10/11/2025 - Seven European series projects will compete for the Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award, as the sidebar expands its selection to 31 projects

Puberty – Secrets, Lies, and Human Castles by Leticia Dolera

The TV Beats Forum, the drama series-focused strand of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, returns from 17-18 November with a record 31 projects spanning various stages of development. Bringing together emerging talents, second projects and productions from established creators, the forum continues to serve as a key meeting point for producers, financiers and distributors across Europe. For the second year running, the event also features screenings of recently completed series, underlining the organisers’ ambition to support both development and sales in the scripted-series sector.

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Co-heads Petri Kemppinen and Roosa Toivonen highlight the diversity of this year’s programme, which spans the Baltics, Nordics, Central and Eastern Europe, and Southern Europe. “TV Beats isn’t just about surviving the industry’s changes; it’s about thriving through them together as a creative ecosystem,” they noted. “The projects selected this year offer producers fresh perspectives not only in financing and sales, but also in audience reach.”

This year’s TV Beats Co-financing Market will present eight series projects, with seven of them competing for the Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award, a €50,000 non-reimbursable grant open to independent producers from Eurimages member states.

Returning for the second year, the TV Beats Screenings section will feature five newly completed productions. The Danish Woman [+see also:
series review
trailer
interview: Benedikt Erlingsson, Ólafur…
series profile] is a dark comedy starring European Film Award nominee Trine Dyrholm as a retired Danish Secret Service officer; the show is directed by Benedikt Erlingsson. Finland’s Icebreaker by Pete Riski is a suspenseful mystery in which a routine rescue operation turns into a chilling nightmare. In Darkness by Ove Musting explores a family’s struggle for survival after sudden societal and infrastructural collapse. The political thriller Moloch Files by Lukáš Hanulák follows an investigative journalist and an online sleuth as they pursue the truth behind an attack on the Czech president (see the news). Finally, Puberty – Secrets, Lies, and Human Castles by Leticia Dolera is set in a coastal town where allegations of abuse against a teenager surface on social media, forcing the community to confront buried secrets and lies.

Launched this year, Series Bridges Baltics will present six projects led by writer-producer duos from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. A jury will select a winner, which will get a spot at the Seriesmania Forum in Lille next March. Also, TV Beats is introducing Coming Soon, a showcase dedicated to upcoming series from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Meanwhile, MIDPOINT Series Launch is coming back for the sixth time and will showcase nine original drama series from emerging European creators.

During the forum, participants will also engage in panels addressing current challenges in series production, including evolving formats, monetisation strategies, audience engagement and sustainability in the European TV landscape. Highlights include Focus Catalonia: From Human Towers to Dark Waters and a European Writers Club session, Face Your Audience – Already in Idea Creation, focusing on the Finnish-Estonian series Clean.

Here is the selection for TV Beats 2025:

TV Beats Co-financing Market

Helsinki 1939 – AJ Annila (Finland)
Producers: Sara Norberg, Eero Hietala (Take Two Studios)

Wool – Milena Džambasović, Birkir Blaer Ingolfsson, Mladen Maticević, Stephie Theodora (Serbia/Iceland/Germany)
Producers: Milena Džambasović (Film Road Production), Hörður Rúnarsson (ACT4), Danna Stern (In Transit Productions)

Nuclear Sunset Cruise – Florian Gallenberger (Germany/Spain/Latvia/Lithuania/Estonia)
Producers: Martin Lehwald, Philipp Goeser (Schiwago Film)

Dark Waters – Víctor Garcia (Spain)
Producers: Juan Solá, Mark Abela, Tono Folguera, Maria Rocher (Federation Spain)

Frontwards – Michal Kollár (Czech Republic/Slovakia)
Producers: Jana Kluková (KFS Production), Jirina Budíková (Česká Televize)

Chasing the Clouds – Karla Lulić (Croatia)
Producers: Karla Lulić, Jelena Madarić (Dobar Film)

Business as Usual – Ove Musting, Hendrik Toompere Jr (Estonia)
Producers: Evelin Penttilä, Johanna Maria Tamm (Stellar Film)

The Abduction of Yossele Schumacher – Eran Riklis (Israel)
Producers: Eran Riklis (Eran Riklis Productions Ltd), United King Films

TV Beats Screenings

Puberty – Secrets, Lies, and Human Castles – Leticia Dolera (Spain)
Producers: Oriol Maymó, Miriam Porté, Arnauld de Battice (Corte y Confección de Películas, Distinto Films, Uri Films, AT-Prod, Altres Films, 3Cat, HBO Max Spain, Beta Film)

The Danish Woman [+see also:
series review
trailer
interview: Benedikt Erlingsson, Ólafur…
series profile] – Benedikt Erlingsson (France/Iceland)
Producers: Marianne Slot, Carine Leblanc, Thor Snær Sigurjónsson, Birgitta Björnsdóttir, Marc Gabizon (Slot Machine, Gullslottid, Zik Zak Filmworks)

Moloch Files – Lukáš Hanulák (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Ukraine)
Producers: Lukáš Hanulák, Vratislav Šlajer, Bára Mudrová, Lada Dobrkovská, Jakub Košťál, Kataryna Vyshnevska (Bionaut sro, Raketa sro, Canal+)

In Darkness – Ove Musting (Estonia)
Producer: Jaan Laugamõts (Downtown Pictures)

Icebreaker – Pete Riski (Finland)
Producers: Anniina Leppänen, Mia Ylönen (Helsinki-filmi)

Coming Soon From the Baltics

The Hostages – Vlads Kovalovs (Latvia)
Producers: Lelde Kovalova, Ilze Korjusa (Tet SIA)

Hijacked Life – Andrius Lekavičius (Lithuania/Estonia)
Producers: Jurgita Rakauskaite, Andrius Lekavičius (Make It Happen, Cinema Cartel Oü)

Crossing the Line – Franz Malmsten (Estonia)
Producer: Anatoli Tafitšuk (Ulm Production)

Serial Bridge Baltics

Shadows of the Swamp – Lauris Ābele (Latvia/Germany)
Writer: Zanda Zeidaka
Producers: Raitis Ābele (Tritone Studio), Heimathafen Film & Media GmbH

Midnight Stories (Lithuania)
Writers: Ernestas Jankauskas, Gabija Siurbyte
Producers: Viktorija Rimkutė, Gabija Siurbyte (Dansu Films)

Therapies – Birutė Kapustinskaitė (Lithuania)
Producer: Dagne Vildziunaite (Smart Casual)

The Outskirts (Latvia)
Writers: Vladislavs Kovalovs, Lelde Kovalova
Producer: Lelde Kovalova (SIA Lelde Kovalova)

Aurora.Newsroom. – Juris Kursietis (Latvia/Finland/Estonia)
Writer: Osvalds Zebris
Producers: Gints Grūbe, Elina Gedina-Ducena (Mistrus Media)

Codename: Lighthouse (Estonia)
Writer: Raoul Suvi
Producer: Jaan Laugamõts (Elisa Estonia, Downtown Pictures)