– The third edition of the festival introduces new platforms for debate, co-production and creator-driven storytelling; accreditation and project submissions are now open
Last year’s edition of Seriesly Berlin
Seriesly Berlin is gearing up for its third edition, set to unfold from 14-17 September, further consolidating its position as a meeting point for professionals and audiences interested in the future of serial storytelling. The event will once again combine the Seriesly Berlin Conference and Seriesly Berlin Premieres, while the Seriesly Berlin Pitches will provide a platform for projects at different stages of development to connect with potential partners. The conference and a large part of the screening programme will take place at Fotografiska Berlin, while CineStar Kino in der KulturBrauerei joins the event as a new screening venue.
This year, the festival broadens its industry focus with the launch of three major initiatives addressing some of the most pressing questions facing the audiovisual sector today: creative freedom, European collaboration and the rapidly evolving creator economy.
Festival director Dennis Ruh underlines the motivation behind the expansion: “Seriesly Berlin was created as a place where conversations can happen that are often missing elsewhere in the industry. At a time when the audiovisual sector is undergoing profound transformation – driven by rapid technological change, shifting political and economic conditions, and increasingly fragmented international collaboration – it is more important than ever to create spaces for exchange, alignment and new ideas. Traditional structures and formats are being redefined in real time, and we see a clear need to actively respond to these developments, rather than follow them. This year’s programme, including the launch of new initiatives, is a direct response to this moment of disruption and opportunity.”
One of the centrepieces of the 2026 programme is Stories at Risk: Cultural Diversity, Democracy and Debate on Screen, a European think tank developed by Seriesly Berlin, and co-funded by the Council of Europe’s Pilot Programme for Series Co-Productions and its Culture on Screen initiative. Bringing together writers, producers, broadcasters, festivals and market representatives from across Europe, the project seeks to examine how audiovisual storytelling contributes to democratic discourse and cultural diversity at a moment when political polarisation, economic pressures and changing platform dynamics increasingly shape which stories reach audiences.
The initiative will unfold through a survey, a series of curated discussions and industry exchanges before culminating in a public presentation and a report intended to contribute to broader European conversations about the future of audiovisual storytelling. Among the organisations supporting the project are the European Writers Club, Series Mania Forum, Iberseries & Platino Industria, the Göteborg Film Festival, the Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink, Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, Produktionsallianz, the European Writers Desk and the Creative Europe MEDIA Desks Germany.
International co-production will also take centre stage through Beyond the East-West Co-Production Myth, a new collaboration with the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The initiative aims to challenge long-standing perceptions of Central and Eastern Europe as primarily a production-services region and instead highlight the creative, financial and strategic opportunities emerging from the region’s increasingly interconnected production ecosystems.
The discussion will begin during the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in July with the session “Understanding CEE’s Hidden Production Ecosystems” before continuing in Berlin, where industry professionals will explore new approaches to partnerships between Western European and Central and Eastern European producers.
Reflecting the growing influence of creator-led content and platform-native formats, Seriesly Berlin will also introduce Seriesly Creators, a dedicated conference track exploring the intersection of creators, platforms and serial storytelling. Taking place on 16 September, the programme will bring together creators, production companies, brands, platforms and technology providers to discuss audience building, intellectual-property development, vertical storytelling and emerging entertainment models. Rather than positioning itself as a traditional creator conference, the initiative aims to examine how digital communities and creator ecosystems are reshaping the future of serial content.
Meanwhile, Seriesly Berlin Pitches returns as the festival’s project showcase, with submissions remaining open until 30 June. As in previous editions, the platform will offer creators and producers the opportunity to present projects to an international audience of industry professionals seeking new financing, co-production and distribution opportunities. Further details regarding the conference programme, selected projects and participating partners are expected to be announced in the coming months.
