At the 12th Berlinale Series Market, the Berlinale Series Market Selects label once again offered an exclusive showcase of high-profile scripted and documentary series poised for international circulation. Designed to enhance visibility and facilitate connections with buyers, distributors and global platforms, the 2026 line-up featured 17 scripted series and three docu-series from across Europe as well as North and South America (see the news).

A new highlight this year was the introduction of the Studio Babelsberg Production Excellence Award, honouring outstanding creative producing that combines artistic ambition with international potential. The prize was awarded to the Brazilian medical drama Emergency 53, created by Cláudio Torres, Márcio Maranhão and Andrucha Waddington.

Below, we take a closer look at five of the selected projects:

Emergency 53 by Cláudio Torres, Márcio Maranhão and Andrucha Waddington

Emergency 53 – Cláudio Torres, Márcio Maranhão, Andrucha Waddington (Brazil)
Production: Conspiração Filmes
Emergency 53 follows the doctors, nurses and drivers of a special mobile emergency-response unit operating in Rio de Janeiro. Unit 53 is composed of brilliant professionals who have, in one way or another, been sidelined by the system. Recruited by a veteran determined to return from bureaucratic desk work to frontline action, this group of renegades channels personal frustration into an uncompromising mission: to prevent others from dying.

Created by Cláudio Torres, Márcio Maranhão and Andrucha Waddington, and written by Torres and Fábio Mendes, the series reunites the core creative team behind the hit medical drama Under Pressure. Directed by Waddington and Torres, who co-helmed the first episode, the show combines fast-paced action with emotionally grounded storytelling and socially resonant themes.

The cast includes Valentina Herszage, Heloisa Jorge, Yara de Novaes, Emílio Dantas, Ana Hikari, Jaffar Bambirra, Raquel Villar, William Nascimento and Emílio de Mello, with a special appearance by Fernanda Montenegro. The series premiered at Berlinale Series Market Selects and is set to launch on Globoplay.

All Heroes Are Bastards – Esra Phul, Patrick Phul (Germany)
Production: Picture Me Rollin, Bildundtonfabrik
A six-part (6x40-minute) fantasy-drama, All Heroes Are Bastards is set in a radically divided Cologne, where deepening social fractures disproportionately affect migrant communities. When Malik, Dina and Hamza stumble upon a mysterious artefact that grants them extraordinary powers, their discovery coincides with a disturbing development: children from their neighbourhood are abruptly being taken and separated from their families. As the trio joins forces to uncover the truth and rescue the missing children, they are drawn into a broader confrontation with systemic oppression and institutional corruption. The series frames its supernatural premise within a socially grounded narrative, asking whether its protagonists will succumb to personal revenge or emerge as reluctant symbols of resistance for a community under pressure.

Written, directed and executive-produced by Esra and Patrick Phul, founders of Picture Me Rollin, the project aims to carve out new territory for German genre storytelling by combining bold visual elements with urgent political themes. The cast is led by Kebir Sargin in his debut acting role, alongside David Mayonga, Funda Bostanlik and Pegah Ferydoni. The series is being produced with the support of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and the German Motion Picture Fund, and will be broadcasted on ARD Degeto Film, while the world sales are handled by Global Constellation.

Cold Haven by Filipa Poppe, Joana Andrade and Sveinbjörn I Baldvinsson

Cold Haven – Filipa Poppe, Joana Andrade, Sveinbjörn I Baldvinsson (Iceland/Portugal)
Production: Glassriver, SPi
The 8x45-minute crime-drama Cold Haven unfolds in both Portugal and Iceland, weaving together themes of displacement, guilt and unresolved pasts. The story begins when a young Portuguese woman relocates to a small and isolated island off the Icelandic coast in search of a fresh start for herself and her teenage daughter. Her subsequent murder sends shockwaves through the tight-knit community, where suspicion quickly turns inward. An Icelandic detective, born and raised on the island, is assigned to the case and must confront not only the hostility of a community under pressure, but also the ghosts of her own upbringing. As the investigation deepens, the narrative juxtaposes stark volcanic landscapes with emotional undercurrents of exile, maternal instinct and buried secrets.

Created by Filipa Poppe, Joana Andrade and Sveinbjörn I Baldvinsson, and written alongside Elías Helgi Kofoed-Hansen, the series is directed by Arnór Pálmi Arnarson and Tiago Alvarez Marques. The ensemble cast includes Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir, Maria João Bastos, Catarina Rebelo and Ivo Canelas. Shot in Icelandic, Portuguese and English, Cold Haven is broadcasted by Portuguese pubcaster RTP and Iceland’s Síminn platform, with About Premium Content handling it worldwide.

Phoenix by Matthieu Bernard and Louis Aubert

Phoenix – Matthieu Bernard, Louis Aubert (France/Germany)
Production: Les Films du Cygne, Storia Télévision, Maze Pictures, Sequel Prod, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma
Conceived as a 6x52-minute political thriller, Phoenix unfolds against the backdrop of the escalating climate crisis and corporate greenwashing. As the CEOs of Europe’s largest corporations gather in the Alps for a high-profile forum claiming to fight climate change and save a glacier, a clandestine activist cell launches a coordinated operation across the continent. Six young activists simultaneously kidnap the children of the attending executives, intending to force their parents to honour long-ignored environmental commitments.

Created by Matthieu Bernard and Louis Aubert, and co-written with Clément Marchand, the series blends suspense, contemporary politics and moral ambiguity. Directed by Franck Brett, it explores the fine line between activism and radicalisation, placing its characters in a volatile space where urgency collides with ethical doubt. The ensemble cast includes Léo Legrand, Marie Colomb, Natacha Lindinger and François Berléand. The series has been boarded by France Télévisions and ZDF, and the world sales are handled by Mediawan Rights.

The Pushover by Arne Berggren and Kristine Berg

The Pushover – Arne Berggren, Kristine Berg (Denmark/Norway)
Production: Shuuto Arctic AS
A six-part (6x42- to 45-minute) Nordic noir crime-thriller, The Pushover opens in an affluent neighbourhood where a woman is found drowned in her swimming pool. Suspicion immediately falls on her boyfriend, Tom, a notorious con artist with a history of fraud. When Tom unexpectedly turns himself in, he confesses to financial crimes but insists that the woman’s death was an accident. Veteran investigator Morten Stark is unconvinced and, lacking decisive evidence, embarks on a calculated and increasingly risky strategy to expose him. Running parallel to the police inquiry, journalist Nora Sand examines a former colleague’s unfinished research, uncovering a pattern of fraud cases linked to Tom. As she and her team trace his past, the investigation reveals a disturbing web of deceit, exploitation and possible murder, drawing both journalist and detective into a dangerous psychological game.

Based on a novel by Lone Theils, published in over 20 countries, the series marks the second adaptation of her work, following Fatal Crossing. Created and written by Arne Berggren and Kristine Berg, and directed by Magnus Berggren, the show continues the trajectory of Nora Sand, portrayed by Marie Sandø, who stars alongside Morten Hauch-Fausbøll and Sigurd Holmen le Dous. The series’ broadcasters include Altibox, DR and TV4, and Reinvent Yellow is on board as the international sales agent.