New alliances, partnerships, and networking were at the heart of the Series Mania Forum at the Lille Grand Palais this year where we welcomed 5,200 professionals, from 75 countries with a record 97 exhibitors. Of significance this year was the historic signing of the Council of Europe Convention on the co-production of audiovisual works in the form of series where nine countries - France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Poland and Portugal - signed this first international legal framework dedicated to the independent co-production of television and streaming series. This edition once again confirmed the Series Mania Forum as the one stop shop for content creation to international distribution.
“We are delighted that the awards list confirms the trends we observed: the strong presence of the United Kingdom and the quality of Polish series, both awarded three times, as well as the notable presence of Quebec. We are also particularly pleased that such a unique series as The Flaws has earned its place among the winners. Finally, we commend the presence of two fully female teams in their creation, production, and direction, My Brother and Dustfall. We warmly thank all of our partners, without whom this event could not take place, including the Hauts-de-France Region, the CNC, the MEL, the City of Lille, and Crédit Mutuel Nord Europe,” stated Laurence Herszberg, Founder and Managing Director of Series Mania.
The next edition in Lille is scheduled for March 19 to 26, 2027, for the Festival, with the Forum taking place from March 23 to 25.
2026 Series Mania Awards
AUDIENCE AWARD
- "DUSTFALL" (Australia) — ABC TV, BBC, ZDF
- Grand Prize: "PROUD" (Poland) — HBO Max
- Best Screenplay: Dennis Kelly, for "WAITING FOR THE OUT" (UK) — BBC
- Best Actress: Amanda Jansson, in "MY BROTHER" (Sweden) — SVT / DR / NRK / YLE / RÚV
- Best Actor: Ignacy Liss, in "PROUD" (Poland) — HBO Max
- Best Series: "ALL SHAPE OF US" (GRANDIOSE) — TF1
- Best Actress: Manon Kneusé, in "CAMARADES" — ARTE
- Best Actor: Karim Leklou, in "ELDORADO" — ARTE / RTBF
- Best Original Score: Amine Bouhafa, for "PRIVILÈGES" — HBO Max
- Best Series: "SMALL PROPHETS" (UK) — BBC
- Best Director: Arne Feldhussen, for "THE FLAWS" (Germany) — ZDF
- Best Actress: Lauren Patel, in "SMALL PROPHETS" (UK) — BBC
- Best Actor: Maxime Le Flaguais, in "WELCOME TO KINGSTON-FALLS" (Canada) — ICI Radio-Canada
- Student Jury Prize: "VARIOLA VERA" (Poland) — TVP
SHORT FORMS COMPETITION
- Best Series: "AYER’S CLIFF" (Canada) — ICI Tou.tv Extra
- Mention: "HIRAYASUMI" (Japan) — NHK
- Student Jury Prize: "LA DERNIÈRE HEURE" (France) — ARTE
- Mention: "HOMEBODIES" (Australia) — SBS
