MUMBAI: The 2020 Series Mania Festival (March 20-28), Series Mania Forum (March 25-27), and Lille Dialogues (March 26) have been cancelled in view of the coronavirus situation. The decision has been taken after meeting with the French government, health authorities, and city officials from Lille, said Series Mania president Rodolphe Belmer.
"Every year since its inaugural event in Lille, Series Mania has attracted 80,000 festival-goers, most of whom have already booked their event tickets, and more than 3,000 professionals. Due to the recent restriction from the French government banning gatherings of more than 1,000 people, coupled with the travel restrictions for many of our international participants, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Series Mania,” said Rodolphe Belmer. “In this delicate period, we are very touched by the ongoing support of our French and international partners, and we want to express our warm thanks to everyone.”
President of the Hauts-de-France region Xavier Bertrand added, “The Hauts-de-France region has had the honour of hosting Series Mania since 2018 and is already looking forward to welcoming the Festival, Forum and Lille Dialogues in an ambitious way in 2021, as well as its further development in future years. Series Mania has our total support, as well as the people around the world during this difficult time.”
Founder and general director of Series Mania Laurence Herszberg added, “This year’s Series Mania was an event not to be missed with an exceptional programme and amazing guest list. It is with great sadness that we have had to make this difficult decision. However, our utmost concern is for the safety and well-being of our valued clients, guests, and staff who have invested so much time these past few months. I would like to thank the city of Lille, Hauts-de-France region, and European audiences for their enthusiasm and passion. I would also like to thank every creator, talent, producer, and broadcaster who have trusted us since the beginning. To our audiences, professionals, politicians, and industry leaders, we will be back stronger than ever in 2021 with a new edition that will be, from the bottom of our hearts, even more ambitious and radiant.”
