16 V I D E O A G E January 2022 SeriesMania, amulti-level TVevent that has taken place in Lille, France since 2018 — after first taking place in Paris for eight years — made a spectacular return to in-person programming in summer of 2021. Held in late August and early September 2021, the festival saw more than 54,000 spectators. There were also over 20,000 participants who took part in workshops and other programming. In addition, Series Mania Forum, the industry arm of the festival, embraced 2,500 professionals, with 400 online participants, representing 66 countries around the world. This year, Series Mania plans to up the ante by following up its most recent gathering first with a return in the spring for the 2022 edition, and second with another in-person event. The festival will take place March 18-25, 2022. The dates were announced soon after the successful run of the in-person festival by Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of Paris, Francebased Series Mania. The plans are also viewed as a good prelude to MIP-TV, the market scheduled in the South of France 10 days later on April 4-6, 2022. As usual, the festival will feature an official selection of series in a number of categories, including the International Competition, the French Competition, and the International Panorama, among others. In 2021, the grand prize in the International Competition went to the Icelandic series Blackport, with Best Actress going to Marie Reuther of Kamikaze and Best Actor going to an ensemble including Itamar Rotschild, Orr Amrami, and Shmuel Vilozni from The Echo of Your Voice. The call for entries for the official selection lasted until January 6, 2022. Series Mania Forum, which will be held March 22-24, will once again see a new round of pitching sessions, panel talks, and exclusive screenings, as well as masterclasses with industry talent and leaders. The Co-Pro Pitching Sessions will showcase series projects, which in the past have included series such as the psychological thriller The Head and the Hulu war drama No Man’s Land. The winner of the Pitching Sessions is awarded a prize of 50,000 euros. Additionally, the three-day agenda of the market portion of the festival offers networking opportunities for professionals both in Lille and online. Series Mania Forum also supports the work of developing screenwriters and producers through several initiatives. Participants of the Writers Campus, an immersive writing workshop for fledgling TV drama writers, will be spotlighted in a final showcase held during the Forum so that said writers can pitch their projects to professionals in a pitching session. Similarly, writing duos from the Drama Series Co-Writing Residency Israel – France will be given the chance to pitch their projects, as well. The Forum is one of Series Mania’s sections favored by producers, development executives, talent agents, and showrunners. One of the more recent writing residencies is the DEENTAL (meaning “together” in Peul, the French word for the language spoken in West and Central Africa) Series Workshop, aimed at talent rising from African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries. The initiative was launched jointly by Series Mania, FESPACO (the Pan-African Film and TV Festival of Ouagadougou), and the DEENTAL-ACP program, organized by the CNC, with financial support from the European Union. International industry decision-makers and shaker-uppers will convene for Lille Dialogues on March 24. The one-day summit is a propitious symposium that brings together European lawmakers and international TV bigwigs to reflect on the changing landscape and promote international cooperation in the sector. (By Luis Polanco) Series Mania Calls And Ups The Ante For 2022 Edition Fest ival Preview Audra McDonald and husband Will Swenson were among the stars on the red carpet last year. Public screenings and public events to meet with the stars are also on the program again. The 2022 edition will once again see a new round of pitching sessions, panel talks and masterclasses. A preview of things to come in Lille, in the North of France, that also bodes well for MIP-TV, to be held 10 days later in Cannes, in the South of France Revisiting 2021 Festival Winners Series Mania celebrated its award winners at a closing ceremony on September 2, 2021. The grand prize of the International Competition went to Blackport, an Icelandic thriller sold internationally by About Premium Content. Marie Reuther won Best Actress for her role in the Danish drama Kamikaze, distributed by WarnerMedia International TV Distribution. The Best Actor honor went to an ensemble consisting of Itamar Rotschild, Orr Amrami, and Shmuel Vilozni for their roles in the musical drama The Echo of Your Voice for Israeli broadcaster KAN. In the International Panorama track, The Last Socialist Artefact was recognized as the Best Series. The Croatian drama was originally pitched at Series Mania Forum’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions. Distribution is overseen by HRT and Pro Plus. The Special Jury Prize went to Colombian drama Vida de Colores, distributed by Garabato Cine. The Best Series – Student Award was presented to We Are Lady Parts, an irreverent comedy for which NBCUniversal Global Distribution oversees international sales. French Competition winners included Jeune et Golri as Best Series. LS Distribution and Mediawan handle international sales for the romantic-comedy series. Ariane Labed was honored with the Best Actress award for her role in L’Opéra, a drama distributed by Newen Connect. Best Actor went to Daniel Njo Lobé for The Code, broadcast on France 2.
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