Series Mania has officially unveiled the ten premium projects selected for its second annual «Buyers Upfront», an invitation-only showcase scheduled for March 23 at Lille’s Chamber of Commerce.
Spearheaded by founder Laurence Herszberg, the initiative aims to bridge the gap between high-end creators and top-tier international distributors. According to Francesco Capurro, Director of Series Mania Forum, over 100 global buyers have already confirmed their attendance, underscoring the event’s growing reputation as a critical launchpad for accelerating worldwide sales.
Rather than a standard pitch session, the «Buyers Upfront» offers a meticulously selected menu of ten series, chosen by the festival’s artistic team for their blend of creative merit and commercial viability. This year’s lineup spans multiple continents and genres, reflecting the increasingly borderless nature of television production:
Historical & Biographical Drama: The slate features Alice (France/Belgium/Canada), a deep dive into the life of Alice Guy, history’s first female fiction filmmaker. On the darker side of history, Norway brings The Traitor Within, a tense World War II thriller chronicling the deadly pursuit between a notorious Nazi collaborator and a resistance assassin.
High-Stakes Thrillers: Suspense is a dominant theme this year. France’s R91 promises a claustrophobic murder investigation aboard a nuclear aircraft carrier. Switzerland offers Blind, a gripping mystery centering on a visually impaired bartender accused of kidnapping. Meanwhile, Spain’s The Dark Book: The Secret of the Egerias follows a retired criminal profiler pulled back into the fray by a mysterious medieval text and family secrets.
Political Satire & Comedy: Leading the comedy front is the UK’s Number 10, a sharp look at Downing Street penned by acclaimed writer Steven Moffat. Spain delivers medical workplace dramedy with In Vitro, set in a fertility clinic. Injecting a dose of supernatural humor, Australia presents Gnomes, a quirky tale of a small town battling an apocalypse of garden ornaments.
Contemporary Drama & Mystery: Rounding out the selection is the UK legal drama Counsels, which tracks the intertwining, ambitious lives of five young Glasgow lawyers. Finally, the cross-cultural co-production Lost and Found (Japan/Singapore) takes audiences into Tokyo’s dark underbelly as a gamer searches for his missing online girlfriend.
Networking and Industry Awards
Beyond the screenings, the «Buyers Upfront» serves as a premier networking hub. The schedule is anchored by the traditional BETA Brunch and concludes with an official dinner hosted in partnership with Pernel Media.
The industry will also be watching closely on March 24, when a six-member jury of elite acquisition executives will crown one of these ten projects with the coveted ‘Buyers Choice Award’ during the festival’s official closing ceremony at the Hôtel Barrière.
