French thriller R91 and Kyrgyz drama Red Pants were among the top winners at the Series Mania Forum Awards Ceremony on Tuesday evening. Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of Series Mania, announced the recipients across the market’s three flagship strands—Buyers Upfront, Co-Pro Pitching Sessions, and SeriesMakers—highlighting a diverse slate of international scripted projects currently in development and post-production.
The winner of the second edition of the Series Mania Buyers Upfront was R91, a 6×52-minute French thriller and action series produced by Next Episode and distributed internationally by SND Groupe M6. The narrative is set aboard France’s nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, following a high-stakes investigation triggered by a suspicious death and a disappearance at sea. The plot centers on military investigator Paul Fischer and second-in-command Helena Duval as they navigate escalating tension and paranoia among the 2,000 crew members, uncovering a murder case that evolves into a broader geopolitical threat.
The Series Mania Co-Pro Pitching Sessions, one of the Forum’s cornerstone events for securing international financing, awarded its €50,000 development prize to Red Pants, a 10×60-minute drama and action project from Kyrgyzstan. The win marks the emergence of the Central Asian territory on the Series Mania stage. Produced by Erke Dzhumakmatova for Studio Oymo, with Pavel Feldman and Alexander Seliverstov co-producing for Human Films, the series was written by Tilek Cherikov. Set in late 1970s Soviet Kyrgyzstan, the story follows Aisha, the daughter of a military officer who forms the first all-female criminal gang to avenge her father’s death and confront an oppressive regime.
Rounding out the evening, the SeriesMakers Award, presented in association with the Series Mania Institute, was given to the Canadian project Chachachá!. The 8×30-minute series was created by writer and director Alison Fairweather Murray and is produced by Jennifer Weiss for the production company Nice Picture!
