Berlinale Series Market Celebrates 10 Years of Originality, Drama and Humor for the Small Screen

variety.com:

Marta Balaga As the Berlinale Series Market celebrates its 10th anniversary, series continue to stand “side by side” with films at the German fest, observes EFM director Dennis Ruh. “BSM continues to be a beacon for all aspects of serialized content, even in years where space feels tighter with less films and series, giving selected titles more exposure,” he says, mentioning a “vibrant influx” of international professionals eager to showcase their shows.

Although the sidebar for series has been discontinued, they are present in Berlinale Special and Panorama sections. Apart from Netflix’s “Supersex” and “Dostoevskij” by Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo, Berlinale Series Market Selects will spotlight 15 new shows. “We prioritize narratives that captivate with their originality, championing diversity in representation, genre and geography.

The goal is to amplify these stories, ensuring they receive the global attention they deserve,” explains Ruh, pointing out another important trend: comedy. “This might be a reaction to the unsettling zeitgeist the world is facing and an increasing need to use comedy as a channel for processing complex emotions.” Laughs come courtesy of “Show Yourself” by Álvaro Carmona and Beta-backed “Soviet Jeans,” set in 1970s Riga, where a snitch-turned-political rebel starts production of counterfeit jeans out of a mental asylum. “We decided to go for a completely different tone when depicting this period, which so often is shown in this harsh, gloomy way.

People used to joke during communism too: humor was their main survival mechanism,” showrunner Teodora Markova says. With many festivals still figuring out how to successfully integrate series into their programs, Ruh underlines the importance of.