, France Télévisions), Gilles Pélisson (CEO, TF1 Group), Georgia Brown (Head of European Originals, Amazon), and Franck Riester, France’s Minister of Culture.
