March 28, 2018 – The SERIES MANIA festival was created in 2010, and has grown continually since then, boosting its profile in both France and abroad. With more than 50,000 visitors and 1,200 accreditees in 2017, this festival, which is entirely dedicated to the TV series genre, has become a key event in the calendar for both the general public and industry professionals.

The 2018 edition of SERIES MANIA will be held in Lille, and marks the determination of the country, the Hauts- de-France region, the CNC, the City of Lille and the European Metropolis of Lille, to stage the festival in a region with a powerful cultural identity. Together, their shared wish is for SERIES MANIA to become the international series festival of reference in Europe. SERIES MANIA is thus taking up residence in this city with an exceptionally rich heritage and cultural vitality. Its influence will radiate out from the Hauts-de-France region, and weave strong links with the neighboring countries of Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Germany, at the very heart of Europe.

With more than 1,000 screenings in Lille and the surrounding region, including world premieres, prestigious guest stars, masterclasses, and plenty of satellite events, SERIES MANIA is this year offering nine days of culture and celebration across Lille, the wider metropolitan area, and the region as a whole. A brand-new festival village will welcome visitors for key events, and a new European Projects and Talent Forum will also debut this year.

This year more than ever, SERIES MANIA is the place where TV series actors and creators come to meet their audiences in a festive and convivial atmosphere.

Additional details outlined by Rodolphe Belmer, Festival President, and Laurence Herszberg, Director include:

Chris Brancato - Jury President

Winner of a Peabody Award, two Saturn Awards, a Writers’ Guild Award, and several Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations, Chris Brancato has written and produced more than 200 hours of series including X-Files, Law & Order, and Hannibal, and he co-created Narcos for Netflix. Chris also wrote and produced the gangster movie Hoodlum (1997), the sci-fi thriller Species II, and was executive producer on the comedy Stealing Harvard.

Maria Feldman

Maria Feldman is co-creator and producer of the series False Flag, which screened at the Berlinale and won at SERIES MANIA 2015. This critically-acclaimed show was acquired by Canal+ and Hulu. Maria is also the producer of the series Absentia, produced by Amazon Prime Original and Sony Pictures Television. She also produced the new series Fertile Crescent, which won the Coproduction Forum Prize at SERIES MANIA 2017.

Clovis Cornillac

Clovis Cornillac is a stage, film, and TV actor who appeared on the small screen for the first time in the series Un Village sur la colline in 1982. From 2001 to 2004, he played “Viking”, one of the starring roles in Central Nuit alongside Michel Creton. In 2015, he played the lead role in the series Chefs for France 2. He also directed the last four episodes of the second season.

Pierre Lemaitre

Pierre Lemaitre writes both novels and screenplays. After several thrillers, he wrote the novel “The Great Swindle”, which won the Goncourt prize in 2013. It was adapted into the movie See You Up There starring Albert Dupontel in 2018, which won the César award for Best Film Adaptation. He is currently working on the adaptation of his dark novel “Three Days and a Life” for the cinema, and Cadres Noirs, a six-episode series that will screen on ARTE.

Carlton Cuse

Carlton Cuse is a series creator, screenwriter, producer, and director, and one of the most widely-recognized showrunners of today. He earned his reputation mainly as the screenwriter and producer of the internationally- acclaimed series Lost. He also worked as screenwriter on Bates Motel, The Strain, and Colony. Carlton Cuse has won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, and a Writers’ Guild Award amongst other distinctions. Recently, he has been busy with the upcoming series for Amazon Prime Video, Jack Ryan, and he will be presenting some exclusive footage of this new creation in Lille.

An audience with Carlton Cuse on 30 April

Patrick Duffy

Patrick Duffy has been delighting audiences for 34 years. He made his name in the role of Bobby Ewing in Dallas and was part of the cast for the first 14 seasons of the international hit series. He returned to the role between 2012 and 2014, when the show was revived. He also had leading small-screen roles in the sci-fi series The Man from Atlantis and the sitcom Step by Step. Patrick Duffy will be at SERIES MANIA to share his experience with his fans.

An audience with Patrick Duffy on 2 May

Sofia Helin

Sofia Helin is considered one of the most talented actors of her generation and has worked on both stage and screen. She established an international reputation with her role as Inspector Saga Norén in the Danish-Swedish coproduction Bron, (The Bridge), the fourth and final season of which broadcast in January 2018. Last year, Sofia Helin starred in Tomas Alfredson’s movie The Snowman, alongside Michael Fassbender.

An audience with Sofia Helin on 1 May

Jeremy Podeswa

Jeremy Podeswa is an award-winning director of movies and TV, who has earned three Emmy Nominations for Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, and Band of Brothers. He has directed many series and mini-series, including True Detective, True Blood, Homeland, Borgia, and Dexter. More recently, he directed the first and last episodes of season 7 of Game of Thrones, three episodes of Here and Now by Alan Ball, and two episodes of season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale.

An audience with Jeremy Podeswa on 28 April

Charlie Covell

Charlie Covell is a British screenwriter and actress. She created and wrote the critically-acclaimed series The End of the F****** World for Channel 4 and Netflix, which won the RTS Award for Best Drama Series. Before that, she wrote an episode of the series Gap Year by Tom Basden and two episodes of Banana by Russel T. Davis. Burn, Burn, Burn, her first feature as a screenwriter, screened at the London Film Festival in 2016. Charlie Covell is currently adapting the comedy series Tools with Iain Weatherby, with whom she wrote an episode from season 2 of Humans.

An audience with Charlie Covell on 3 May

Series Mania 2018 Official Competition

Ad Vitam (Thomas Cailley, France)

American Woman (Alex Hardcastle, U.S.A.)

An Ordinary Woman (Valeriy Fedorovich, Evgeniy Nikishov, Russia)

Autonomies (Yehonatan Indursky, Ori Elon, Israel)

Il Miracolo (Niccolò Ammaniti, Italy)

Mystery Road (Rachel Perkins, Australia)

On the Spectrum (Dana Idisis, Yuval Shafferman, Israel)

The Rain (Jannik Tai Mosholt, Christian Potalivo, Esben Toft Jacobsen, Denmark)

The Split (Abi Morgan, U.K.)

Warrior (Christoffer Boe, Denmark)

French Competition

Aux Animaux la guerre (Alain Tasma)

Insoupçonnable (Fred Garson, Christophe Lamotte)

Kepler(s) (Jean-Yves Arnaud, Yoann Legave)

Maman a tort (François Velle)

Nu (Oliver Fox)

Thanksgiving (Nicolas Saada )

Vingt-cinq (Bryan Marciano)

International Panorama

Arthur’s Law (Christian Zübert, Germany)

Come Home (Danny Brocklehurst, U.K.)

Fenix (Shariff Korver, Marco van Geffen, Netherlands)

Greyzone (Oskar Soderlund, Morten Dragsted, Rasmus Thorsen, Denmark)

Harem (Anat Barzilai, Hadar Galron, Gadi Taub, Israel)

Hubert and Fanny (Richard Blaimert, Canada)

Killing the Father (Mar Coll, Spain)

Kiri (Jack Thorne, U.K.)

Kiss Me First (Bryan Elsley, U.K.)

Liberty (Denmark, Asger Leth)

McMafia (Hossein Amini, James Watkins, U.K.)

Romper Stomper (Geoffrey Wright, Dan Edwards, John Edwards, Australia)

The City and the City (Tom Shankland, U.K.)

The Counted (Inna Orkina, Russia)

The Day (Jonas Geirnaert, Julie Mahieu, Belgium)

The Disappearance (Normand Daneau, Geneviève Simard, Canada)

The Oil Fund (Harald Zwart, Tom Guldbrandsen, Norway)

Un Gallo para Esculapio (Bruno Stagnaro, Argentina)

Yocho (Invasion) (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan)

Best of the U.S.

9-1-1 (Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Tim Minear)

Barry (Alec Berg, Bill Hader)

Counterpart (Justin Marks)

Here and Now (Alan Ball)

The Chi (Lena Waithe)

The Good Doctor (David Shore)

The Looming Tower (Dan Futterman, Alex Gibney)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amy Sherman-Palladino)

Additional portions of Series Mania will include:

New Season Premieres

Comedy Marathon

Competition Shorts

Panorama Shorts

Fan Club

Public Conferences and Round-Table Debates

Screenings Across the Region

Educational Activities

European Projects and Talent Forum