Videoage International October 2021

10 World V I D E O A G E October 2021 including the workshops. The event’s industry portion, Series Mania Forum, was attended by 2,500 accredited participants, including 400 virtual partici- pants, representing 66 countries around the world. The positive welcome translated online as well, with Series Mania Digital recording over 55,000 visits and 300,000 views. Ahead of this year’s event, festival organizers also an- nounced two new initiatives highlighting the efforts and contributions of women in the industry. The inaugural Women in Series Award celebrated Christina Sulebakk, general manager of HBO Max EMEA. The second initiative, Series’ Women, offered training in visibility and leadership to 20 participants. Aimed at increasing the visibility of female producers and female- driven projects, the program also provided curated men- toring, exclusive pitching, and networking opportunities at the Forum. Eight series were presented as part of the festival’s In- ternational Competition. The grand prize went to Icelandic series Blackport , which was originally pitched at Series Mania Forum’s Co-Pro Pitch- ing Sessions as part of its partnership with the Berlinale Co-Pro Series. Best Actress went to Marie Reuther for her role in the Danish series Kamikaze , the international sale of which will be overseen by WarnerMedia International TV Distribution. The International Competition’s Best Actor award went to an ensemble comprised of Itamar Rotschild, Orr Amrami, and Shmuel Vilozni for Echo of Your Voice fromIsrael. Alongside Levi, the jury included showrunner Steven Canals, actress Zineb Triki, screenwriter/producer Mauricio Katz, actor Thibault de Montalembert, and actress Desirée Nosbusch. This year’s winner of the Forum’s annual Co-Pro Pitching Sessions was Russian period drama series Red Rainbow . Series Mania Festival will return next year to Lille, France, from March 18-25, 2022, with the Forum set for March 22-24. The Lille Dialogues will be held on March 24. T his year’s Series Mania Festival began with an in-person evening on August 26, 2021, in Lille, which is located in northern France. The beginning of the French TV event was a big welcome back bash, since the festival was held virtually last year. Rodolphe Belmer, president of Series Mania, and Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of the festival, presided over the star-studded red carpet, welcoming personalities such as guest of honor Audra McDonald and husband Will Swenson, and the international jury, led by director/ screenwriter/producer Hagai Levi. The opening night saw the attendance of not only French TV talent but also industry executives from France Télévisions and Arte France, among others. Organizers reportedmore than54,000spectators for theevent. Excluding the festival screenings, 20,000 participants joined in for other aspects, Series Mania Embraces In-Person Show With Bear Hugs And Elbow Salutes 52x 11` KIDS 5-9 AN OUT OF THIS WORLD COMEDY ►►► COMING IN 2022 Take a Spaceship to Friendship! © friendZspace WHERE THE ENTERTAINMENT IS distribution@studio100media.com I www.studio100group.com VISIT US @MIPCOM BOOTH R7.C15 © seabelievers

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