Seriesly Berlin 2026 Adds Stories at Risk, Creator
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- Seriesly Berlin will hold its third edition September 14-17, 2026, returning to Fotografiska in Berlin's Mitte district and adding CineStar Kino in der KulturBrauerei as a second screening venue.
- The conference will launch the 'Stories at Risk: Cultural Diversity, Democracy and Debate on Screen' initiative, co-funded by the Council of Europe, bringing together writers, producers, broadcasters, and festival and market reps from across Europe to examine creative freedom in scripted programming.
- Series Mania Forum is among roughly ten European industry organizations backing the initiative, alongside the European Writers Club, Iberseries & Platino Industria, Göteborg Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival's CineLink, Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, Produktionsallianz, the European Writers Desk, and Creative Europe MEDIA Desks Germany — which will produce a survey, industry discussions, a public presentation, and a report.
- A new tie-up with the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will explore drama co-productions between Western European and Central and Eastern European producers.
- 'Seriesly Creators', a new conference track on September 16, will focus on creator IP and emerging models for series.
- Festival Director Dennis Ruh framed the expansion as a direct response to a 'moment of disruption and opportunity,' with traditional industry structures 'redefined in real time.'
Why it matters: With Council of Europe co-funding and support from roughly ten major European industry bodies, Seriesly Berlin materially expands its 2026 scope — adding both a structured creative-freedom research output (survey plus report) and a dedicated creator-economy track that didn't exist in prior editions, while the Karlovy Vary tie-up gives Western and Central/Eastern European producers a concrete new co-production pathway.
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