The winner of the first-ever Berlinale Series Award, established specifically to reward a television series at an A-list film festival, has been announced. The Good Mothers [+lire aussi :
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interview : Valentina Bellè
fiche série], directed by Julian Jarrold and Elisa Amoruso, was awarded the top prize by the jury, which included Danish writer-producer Mette Heeno, US actor André Holland and Israeli producer Danna Stern. Meanwhile, the Norwegian series The Architect [+lire aussi :
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fiche série] received a Special Mention.

The jury praised The Good Mothers for its multi-layered characters, stunning performances, and meticulous attention to detail in creating an authentic and ultra-realistic world. “We were moved, anxious and, at times, breathless,” they stated. “The series creators have been meticulous in recreating an authentic and detailed world, presented by a stellar cast, with performances that made our hearts skip a beat. The beautiful cinematography, production design and locations contribute to the ultra-realistic feel of the show, which is only right, considering it is based on true events and on real-life characters – the courageous women who stood up to decades of oppression and misogyny, and helped bring down the Calabrian mafia.”

The Good Mothers was written by Stephen Butchard, and is a co-production by Juliette Howell, Tessa Ross and Harriet Spencer for the UK's House Productions, and by Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Gangarossa for Italy's Wildside.

Alongside The Good Mothers, the Norwegian series The Architect received a Special Mention. Directed by Kerren Lumer-Klabbers, and written by Nora Landsrød and Kristian Kilde, the show follows architect Julie as she comes up with an idea to convert empty underground car parks into residential buildings after a project to build 1,000 flats in Oslo is put out to tender. The show is produced by Øyvind Lierhagen Eriksen and Caroline Hitland for Nordisk Film Production.

Introduced in 2015, Berlinale Series was created to recognise the importance of serial storytelling and changing viewing habits. This year, seven series were nominated for the award, which was presented on 22 February at the Zoo Palast.