Series Mania Melbourne

Film Victoria and ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) today announced a joint partnership which will bring Series Mania, the world's most prestigious festival of international television, to Melbourne, Australia.

Over four days Series Mania Melbourne will deliver program highlights from Paris' Series Mania 2017, with over 40 free screenings of premiere seasons of some of the best new drama, narrative comedy and web based series from around the world. Alongside Q&As with key creatives, there will be workshops, panel discussions and masterclasses for the public and industry.

Held annually at the Forum des Images in Paris since 2009, Series Mania is the fastest growing festival of its kind, and a key event on the global TV industry calendar. The festival invites the finest drama and narrative comedy series from around the globe to have their local (and often international) premiere in the free screening program alongside Q&As with members of the key creative teams.

Attended by nearly 40,000 viewers over the 11 days of the 2016 Paris festival, and showcasing 80 TV series across 20 countries, Series Mania has become an important launch pad for international TV, and hosts an increasingly influential co-production forum for industry. At the 2016 Series Mania awards, Australia's own The Kettering Incident (Foxtel) picked up the Special Jury Prize, and the festival has previously showcased hit Australian series Cleverman (ABC), The Family Law (SBS), Gallipoli (Nine) and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (ABC).

The 2017 Series Mania Paris, which takes place in April, recently announced its high-profile program will include the world premiere of the Melbourne-made drama Seven Types of Ambiguity. The series, by Matchbox Pictures, stars Hugo Weaving, Xavier Samuel and Suzie Porter and is based on the novel by Victorian author Elliot Pearlman. 

ACMI CEO and Director Katrina Sedgwick said today: 'We are experiencing a golden age of television around the world right now, as this medium rapidly expands into new platforms. We're delighted to partner with Film Victoria to bring Series Mania to Melbourne. Our audiences will preview some of the best series coming to our screens in the year to come – and discover stunning international TV that we might not ever see otherwise."

Film Victoria CEO Jenni Tosi said: 'Victoria is the home of fantastic Australian drama so bringing the best of Series Mania 2017 to Melbourne is a real coup. Film Victoria and ACMI are natural partners for this event, and we know Melbourne audiences and filmmakers will relish the opportunity to view and discuss the best of TV drama from around the world."

General Director of Forum des Images Laurence Herszberg said: "We're very enthusiastic about this new partnership with ACMI and Film Victoria. It will give Series Mania the opportunity to show the best international dramas to a passionate audience and develop professional relations with the very creative Australian industry."

With 48 per cent of drama production in Australia made in Victoria contributing over $119.9 million to the State's economy, the bumper program at ACMI will celebrate the importance of TV (free-to-air and streamed) as a key platform for content makers.