SeriesLab will feature a total of 9 original and market-oriented TV series projects at an early stage of development presented by 18 writer, directors and producers and 3 aspiring story editor trainees.
The 21 participants - 14 female and 7 male audiovisual professionals chosen among 143 applications in total - come from 13 different countries: Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Egypt, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States.
For the second year in a row, SeriesLab is led by the Head of Studies Eszter Angyalosy, flanked by the tutors Filip Kasperaszek (Poland), Kirsten Ittershagen (Germany), Cyril Tysz (France) and Anne Feinsilber (France) who will work with the story editor trainees. In this six-month path that foresees a first workshop in early June in Leuven (Belgium), a second residential workshop is set for September in Madrid (Spain) with additional online sessions in between. SeriesLab course will culminate at the TFL Meeting Event, TorinoFilmLab's co-production market scheduled to take place on 21st-23rd of November.
Before delving into the new SeriesLab edition, TFL wishes to unveil the recipient of the first-ever SeriesLab Development Award (10,000 euros) with whom the 2023 season concludes.
The international jury, comprised of Paolo Ciccarelli (Head of Drama, MIA - International Audiovisual Market and International Scripted Advisor for Film & TV), Pernille Bech Christensen (Senior Executive Producer, TV2 Denmark), and Andrea Hoffmann (Co-Pro Series Coordinator, Berlinale Co-Production Market/Berlinale Series Market), has selected THE PROMOTER, directed by Elisa Mishto (Italy, based in Germany) and produced by Hana Geißendörfer (Germany/United Kingdom). Their decision was motivated as follow: We unanimously experienced a strong voice grounded on the authentic story of its creator, the project offers a unique female perspective on a traditionally male dominated arena with a multilayered storyline, the political dilemma behind the story feels urgent and relevant today, not only in its country of origin but across Europe.
Which are the participants of 2024?
The selection is also available in Variety's dedicated article.
ACCIDENTAL VILLAINS
Country: Egypt, USA
Genre: Comedy/Action/Thriller
Logline: Navigating the cultural and racial minefield of post-Trump America, two Egyptian asylum seekers forge an unlikely friendship that reshapes their American dream in NYC.
Ahmed Ibrahim: Creator/Writer/Director (Egypt-USA) he/him
DEAR INSECTS AND OTHER CREEPY STORIES
Country: Croatia
Genre: Dark humour anthology
Logline: The story takes place in a worn-down suburban socialist concrete building. A heat wave of 40+ degrees. Eight apartments, eight different stories. Eight nightmares. All connected by Miro the janitor, who is all about keeping order in this shabby building where the lights are not working or doors are not closing. One day, a cockroach enters the building, and Miro is determined to hunt it down.
Karla Lulic: Screenwriter/Director/Producer (Croatia) she/her
Jelena Madaric: Producer (Croatia) she/her
Production company: Dobar film
ENSEMBLE
Country: The Netherlands
Genre: Comedy
Logline: All the world’s a stage for an ensemble of six friends in their twenties figuring out love, success, relationships …. LIFE.
Emma-Rose Thompson: Writer/Creator (The Netherlands) she/her
Hanneke Bosman: Creative producer (The Netherlands) she/her
FREELOADERS SCHOOL
Country: Spain
Genre: Comedy
Logline: In the bubble we all live in, class struggle and opulent decadence, an unexpected accident leads to an interrogation that unveils a chain of events, bringing to light the secrets of a network of suspects, the freeloaders. A peculiar group, with different members, but the same objective: to search for a sense of belonging to something. As power and deceit are revealed, alliances are tested, turning the entire story on its head.
Horacio Gómez Alcalá: Scriptwriter/Creator/Director (Spain-Mexico) he/him
Blanca Tormo Megias: Editor/Executive producer (Spain) she/her
Production company: The Aurora Project Entertainment
GOODNIGHT GIRL
Country: Ireland
Genre: Drama/Dramedy
Logline: When a young transgender woman dies suddenly, her prejudiced family plans to bury her under her dead name. That is, until her gang of estranged queer friends steal her remains - inadvertently unleashing chaos on an austere Irish town.
Hiram Harrington: Writer/Co-creator (Ireland) he/him
Janna Kemperman: Director/Co-creator (Ireland-The Netherlands) she/her
Mary - Margaret Ryan: Producer (Ireland) she/her
Production company: Escape Pod Media
METAMORPHOSES
Country: Belgium
Genre: Fantasy
Logline: Daphné, an inquisitive 14-year-old, lives alone with her mother who is losing her vocabulary due to a past trauma. When she discovers a crime scene near their home, astonishingly, the victim's dismembered tongue speaks to her, begging for revenge. Daphné agrees on one condition: the tongue must restore her mother's voice. A dangerous journey to uncover the truth starts, against time, as the tongue's life fades, and Daphné’s mother nears her last words.
Hasse Steenssens: Screenwriter (Belgium-Australia) she/her
Michael De Cock: Screenwriter (Belgium) he/him
Helena Vlogaert: Producer (Belgium) she/her
Production company: Caviar
THE HEIR
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Historical supernational drama
Logline: After a harrowing family tragedy, a soon-to-be doctor abandons her medical career and harnesses her mind control powers to fight injustice and seek vengeance.
Abiola Ogunbiyi: Creator/Writer (United Kingdom) she/her
THE MAKING OF A TERRORIST
Country: Sweden
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Logline: When the former powerline builder Micke is scammed by his new employer, he loses his whole life as he knows it. To ensure the future for his daughter, he needs to drastically change his course of action or - enforce change upon society.
Leif Edlund Johansson: Creator/Screenwriter (Sweden) he/him
Emelia Hansson: Screenwriter (Sweden) she/her
THE MORTAL COIL
Country: Finland
Genre: Dark comedy
Logline: A very enthusiastic death doula starts her career path in the hospice in Turku, a dream city for introverted people, and puts her head into the bears’ nest. Right from the onset she falls in love with one of her dying clients. While she tries to convince others of the inevitability of death, she’s utterly unable to do it herself.
Anastasia Pashkevich: Creator/Writer (Finland) she/her
Eeva Putro: Creator/Writer (Finland) she/her
Production company: Silva Mysterium
3 STORY EDITOR TRAINEES
One professional assigned to each group to work side by side with the tutor and get an insight into the development process of a TV series, focusing on the early scriptwriting stage.
György Baráthy (Hungary) he/him
György is a Berlin-based Hungarian writer, a Sundance and Serial Eyes Alumnus. Since 2011 he’s worked for HBO Europe (three seasons of the Hungarian adaptation of In Treatment and one season of When Shall We Kiss, and has developed an original TV dramedy for HBO: Veneer). His short film Youniverse premiered on HBO MAX in 2020. In theatre, he’s been a dramaturg, playwright, and translator. Currently, he’s developing a quirky dramedy Over the Rainbow; a thriller about a mysterious cult in the 80s Hamburg Salvation, and a queer drama show called Home (Sundance Episodic Intense Lab, SerienCamp Writer’s Vision Pitch, Serial Eyes). With his latest project Hotel Love, he’s participating in Midpoint Series Launch 2024.
Jacob Dijker (The Netherlands) he/him
Having served as a director and writer, Jacob receives the most satisfaction in helping other creatives reach their full potential. Trained as a script editor by the leading Dutch Screenplay expert Ernie Tee, he has worked with Dutch writers and directors on the development of TV films and shorts. As a script editor, he prioritizes both the personal growth of a writer as the refinement of the screenplay.
Tonyia Dowling (Ireland) she/her
As tenacious self-starter Tonyia forged a successful 25-year career as a Producer/Director and Commissioning Executive in current affairs, documentaries, entertainment and formats. As the first Head of Format Development with Ireland’s Public Service Broadcaster RTÉ, she played a key role in establishing Ireland as a creative hot-spot for unscripted format innovation. With an MA in Film and a core passion for TV drama she moved into scripted content creation. After writing and directing her first short film Spanx & Eve, she directed Ireland’s longest running weekly soap Fair City. Tonyia is a creative leader with strong commercial instincts who continues to develop her storytelling and content creation skills for every medium. Currently she co-produces and co-hosts the award-winning sustainable living podcast EcoMomics available on Spotify.
SeriesLab is organised by TorinoFilmLab - National Museum of Cinema with the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA Sub-programme of the European Union. SeriesLab 2024 is realised in partnership with VAF - Flanders Audiovisual Fund, hosting the 1st workshop in Belgium; and with Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid and Madrid Film Office, thanks to which the 2nd residential workshop will take place in Madrid, Spain.