Around 5,000 enthusiastic viewers in almost 30 screenings, a red carpet filled with celebrities over four days, 800 representatives of the national and international TV and series industry and happy faces everywhere: after moving to the Rhine metropolis last year, the SERIENCAMP Festival has finally arrived in the hearts of Cologne residents and in the diaries of the most important decision-makers with its tenth edition. In addition to world premieres of future TV hits such as I AM SCROOGE (RTL+) and KLEO - SEASON 2 (Netflix), there were also numerous awards to celebrate. The Official Competition Award went to the British LGBTQIA+ dramedy LOST BOYS & FAIRIES, which impressed the jury and whose creator Daf James was able to accept the award in person. The audience opted for the humorous drama 30 DAYS OF LUST (SWR).
Photo credit: Jo Hannes Klingelhöfer
A COMPLETE SUCCESS
When the series festival was opened on Wednesday evening by Media Minister Nathanael Liminski in front of numerous prominent guests and international industry representatives full of anticipation, the organizers around Festival Director Simone Schellmann, Managing Director Malko Solf and Programme Director Gerhard Maier were already able to announce a first milestone: With 800 accredited guests, the SERIENCAMP CONFERENCE, which has long since become a must-attend event in the international TV industry, was sold out. A number of the 30 or so screenings that invited the Cologne audience to binge-watch together between June 6 and 8 were also fully booked. No wonder: world premieres such as the Netflix success series KLEO - SEASON 2 or the RTL+ production I AM SCROOGE were presented by their prominent stars such as Friedrich Mücke, Sonja Gerhardt, Dimitrij Schaad and Alli Neumann, while ZDFneo brought a whole busload of stars to Cinenova in Cologne Ehrenfeld for the world premiere of several comedy formats.
The Cologne audience repaid this level of commitment with great sympathy for the festival, its creators and the series. For the first time, around 5,000 spectators found their way to the comparatively new Cologne cultural event and awarded the AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD, decided by public voting, to 30 DAYS OF LUST.
Photo credit: Jo Hannes Klingehöfer
The AWARDS
In addition to the big jury favorite LOST BOYS & FAIRIES, numerous other prizes were awarded during the four-day festival and conference. The DIGITAL SHORT FORM AWARD, also presented by a jury, went to the French animation gem SAMUEL (ARTE). The CRITICS' CHOICE AWARD was given to the spanish show DÉJATE VER (SHOW YOURSELF). As part of the Series Camp Conference, however, the potential series hits of tomorrow were awarded prizes. With the PILOT PEEK and the PRETTY ORIGINAL AWARD, the series project PREFERABLY YESTERDAY by Béla Can Leon and Malte Arnemann took home two prizes. The German production RAJU won the CO-PRODUCTION PITCH, which is important for attracting production partners, while the WRITERS' VISION PITCH went to the new adult romance FIND ME. The GERMAN TV DISRUPTOR AWARD, presented for the first time by international media magazine Deadline, went to series creator Annette Hess, whose creations WEISSENSEE, KU'DAMM and DEUTSCHES HAUS have had a lasting impact on the recent German TV landscape.
POSITIVE RESONANCE FOR CONFERENCE AND FESTIVAL
"The second album is always the most difficult in music too. Even though we were able to celebrate our 10th birthday this year, we are particularly pleased that we were able to consolidate our standing in the city, with the industry and with our main sponsors from the Film und Medienstiftung NRW and the NRW State Chancellery with only the second SERIENCAMP edition in Cologne," says festival director Simone Schellmann. And Program Director Gerhard Maier adds: "With our CONFERENCE program, we have also succeeded in sending out lasting impulses to the international creative and series industry. The positive feedback from accredited participants from all over the world is perhaps the best feedback for the hard work that the entire SERIENCAMP team has put in over many months."
Photo credit: Jo Hannes Klingelhöfer
A LOOK TO THE FUTURE
So the confirmation of the eleventh season for next year should only be a formality. At least if Media Minister Nathanael Liminski and the Managing Director of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW Walid Nakschbandi have their way, who are already looking forward to another good collaboration at the opening of the tenth edition. As presenter Dominik Porschen said so beautifully: "For us Cologne residents, the number 11 has a very special meaning". For the SERIENCAMP in the near future too...