An exceptional line-up is set to grace the second edition of SERIESMAKERS, an initiative organised by Series Mania and Germany’s Beta Group in order to lend support to film talent looking to migrate their efforts towards series, with the eye-catching directors behind the 10 projects selected for this year’s event - whose teams benefitted from a tailored training programme overseen by renowned consultants who helped them fine-tune their entire pitch decks – consisting of Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania (nominated twice at the Oscars, for Best Documentary via her Cannes competitor Four Daughters [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Kaouther Ben Hania
scheda film], and Best International Film via The Man Who Sold His Skin [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Kaouther Ben Hania
scheda film], which was also selected for Venice’s Orizzonti section), Scot Kevin Macdonald (of Oscar-winner The Last King of Scotland [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Barbara Albert
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intervista: Barbara Albert
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intervista: Yorgos Zois
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intervista: Mykko Myllylahti
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intervista: Guy Myhill
scheda film], screened in Venice’s Giornate degli Autori event). Similarly worth a mention is Filippino director Erik Matti (On the Job 2: The Missing 8, which competed in Venice) and Israeli duo Amir Manor and Guy Raz.

The four mentors for this year’s edition are German producer Janine Jackowski, Israeli screenwriter Ronit Weiss-Berkowitz, French-Danish international development specialist Isabelle Lindberg Pechou and Brazilian producer, screenwriter and showrunner Felipe Braga (Sintonia), and that’s without forgetting the other speakers featuring on the agenda, including Canadian Chris Brancato, American Frank Doelger, Israeli Hagai Levi, Scot Bryan Elsley (Skins), Israeli-American Ron Leshem and Germany’s Stefan Arndt.

Three projects are set to be awarded prizes on 20 March (two of which will win development grants to the tune of €50,000, courtesy of Beta, while the third will walk away with €20,000, courtesy of the Kirch Foundation in collaboration with HFF – the University of Television and Film Munich) within the Series Mania Forum (running 19 – 21 March – read our news), which is the professional sidebar of the 14th Series Mania Festival (kicking off in Lille on 15 March – article).

For the record, the festival’s first edition singled out Juho Kuosmanen, César Díaz and Beatriz Seigner as its victors (read our news).

The selection is as follows:

Breach (4 x 50') (Holland)
Director: Mijke de Jong
Screenwriters: Giancarlo Sanchez and Jan Eilander

Doctor’s Oath (4 × 52’) (Finland)
Director: Mikko Myllylahti
Producers: Aleksi Hyvärinen and Taneli Mustone

Elephant (7 × 40’) (Hungary)
Director and screenwriter: Hajni Kis
Co-screenwriter: Dávid Csicskár

Freedom Academy (8 × 45’) (France)
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Producer: Nadim Cheikhrouha

George Blake (6 × 52’) (UK/Holland)
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Producer: Femke Wolting

Play (8 × 52’) (Greece)
Director: Yorgos Zois
Producer: Stelios Cotionis

Sleeping Swans (8 × 52’) (Germany)
Director: Barbara Albert
Screenwriter: Ulrike Tony Vahl
Producer: Martina Haubrich

The Squatter (8 x 52’) (The Philippines)
Director: Erik Matti
Producer: Ronald Monteverde

The Willow Song (8 × 50’) (UK)
Screenwriter and director: Guy Myhill
Co-screenwriters: Tony Phillips and Sophie Vaughan

Willz (10 × 40’) (Israel)
Screenwriters and directors: Amir Manor and Guy Raz