The Beta Group has confirmed plans to take center stage during the Series Mania Forum. The slate of numerous panels and showcases will follow the keynote of Beta CEO Jan Mojto, the announcement of the winners of the first edition of the Seriesmakers initiative, and the French premiere of Intaglio Films/ndfIP’s series "The Swarm," among others.
Jan Mojto will give a keynote at the Lille Dialogues on Thursday, 23 March, discussing her taken on European story, and the European cinema and television in general, while Måns Månsson, co-director of "Estonia" will form part of a panel of creatives discussing pressing questions they face while making series, focusing on the responsibility creators have when telling stories based on true events.
Following the debut of the Berlinale, "The Swarm" will celebrate its French premiere at the event, scheduled for on Thursday, 23 March, in attendance of Series Mania guest of honor Cécile de France and Intaglio Films Creative Director and Showrunner Frank Doelger. Doelger will also be part of a panel discussing The Swarm at Lille Dialogues, as an example of stories that can change the world: Faced with an uncertain future, how can fiction be used to form a new vision of the future? Belgian star actress Cécile de France will talk about her distinguished career at a masterclass. The Swarm (produced for ZDF, France Télévisions, Rai Fiction, Viaplay Group, Hulu Japan, ORF, SRF) is distributed by ZDF Studios and Beta Film
Based on extraordinary, incredible true events: "I Am Scrooge" is part of the showcase “Coming Next from Germany” on Tuesday, 21March and will be presented by producer Dominik Frankowski (Zeitsprung Pictures) and Nico Grein (RTL). The limited series is the story of a department store extortionist who fooled an entire nation in late 1980’s Germany and became an international media sensation, labelled as the “DuckTales Bandit” by The New Yorker.
The winners of the program will be revealed by Series Mania General Director Laurence Herszberg and Beta's Chief Content Officer Koby Gal Raday on Wednesday, 22 March. The titles set to be showcased by Beta Group include "Saving the Fucking Planet" by Co-writer & co-creator, the Croatian-Ukrainian co-production, "The Silence" has just been announced for a second season. Producer Nebojsa Taraba will present the series at the Balkans Showcase on Wednesday, 22 March. The Silence is based on the critically acclaimed books that uncovered human and weapons trafficking throughout Eastern Europe – a true story long kept silent.