During the second day of Series Mania, SERIESMAKERS, the initiative supported by European content powerhouse Beta Group, announced the three winning projects. In addition to the winners, it was also announced that following the overwhelming success of the first edition, Beta Group and Series Mania have decided to open a second edition. Submissions are open as of today.
- The two Beta Development Awards (€ 50,000 each) go to:
YOURS, MARGOT by director Juho Kuosmanen and producer Jussi Rantamäki (8×45’, Finland)
THE INVISIBLE INK by director César Díaz and producer Fernando Epstein (8×50’, Belgium/Uruguay)
- The Kirch Foundation in collaboration with HFF (University of Television and Film Munich) award (€ 20,000) goes to:
AMIGAS by director Beatriz Seigner and writer Maíra Bühler (6×52’, Brazil)
The recipients of this year’s Beta Development Award will work closely with Beta’s Content Division, led by CCO Koby Gal Raday, to develop the pilot script and a full package. The two teams will be invited to Series Mania’s Forum 2024 to present their projects to the industry’s most influential decision-makers, broadcasters, platforms, co-producers, and financiers.
Projects for the second edition can be submitted until June 15, 2023. Eligible are directors who have had at least one feature film screened in the official selection of an A-list film festival. The directors can submit as teams of either director-producer or director-writer. Ten teams with an idea for a scripted TV series will be selected to participate in this tailor-made training program. Once again, a jury will award two teams with a € 50,000 Beta Development Award each to develop a pilot script and a full package with additional support by Beta’s Content Division. A third award of € 20,000, courtesy of the Kirch Foundation in collaboration with the HFF, will be given to a third project.
For this second edition, Chris Brancato (NARCOS, GODFATHER OF HARLEM, PUSHING DAISIES) and Lisa Joy (WESTWORLD, THE PERIPHERAL, PUSHING DAISIES) will join the prolific speakers and mentors who participated in the first edition, such as Frank Doelger (GAME OF THRONES, THE SWARM), Stefan Arndt (THE WHITE RIBBON, RUN LOLA RUN, BABYLON BERLIN, GOODBYE LENIN) and Michael Polle (BABYLON BERLIN, HOUSE OF PROMISES, FURIA).
The creative initiative SERIESMAKERS is headed by Laurence Herszberg, General Director of Series Mania, and Koby Gal Raday, Chief Content Officer of Beta Group.
