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The second edition of the Italian Global Series Festival came to a close on Saturday, July 11, with the Maximo Awards ceremony held at the historic Teatro Galli in Rimini, concluding nine days of screenings, premieres, conversations and industry events celebrating the best of international television. Among the evening's special recognitions, British writer, actor and Half Man star Richard Gadd received the Breakthrough Storyteller Award, while American actress, producer and author Natasha Lyonne was presented with the Maximo Excellence Award, following their sold-out conversations with festival audiences earlier in the week.

In the Drama Competition, Sweden's Burden of Justice emerged as the leading winner, taking home Best Drama Series and Best Drama Director for Lisa Linnertorp. Italy also celebrated success with Elena Sofia Ricci, who won Best Drama Actress for I casi di Teresa Battaglia – Figlia della cenere, while Rafe Spall received the Best Drama Actor award for the British series Secret Service.
The Comedy Competition saw the UK series Riot Women collect two Maximo Awards, with Sally Wainwright winning Best Comedy Creator/Director and Joanna Scanlan receiving Best Comedy Actress. Germany's The Flaws was named Best Comedy Series, while the Irish-British production Leonard and Hungry Paul earned Best Comedy Actor for Alex Lawther and the Special Jury Prize.
In the Limited Series Competition, France's Laura's Treatment won both Best Limited Series and Best Limited Series Actress for Valérie Bonneton. Chile's Raza Brava also claimed two awards, with Hernán Caffiero named Best Limited Series Creator/Director and Gabriel Muñoz taking Best Limited Series Actor.
The Italian Fiction Competition was dominated by Marco Bellocchio's Portobello, which completed a clean sweep with Best Miniseries, Best Director of a Miniseries and Best Screenplay for a Miniseries. Meanwhile, La legge di Lidia Poët – Season 3 received the Maximo Gruppo FS Award for Best Series, with the jury describing it as “....a work that has successfully combined audience appeal, narrative quality, and cultural significance, distinguishing itself as one of the most internationally acclaimed Italian productions.”

Artistic Director Marco Spagnoli declared of this year's Italian Global Series: “The packed theaters, filled with so many young people; the Italian and international press coverage; and the social media buzz are the best and most significant testament to the appreciation for our work, this year. The results confirm the Festival’s cultural leadership and further propel its mission towards ever new challenges, new audiences, and new stories. The second edition of the Italian Global Series thus concludes, marked by extraordinary collaborations and a renewed, central role in the Italian and international audiovisual landscape.”

According to Chiara Sbarigia, president of APA, “The Italian Global Series is the culmination of a cultural commitment that the Association of Audiovisual Producers - which I have the honor of presiding over - has been pursuing for over thirty years: to affirm the quality and popularity of Italian serial storytelling. This year’s response confirms this: nearly two hundred series submitted from 36 countries, a sign of ever-growing international interest. The Maximo Foundation, which promotes the Award, was established precisely to promote national audiovisual production in all its forms: not only series, but also entertainment, documentaries, and animation.”
“This second edition of the festival is a success!” concluded Lucia Borgonzoni, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Culture, “I was certain that the Romagna region was the best place to launch an event as essential to the industry as this one. The extraordinary turnout and the presence of numerous Italian and international talents attest to the growth of a festival that has now become a benchmark for television series. This year, we sought to enrich the Festival with the participation of about 100 students from nine universities, and with a section dedicated to families, to open this narrative to an ever-wider and more diverse audience. I thank everyone who worked to make this event unique.”