Berlinale Series Market 2022: Film- und Medienstiftung NRW main partner for the eighth year running

• Kick-off event about the importance of local providers in the European streaming market
• "Up Next: Germany", including new series by Gebrüder Beetz and Zeitsprung Pictures
• Virtual conference programme, showcases and screenings from 14 to 15 February
• EFM’s series platform also to be held digitally in 2022
• Participation at: www.efm-berlinale.de

Current trends and developments in the world of series will again be the focus of this year’s Berlinale Series Market which will take place from 14 to 15 February as part of the European Film Market (EFM). The business platform is being held in a  digital format for the second year in a row. The programme includes keynotes and talks with leading industry figures as well as numerous showcases and screenings. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW is the official main partner for the eighth year running.

"Following the triumphant arrival of the global streamers onto the scene, European players and mediatheques are now focusing on providing the basis for new competition and new programming needs. What this development means for the series market and for producers, in particular, is one of the central discussions," says Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. "It is impossible to imagine the Berlinale and EFM without series. We are delighted to be the main partner for the eighth year running and are looking forward to new series and new perspectives."

How Local Markets Muscle Up. The importance of local providers in the European streaming market
The opening by EFM Director Dennis Ruh will be followed by Guy Bisson (Ampere Analytics) giving an overview of the current market situation. Sabine Anger (Paramount+), Hauke Bartel (RTL Deutschland), Lars Blomgren (Banijay), Georgia Brown (Amazon Studios Europe), Arne Helsingen (NRK), Jens Richter (Fremantle) and Christina Sulebakk (HBO) will then discuss developments in European series markets and their companies' strategies in a panel entitled "Mission Europe. How Local Markets Muscle Up".

"Up Next: Germany"
"Up Next: Germany" will showcase upcoming German projects such as the action thriller series "Kleo", produced by Cologne-based Zeitsprung Pictures for Netflix with Jella Haase as a former top East German spy, and the high-end docu-series "Reeperbahn Special Unit 65" (Gebrüder Beetz/NDR/WDR/SWR/rbb/Studio Hamburg Enterprises), the comedy series "Greenlight – German Genius" (W&B Television/Warner TV Comedy/CAB Film/Macadamia & Mothermilk/BBC Studios Germany/Studio Babelsberg) as well as the German-Israeli thriller drama series "Munich Match" (Amusement Park Films/Sky/CBS Studios).

Berlinale Series, Market Screenings and Series Market Selects
The talk by filmmakers Lone Scherfig and Daniel Burman forges a link with  Berlinale Series, the official series programme of the 72nd Berlinale since Scherfig ("The Shift") and Burman ("Iosi, el espía arrepentido") will both be showing their latest works screened in this section. International series are presented to potential buyers in the Market Screenings. The Berlinale Series Market Selects programme will be entering its second year with selected series highlights from the market. In total, 17 series from across Europe as well as Brazil, Israel and South Africa will be presented, with four of them being shown in a "Short Form Block". The titles from Germany are the dramedy "Oh Hell" (Good Friends/Magenta TV/Warner TV Comedy) as well as the historical crime series "ZERV" (Gabriela Sperl Produktion, W&B Television/Wilma Film/ARD).

About the Berlinale Series Market
The Berlinale Series Market is a joint initiative of the European Film Market (EFM), the Berlinale Co-Production Market and Berlinale Talents. It is organised in close cooperation with Berlinale Series. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW launched the Berlinale Series Market (formerly known as "Drama Series Days") in 2015 together with the EFM as a platform for series. The European Film Market is one of the world’s most important markets for the international trade in film rights and audiovisual content.

You can find the current programme here:
https://www.efm-berlinale.de

For more information: Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Katharina Müller , 0211-93050-39,