Paris, France– For the 2017 edition which has now expanded from three to four days and has become the springboard for the series, the Co-Production Forum, the industry arm of the Series Mania Festival, has received over 300 projects from 39 different countries as submissions for this year’s event which will take place April 18th-21st in Paris.
As such, it was announced by Laurence Herszberg, general director of Forum des Images and founder of Series Mania, that 16 projects have been chosen for its Co-Pro Pitching Sessions with the goal of helping these high-end European drama projects find appropriate financial partners, mainly through coproduction deals or presale agreements. The four-day Forum also includes a rich program of conferences, presentations, panels, and top-rate networking.
In addition, Herszberg unveiled the names of the five leading industry executives who will serve as this year’s jury for the Co-Production Forum and will have the distinct honor of presenting the producer of the Best Project with a grant of €50,000 to help finance its development as previously announced. The members include, jury president Francesca Orsi, co-head of drama, HBO; Thomas Bourguignon, producer, KWAI; Piv Bernth, head of drama, DR; Henrik Pabst, managing director, Red Arrow International; and Pilar Perez Roel, head of acquisitions, DCD Rights.
“This year, with the reputation of the Series Mania Co-Production Forum getting bigger and bigger, we are expecting over 500 international TV series executives to be on hand for this must-attend event. Our informal, yet business focused, friendly environment is the perfect blend for today’s busy executives,” commented Herszberg.
“Scaling down from over 300 entries to the 16 titles chosen is no easy task but we are confident these are some of the best series in development today,” added Herszberg. “Additionally, the caliber of our jury members this year is top-notch and we look forward to working with them in Paris as they determine this year’s best project and winner of €50,000. What a great time to be jury member!”
At the heart of the Co-Production Forum are the Co-Pro Pitching Sessions which present a selection of TV series projects in development to an audience of key TV industry decision-makers. The list of 16 selected projects will be pitched by their producers to a panel of potential financiers, including broadcasters, distributors, producers, and public and private funds.
