A press conference held at MIPCOM on Monday was the opportunity to get the latest updates on Canneseries, and meet its new team-members, notably Artistic Director Albin Lewi (left), who spoke with the festival’s President, Fleur Pellerin, and MD, Benoit Louvet (right).
Pellerin began with a reminder of how the event came about. “There is no international event for TV series comparable with the Cannes Film Festival. TV series today demonstrate radical innovation in terms of narration, and that interests more and more stars, who have more freedom to explore their stories. Series should be considered as an art form in their own right. Canneseries can become the event I dreamed of as a minister,” said Pellerin, adding that its taking place with MIPTV would greatly benefit each event.
Canneseries will also encourage training around, and production of, TV series in France. To this end, Louvet announced the launch of Canneseries Institute, a TV series writing residency, settled by Canal+/Vivendi and l’Université Côté d’Azur which will welcome 8 French and international writers who will have 4-5 weeks to create a series treatment and pilot just in time for Canneseries.
“We’re working hand in hand with MIPTV to organise what we hope will be the biggest week in TV in the world,” added Louvet. So how will the two events work together? Here’s an overview:
And in particular, MIPTV and Canneseries will co-organise In Development (April 10-11), a creative forum for drama, whose call for entries opens November 6, said Lewi.
Canneseries Addict, meanwhile, will allow the people of Cannes to revel in series culture through screenings of classic shows, and much more besides, said Lewi.
Not forgetting Canneseries Digital, a day dedicated to shortform series, on April 11.
The main attraction, however, is the Competition (7-11 April).
This official selection of 10 series, which must be universally accessible, with international export potential, and with a first series already broadcasted in its country of origin (except the US, the UK or France), will be opened to a call for entries from mid-November, explained Lewi.
Three further Out of Competition series will be screened, and these may be beyond a show’s first series. All 13 series will have a stair-climbing ceremony — à la Cannes Film Festival — and press conference. And these screenings will take place outside business hours, so MIPTV delegates can attend, insisted Louvet.
MIPTV’s MIP Drama Screenings will also be maintained, affirmed Reed MIDEM’s Laurine Garaude, but with a specic focus on buyers, and work-in-progress content.
Finally, Canneseries revealed its official patron: Sidse Babett Knudsen, the star of Danish political thriller Borgen. We couldn’t think of a better representative! She is pictured below (left) with Fleur Pellerin and Reed MIDEM’s Paul Zilk, on the MIPCOM 2017 red carpet.
