Berlinale Series Market: the Cutting-Edge of Contemporary TV

variety.com:

Marta Balaga Berlinale Series, established in 2015, keeps offering new shows proper cinema treatment. But it’s not just about that “dark room and the level of concentration you hardly get when you sit on a sofa,” explains head of the event Julia Fidel, noting a surge in stories with a “reasonable” budget.  “We want to screen very different episodic narrative styles from any country in the world.

There is this expectation of showcasing ‘blockbuster’ series, which we also include, but the real benefit of [having] a series section at a major festival are the discoveries.”  Such as Market Selects’ Israeli offering “Traitor.” “If the story is outstanding and the characters relatable, the language doesn’t matter,” state showrunners Ron Leshem and Amit Cohen.  “Good shows have to be meaningful,” states Cristina Iliescu, creator- director of Co-Pro Series title “Export Only,” the first foray into series by “Bad Luck Banging” producer Ada Solomon.   “I am trying to become a pioneer in the series coming from our part of the world,” she says, excited to explore bonds between parents, pushed to go work abroad, and their abandoned children.   “Family plays a huge role in many of this year’s projects,” says Martina Bleis, Head of Berlinale Co-Production Market.

But shows set in the future, or alternative worlds, also emerge as a significant new trend.  “We need to talk about the future in order to make the right decisions in the present,” says Kerren Lumer-Klabbers behind “The Architect.”  Fears about ongoing climate change are also tackled, with Berlinale Series opener “The Swarm” showing what happens when nature actually strikes back.   “We were very aware of the increasingly terrifying climate crises.