Lille’s Series Mania Moves Forward its 2019 Dates to March 22-30

By Emiliano De Pablos

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Lille’s Series Mania festival has moved forward the dates for its 2019 10th edition to March 22-30, with its industrial arm, the European Forum of Projects and Talents to take place March 25-27.

The decision of changing dates has been taken jointly by the Lille City Hall and the Hauts-de-France Region.

“In April 2019, Lille3000, a multi-cultural programming organization, will hold its major tri-annual event,” said founder Laurence Herszberg in a statement.

“Lille3000 will occupy most of the city’s theaters, venues, as well as most of the principal hotels. Series Mania, working in cooperation with the leading cultural players of the city and the region, has therefore decided to advance its dates to harmonize with this very important event in Lille’s cultural season,” Herszberg added.

Series Mania launched in Paris in 2009 to bring the best international TV series to the big screen and offer its audience a unique opportunity to meet and learn from renowned show-runners, directors and TV talent. The event relocated to Lille, in Northern France, from 2018.

Since its first edition, Series Mania has grown steadily both in terms of public attendance and its stature as a must-attend event. Its 2018 edition, which ran April 27 to May 5, scored record figures, with 2,000 industry professionals and 56,695 spectators, compared to 1,600 TV professionals and 50,000 visitors in 2017.

Launched in 2013, Series Mania’s European Forum of Projects and Talents – formerly its Co-Production Forum- has become a preeminent meeting place to co-finance TV series projects in development. The Forum has seen many projects become aired series, including “Liar,” “Tabula Rasa,” “Stella Blomkvist,” “Keeping Faith” and “Banking District.”