Laurence Herszberg, Founder and General Director, and Frederic Lavigne, Artistic Director, of Series Mania (March 17-24, 2023), had the honor to announce that acclaimed Emmy-nominated writer, director and producer Lisa Joy has been selected as Jury President for this year’s Series Mania Festival and its International Competition.

Joy will be present in Lille, along with other jury members who will be announced shortly, and will award the Grand prize for best series, as well as the prizes for best actress, best actor, and best writing.  Additional awards will also be presented during the Closing Night Ceremony on March 24.  As part of Series Mania, the Series Mania Forum, the industry arm of the Festival, will be held March 21-23, 2023 with the Lille Dialogues set for March 23.

Joy is best known as the co-creator, writer, director, and executive producer of the HBO science-fiction drama series Westworld (2016–2022), which has amassed 54 Emmy® nominations for its first three seasons, along with SAG, DGA, WGA and PGA nominations. Joy recently produced The Peripheral, the series adaptation of William Gibson’s 2014 sci-fi thriller novel, starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Gary Carr for Amazon and she’s currently in production on Fallout, a television series based on the worldwide best-selling video game franchise, starring Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, and Walton Goggins, also for Amazon.

Joy’s previous work includes the ABC comedy series Pushing Daisies (2007–2009) and the USA Network crime drama series Burn Notice (2009–2011). In 2021, she made her feature film directorial debut with Reminiscence.

“We are very pleased to be announcing here in Los Angeles that the multi-talented, remarkably versatile, Lisa Joy will be our Jury President for the upcoming edition of Series Mania. Lisa’s experience and passion for creating complex and big canvas stories, coupled with her many credits including the highly successful drama series Westworld, make her the perfect choice to be leading our international jury.  We look forward to welcoming her to Lille,” commented Herszberg.

“I am thrilled to serve as Jury president of the 2023 Series Mania.  The festival is an inspiring celebration of the great, diverse, and international stories being told in television.  It’s also a community of some of the most exciting storytellers and new voices working today.  I’m honored to be a part of it,” added Joy.