SERIES MANIA UNVEILS KEY DETAILS OF ITS 2020 PROGRAM

Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of Series Mania, and Francesco Capurro, Head of the Forum, unveiled key aspects of the program and the main speakers for this year’s Series Mania Forum, set for March 25-27 at Lille Grand Palais. “With 3000 participants set to attend this year, Series Mania Forum has truly become the place to be for all those involved in the creation of series from around the world. The Forum understands the dramatic changes in the industry at all stages of the value chain of series and focuses on writing, production and distribution issues,” said Herszberg.

The international reach of Series Mania Forum is bigger than even before: official delegations from all the over the world will attend the event (Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Korea, Brazil). Country focus and Coming Next From sessions will give the participants the opportunity to discover upcoming shows from Korea, Latin America, Germany, Quebec, Finland, Central Europe and France.

This year’s event will also include a number of companies outside of Europe who will be exhibiting for the first time. These companies include Globo (Brazil), Nippon TV (Japan), and TV3 and Premier Studios (Russia), among others.

Renowned screenwriters and creators will be at the Forum to share their experience, among them: Anna Winger ("Deutschland 83", "Unorthodox"), Eric Rochant ("The Bureau"), Stefano Sardo ("1994"), Sara Johnsen ("22 July"), Jeppe Gjervig Gram ("Follow The Money"), as well as major directors like acclaimed French filmmaker and Palme d'Or winner Jacques Audiard ("The Bureau"), Christian Schwochow ("The Crown", "Bad Banks"), Thomas Vincent ("Versailles", "Bodyguard, Borgia", "Osmosis"), Destiny Ekaragha ("The End of the F***ing World"), and Sílvia Quer ("Elite").

Industry professionals set to discuss major changes in the series’ sector include Lars Blomgren (Endemol Shine Group), Carlo Dusi (Red Arrow International), Moreyba Bidessie (A+E), Christian Vesper (Fremantle), and Xavier Arestimuno (HBO LatAm), among others. 

They will discuss major themes such as:

·         The concentration of large audio-visual groups on a European scale

·         The role of distributors becoming super-producers

·         The major trends such of series based on true facts

On the broadcaster’s side, the Forum will host a masterclass, in association with Broadcast Intelligence, with Caroline Hollick, Head of Drama at Channel 4, one of the channels offering the most innovative and daring series in the world, while Anne Croneman and Nathalie Biancolli (France Télévisions) discuss the "acquimissions" phenomenon, a neologism created to underline the convergence between acquisitions and commissions.

These key events will be added to the previously announced program highlights, including the much-anticipated Co-Pro Pitching sessions, UGC Writers Campus, SeriesLAB, and the new Drama Series Co-Writing Residency between Israel and France.