MUMBAI: Europe’s largest television-series festival has selected 15 projects from a record 406 submissions for its coveted co-pro pitching sessions. Series Mania, to be held in Lille from 21-28 March, will see producers vie for a €50,000 development prize, reflecting the growing importance of international co-financing in the post-peak TV era.
The selection, drawn from 72 countries including first-time entrants New Zealand and Uganda, spans an eclectic mix of genres. Projects range from Nest, a crime comedy about racing pigeons and the Taiwanese mafia, to Wool, a drama about a revolutionary knitting collective in 1960s Yugoslavia. A 16th project, Ruth's Ghosts—a legal thriller about abortion rights in 2030 America—will be presented outside the competition.
The pitching session's jury includes notable industry figures, led by M-K Kennedy, executive managing director of TV series at StudioCanal. The Forum has been the launchpad for the release of such series as Unspoken (Ukraine), Off Season (Switzerland / France), No Man’s Land (France), Banking District (Switzerland), Eden (France), Keeping Faith (Great Britain), Manor House (Czech Republic), Stella Blomkvist (Iceland), Tabula Rasa (Belgium), Trepalium (France), Warrior (Denmark), Devils (Italy), The Head (Spain), Ever After (Italy), The Last Socialist Artefact (Slovenia, Finland) and We Got This (Sweden) suggesting the event's growing influence in Europe's television landscape.
"Co-financing is more crucial than ever," says Francesco Capurro, director of Series Mania Forum. "It's the key to securing higher budgets, boosting sales and staying competitive on the global stage."
The forum, which launched in 2013, has become a vital bridge between European and international drama projects and potential financial partners.
The event underscores Lille's rising prominence as a hub for television development. Last year's festival attracted 98,000 spectators and 4,200 industry professionals from more than 70 countries, cementing its position as Europe's premier television-series gathering.
ANTIPAROS - 6 x 45' - Greece
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Produced by Dionyssis Samiotis, Development Producer Alexandra Orfanidou, for Tanweer Productions, Co - Producer Mark Denessen, for Ginger Film Flanders (Belgium)
Written by Alexandros Tsilifonis and George Zafeiropoulos
Directed by Alexandros Tsilifonis
Short synopsis: An overworked detective returns to his hometown in the island of Antiparos for a much-needed holiday. But once there, an overly law - abiding British policewoman drags him deep down into the mysterious disappearance of a foreign billionaire, and the most complicated case of murders in his entire career.
CECILIE MARS - 6 x 45' - Denmark
Genre: Thriller
Produced by Karoline Leth for Zentropa
Written and directed by Christoffer Boe
Short synopsis: In her pursuit of justice, Cecilie Mars, a brave police officer, faces a moral
dilemma that pushes her beyond the confines of the law. She embarks on a treacherous path to fight evil.
CONSULTANTS - 6 x 45' - Germany
Genre: Political thriller
Produced by Alexis von Wittgenstein and Gilda Weller for Violet Pictures and Henning Kamm for Real Film Berlin
Written by Richard Kropf, Bob Conrad, Hanno Hackfort
Short synopsis: Carlo, a young political campaigner from Berlin, believes he’s landed the job of a lifetime: working at one of the world’s largest strategy agencies, he’s part of a digital campaign opposing a neo-fascist party. He sees himself as one of the good guys—until the day he discovers he’s merely a pawn in a plot of unimaginable scale.
HEIST - 6 x 60' - Belgium, France
Genre: Action thriller
Produced by Dries Phylpo for A Private View and Antoine Simkine for Les Films d’Antoine
Written by Ben Braeunlich
Short synopsis: Beirut, 1976. The civil war holds the Lebanese capital captive. And here, amid all this terror, the biggest bank robbery of all times is about to go down.
INTIMACY - 8 x 42' - UK/Israel
Genre: Thriller
Produced by Ariel Weisbrod for Sipur
Created by: Dan Berlinka, Maude Sandham, Dan Buckland
Written by: Dan Berlinka
Short synopsis: Sex scene, death scene, crime scene. When an actress is found dead on set, the intimacy co-ordinator feels compelled to investigate, which means taking on the dead woman’s role… in more ways than one.
INVISIBLE - 6 x 45’ - Ireland
Genre: Mystery Drama
Produced by Ciarán Charles, Darach Ó Tuairisg & Bernadette Hoban
Written by Matt Harvey & Marteinn Thorisson
Short synopsis: A girl no one respects. A man no one believes. A crime only they can solve.
MASQUERADE - 8 x 55' - Iceland
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Produced by Arnbjörg Hafli?adóttir for Glassriver, contact Andri Ómarsson
Created by Andri Óttarsson & Baldvin Z
Short synopsis: A young American reporter arrives in a small Icelandic village, investigating an old unsolved abduction case of a four-year-old girl—the granddaughter of the town’s most wealthy and powerful man—who vanished while on vacation in Florida 25 years ago. As she digs deeper, she begins to unravel the village’s darkest secrets, only to realize that those responsible for the abduction are probably still living in the village.
NEST - 8 x 60' - Belgium, United Kingdom, Taiwan
Genre: Flamboyant Crime Comedy
Produced by David Vermander for Cartouche, Anouk Mertens for Neo Studios and James Chia-Hao for Reel Asia Pictures
Written by Koen Van Sande, Sven Huybrechts, Daniel Lambo and Lai Kin Chang
Short synopsis: When a charming charlatan and her intellectually challenged brother inherit a promising racing pigeon, they are thrust into a deadly game with the ruthless Taiwanese gambling mafia.
NUCLEAR SUNSET CRUISE - 4 x 45' - Germany
Genre: Dramedy
Produced by Martin Lehwald, Marcos Kantis, Philipp Goeser for Schiwago Film
Written by Robert Krause and Florian Puchert
Short synopsis: A clueless East German cruise ship accidentally sails straight into the Cuban Missile Crisis. With nuclear war looming and deck chair battles raging, the real question is: can they survive each other?
PHENOMENA - THE SERIES - 8 x 50' - Italy
Genre: Horror/Soapy teen drama
Produced by Maria Grazia Saccà for Titanus Production
Written by Nicola Guaglianone and Menotti
Short synopsis: Jennifer Corvino, an American student at a fencing academy in the glamorous Dolomites, hides her psychic link with insects. When brutal murders strike, she must learn how to use her secret power to stop the killer, save her comrades and survive.
THE CHAPLAIN - 8 x 30' - Australia
Genre: Drama
Co-created and Produced by Jude Troy for Wooden Horse
Co-created and Written by Elise McCredie
Short synopsis: Airport Chaplain TOBIAS WALLACE has a constantly ringing mobile, a drawer full of cash, and a decidedly unorthodox approach to solving the daily crises of an airport. When new management threatens to terminate his contract, Tobias devises increasingly ingenious ways to keep his beloved chaplaincy – after all, it’s the only thing keeping his submerged demons at bay.
THE INSTITUTE - 6 x 50' - Germany, Denmark
Genre: Thriller
Produced by Irina Ignatiew-Lemke for Boxworks Media and Deborah Bayer Marlow for Nordisk Film Productions
Created by: Esther Gronenborn
Written by Esther Gronenborn and Astrid Ströher
Short synopsis: The mysterious death of a PhD student draws a brilliant scientist into a deadly web of deceit and intrigue, exposing the dark side of power and equality in the academic world.
THE LOTTERY TICKET - 6 x 50' - Spain
Genre: Dramedy
Produced by Secuoya Studios
Written by Carlos Villa
Short synopsis: Julia’s 50th birthday turns chaotic as she reveals her terminal cancer, reconnects with her adopted daughter, and a winning lottery ticket sparks a battle, unearthing old wounds and buried secrets.
TOKYO CRUSH - 8 x 30' - France, Japan
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Produced by Jonas Ben Haiem and Jean-Félix Dealberto for Salle Commune, and Hiroko Oda for Flag Inc.
Written by Clémence Dargent
Short synopsis: Mona, a bold Parisian chef, is hired to reinvent a struggling Tokyo izakaya - if only Toshiro, the talented (and annoyingly handsome) grandson of the founder, would let her.
WOOL - 6 x 50' - Serbia, Iceland
Genre: Drama
Produced by Milena Dzambasovic for Film Road Production, Jonas Margeir Ingolfsson & Milla Ósk for Act4, Danna Stern for In Transit Productions
Written by Milena Dzambasovic (creator), Mladen Maticevic, Birkir Blaer Ingolfsson and Milla Ósk
Short synopsis: In 1960s Yugoslavia, a woman transforms a village by uniting housewives into a knitting collective. Their designs catch global fashion attention, revolutionizing their rural lives.
The 16th project, announced on February 18 during the Berlinale’s Co-Pro Series:
RUTH’S GHOSTS - 6 x 60’ - US, Germany
Genre: Legal thriller with supernatural elements
Produced by Jennifer Fox for A Luminous Mind Production, Tara Grace for Temair Pictures and Jana Lotze for Oma Inge Film.
Written by Jennifer Fox
Short synopsis: Set in 2030: Ghosts begin to haunt a Christian pro-life lawyer in New Orleans when she is confronted with arguing in court for her 13-year-old granddaughter’s right to an abortion amidst a national ban.
