Industry

Announced the three winning projects at Series Mania on Wednesday, March 22 by SeriesMaker and Beta Group. It was also announced that following the overwhelming success of the first edition, Beta Group and Series Mania have decided to open a second edition.
Submissions are open as of today. For further information on the initiative and registration, click here LINK 

Returning to the winners, the two Beta Development Awards (€ 50,000 each) go to:

• YOURS, MARGOT by director Juho Kuosmanen and producer Jussi Rantamäki
(8x45’, Finland)
After discovering her father’s letters to an unknown lover, Vilja unearths her family’s traumatic past in 1980s East Berlin.
Juho Kuosmanen’s COMPARTMENT NO 6 won the Grand Prix, Cannes Film Festival official competition; THE HAPPIEST DAY IN THE LIFE OF OLLI MÄKI won Prix Un Certain Regard at Cannes Film Festival.

• THE INVISIBLE INK by director César Díaz and producer Fernando Epstein
(8x50’, Belgium/Uruguay)
A former Uruguayan revolutionary leads a peaceful life in Belgium until he receives a visit from his old torturer, who threatens to kill his wife and daughter if he doesn’t hand him a hidden loot. Now he must travel back to Uruguay, confront his past and face those who have considered him dead for 20 years.
César Díaz’ OUR MOTHERS won the Caméra d’Or, Cannes Film Festival, and New Directors Competition Award, Chicago International Film Festival.

The Kirch Foundation in collaboration with HFF (University of Television and Film Munich) award (€ 20,000) goes to:

• AMIGAS by director Beatriz Seigner and writer Maíra Bühler
(6x52’, Brazil)
Five high school girl friends meet again at their 25th graduation anniversary. In their 40s now, life is far away from what they imagined. The encounter triggers a traumatic experience they lived together as teenagers and which they will need to face in order to free themselves in the present.
Beatriz Seigner’s LOS SILENCIOS participated at Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, Cannes Film Festival, and San Sebastián International Film Festival.



The recipients of this year’s Beta Development Award will work closely with Beta’s Content Division, led by CCO Koby Gal Raday, to develop the pilot script and a full package. The two teams will be invited to Series Mania’s Forum 2024 to present their projects to the industry’s most influential decision-makers, broadcasters, platforms, co-producers, and financiers.

Projects for the second edition can be submitted until June 15, 2023. Eligible are directors who have had at least one feature film screened in the official selection of an A-list film festival. The directors can submit as teams of either director-producer or director-writer. Ten teams with an idea for a scripted TV series will be selected to participate in this tailor-made training program. Once again, a jury will award two teams with a € 50,000 Beta Development Award each to develop a pilot script and a full package with additional support by Beta’s Content Division. A third award of € 20,000, courtesy of the Kirch Foundation in collaboration with the HFF, will be given to a third project.

For this second edition, Chris Brancato (NARCOS, GODFATHER OF HARLEM, PUSHING DAISIES) and Lisa Joy (WESTWORLD, THE PERIPHERAL , PUSHING DAISIES) will jointhe prolific speakers and mentors who participated in the first edition, such as Frank Doelger (GAME OF THRONES, THE SWARM), ), Stefan Arndt (THE WHITE RIBBON, RUN LOLA RUN, BABYLON BERLIN, GOODBYE LENIN) and Michael Polle (BABYLON BERLIN, HOUSE OF PROMISES, FURIA).

The creative initiative SERIESMAKERS is headed by Laurence Herszberg, General Director of Series Mania, and Koby Gal Raday, Chief Content Officer of Beta Group.