The Berlinale Series Market is the EFM’s boutique market for serial content from all over the world. Series with high market potential are presented under the flagship label Berlinale Series Market Selects. The program also includes a conference program and international showcases. From February 16 to 19, 2025, industry experts, creatives, buyers and distributors will meet again at CinemaxX at Potsdamer Platz and Gropius Bau. Once again, the Co-Pro Series Pitches, organized by the Berlinale Co-Production Market, will take place within the Berlinale Series Market program. As the ‘Country in Focus’ at the European Film Market 2025, Spain will also present four new series projects in development to interested co-producers, which will be pitched by their respective creators and producers.

“This year, the Berlinale Series Market focuses on the complex, multi-layered portrayal of women and emphasises stories that reflect the diversity of the human experience,” says Tanja Meissner, Director Berlinale Pro*.

Navigating change: Streamers, broadcasters, producers and different perspectives

As part of the Berlinale Series Market conference programme, Guy Bisson from Ampere Analysis will traditionally open with an in-depth presentation on the current state of the TV industry. This will be followed by a panel discussion on the constant reinvention of streamers and broadcasters in the rapidly changing media landscape. Both traditional TV broadcasters and streaming platforms need to find new ways to stay relevant and appeal to their audiences. For broadcasters, this means experimenting with new formats and hybrid models, while streaming providers are increasingly focusing on original content and global IPs to stand out in the market. The panel will be moderated by Variety, the media partner of the Berlinale Series Market.

When sensitive topics such as gender-based violence and trauma come to the screen, they prove to be a unique opportunity for a profound narrative. But they also pose major challenges for producers. How can one combine authenticity with ethical responsibility without instrumentalising the victim? How can stereotypes and the typical male gaze be avoided? In this session, creators and producers of series that deal with these issues in different ways will talk about the risks and opportunities of telling these psychologically challenging stories while striving for the commercial success of the series format.

The role of independent producers is becoming increasingly complex as small production companies are taken over by large distributors and streaming platforms. They face the challenge of balancing creativity with brand identity and market demands. Do these partnerships offer more creative freedom and access to resources, or is there a danger of a one-size-fits-all creative culture? In this talk, it will be discussed how producers and distributors can strike a balance between artistic freedom and commercial success.

The Showcase Up Next: Germany presents the most interesting series projects from Germany for the coming year. They include Parrallel Me (Paramount Television International for Paramount-, Gaumont GmbH, funded by Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg), about the magical journey of a young woman through different versions of her own life, Euphorie, based on the original format Euphoria by the Israeli cable channel HOT ((created by Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin and produced in the original version by Tedy Production Ltd. for HOT, format distribution ADD Content Ltd.), (Zeitsprung Pictures Cologne for RTL+, funded by Medienstiftung NRW)), All In, which follows a young Muslim woman pursuing her dream in the poker milieu of becoming an astronaut (Odeon Fiction for ZDF Neo funded by FFF Bayern) and the investigative documentary co-production The Nazi Cartel (Kundschafter Film in co-production with MobyDok for Sky Germany and Sky Studios), about the founding of the first narco-state in Bolivia in 1980 with the help of a famous Nazi.

Series in the public programme of the Berlinale

With Underage (Brazil) in the Generation section, Other People’s Money (Germany, Austria, Denmark) in the Panorama and The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Australia, USA) in the Berlinale Special, three series will be presented in the Berlinale’s official public programme.

Berlinale Series Market Selects: Crime, mystery, drama and biopics

The flagship label of the Berlinale Series Market Selects presents 17 titles ranging from biopics, crime thrillers and dark comedies to dramas, thrillers and crime thrillers. This year’s series come from Australia/USA, Brazil, Estonia/Ukraine, France, Greece, Iceland, Canada, Norway, Portugal/Poland, Spain, South Africa, South Korea and New Zealand.

The European Film Market is part of Berlinale Pro*, which unites the European Film Market, the Berlinale Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents and the World Cinema Fund. Berlinale Pro* is the festival’s full-circle industry infrastructure that serves the global film industry as incubator, enhancer and supporter in all stages of film development, production, sales and distribution.

Berlinale Series Market’s main partner is Film und Medienstiftung NRW, is funded by Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg. Media partner is Variety.