Series Mania & Beta Group link on $110,000 film-to-TV funding scheme

SeriesMania

French drama event Series Mania Forum has linked up with Germany’s Beta Group on a new €100,000 ($110,000) creative initiative focused on film directors moving into TV series.

The Seriesmakers scheme is designed to support talents working on a new scripted series and will offer two of 10 selected projects a €50,000 grant each.

Teams of director-producer and/or director-writer will be eligible for the initiative: they must have a first or second feature film screened in an official selection of A-list film festivals and want to create a new series project.

The scheme will allow 10 selected teams with an idea for a TV series to participate in a tailor-made training programme focused on the development of a full pitch deck. It will be led by existing directors, showrunners, writers and producers, who will guide series creators as they develop a series bible.

Jury-led decision

A ‘special jury’ will then award two projects at next year’s Series Mania with the Beta development grant of €50,000 each, allowing them to further develop a pilot script and a full package.

Script consulting and packaging will also be available via the German firm, while the two winning teams will also be invited to Series Mania’s Forum to present their projects to the industry. Full details will be available from early summer.

Laurence Herszberg, general director of Series Mania, said: “Television series have become a desirable destination for feature filmmakers thanks to the dramatic evolvement of the industry which has witnessed an increase in the creative and production quality of programmes in recent years.

“We want to help filmmakers as they embark on this journey into a new realm of creative opportunities, and we are thrilled to be partnering with Beta who have always supported high-quality storytelling.”

Koby Gal Raday, chief content officer at Beta Group, added that the initiative “will enable unique filmmakers to focus on the development of their new series in a supportive and encouraging environment.”

Series Mania’s 2022 edition opened its doors on Friday in Lille, France. Industry-focused Series Mania Forum begins tomorrow.