Seriesly Berlin is returning for its second edition, expanding its reach as a hub for series professionals and audiences alike. Running from 15-18 September, the festival once again splits its programme between the Seriesly Berlin Conference and the Seriesly Berlin Premieres, while its core industry showcase, the Seriesly Berlin Pitches, will take place on 17 September at Fotografiska Berlin. This year, 16 new international projects have been selected, competing for awards and seeking partners in financing, co-production, distribution and collaboration.

Festival director Dennis Ruh highlights the sheer diversity of the 2025 line-up: “The projects reflect the remarkable spectrum of today’s serialised storytelling, mixing bold new voices with established creatives. They combine cultural specificity with universal themes, and experiment with formats ranging from animation to musical drama. This shows how series are both a global medium and a creative laboratory constantly opening up fresh perspectives.”

The pitches are divided into two strands. The Seriesly Berlin Co-Production Pitch presents eight projects in advanced development, while the Seriesly Berlin Writer’s Pitch focuses on eight early-stage concepts. In addition to the main awards, the newly introduced SteinbrennerMüller Award will honour one German-language project from each section, offering a tailored communications concept for the production phase.

Among the highlights among the selected projects are The Last Baroness, a period drama by Slovakian writer Biba Bohinská, produced by Crystal Bear winner Katarína Krnáčová. Germany is represented by Tonight: Lola Blau, a musical series co-produced by ZDF Studios and written by Gabbie Asher (The Tattooist of Auschwitz), while Zebras (France/Germany), created by Nadja Dumouchel and Nicolas Ducray, explores expat life in Berlin through a dramedy lens. Other standout titles include the Dutch documentary The Promise of India, chronicling the lives of Indian millennials; the Nordic mystery-romance Villa Hilda (Finland/Sweden), about two mid-life crisis-ridden figures escaping to an isolated island; and the German adult animated sitcom The Last Family on Earth, where a divorce is postponed by the apocalypse itself. Finally, Indi/Pendent (Germany/India) injects musical comedy into the mix, telling the story of a Berlin musician and her estranged cousin whose accidental song could send Germany to Eurovision.

The Writer’s Pitch demonstrates the festival’s appetite for emerging formats and daring narratives. Automat (Germany), a 2.5D animated sci-fi series, places teenagers in a digital labyrinth where the truth bends and critical thinking is their only escape. Who’s Burning Now (Germany/Switzerland), co-created by Wero Rodowicz (The Zweiflers), mixes folklore, witchcraft and young-adult mystery. The State Operetta (Austria) is a biting political dramedy from directors Daniel Hoesl and Julia Niemann. Dark humour takes centre stage in The People We Eat (Italy/Denmark), about a Danish family of cannibals facing disruption when their teenage daughter embraces vegetarianism.

Coming-of-age stories also stand out. All Our Fathers Are Dead (Germany) follows a group of teenage boys in early-2010s Berlin who, after losing their fathers, push the boundaries of friendship and masculinity through a Fight Club-style brotherhood. Meanwhile, N.I.M.R.O.D. (Germany/Romania) tracks a troubled teen who discovers a Cold War-era psychological weapon that grants him power at the cost of his identity. Closing the Writer’s Pitch is Chatbots Don’t Kill People (Lithuania), a drama-comedy wildcard entry from the European Writers’ Desk, in which a woman unravels a tech conspiracy after an AI chatbot is blamed for a suicide.

Here is the complete line-up of the projects being pitched at the second Seriesly Berlin:

Seriesly Berlin Co-Production Pitches

Tonight: Lola Blau (Germany)
Head writer: Gabbie Asher
Producers: Rolant Hergert, Titus Kreyenberg (Boogie Entertainment), ZDF Studios

Zebras (France/Germany)
Creators: Nadja Dumouchel, Nicolas Ducray
Producer: Baptiste Bertin (La Onda Productions)

Indi/Pendent (Germany/India)
Creators: Drishya Gautham, Nicolas Chevaillier
Producer: Mathivanan Rajendran (Stray Factory)

The Last Baroness (Slovakia)
Creators: Katarína Krnáčová, Nataša Ďuričová, Diana Kacarová Starinská
Producer: Katarína Krnáčová (Silverart)

The Last Family on Earth (Germany)
Creator: Elena Lyubarskaya
Writers: Elena Lyubarskaya, Yashar Alishenas
Producer: Elena Lyubarskaya (The Dream Room)

Villa Hilda (Finland/Sweden)
Creators: Roosa Toivonen, Eriikka Etholen-Paju
Producers: Roosa Toivonen, Inka Hietala, Petri Kemppinen (Good Hand Film & TV Oy)

The Promise of India (Netherlands)
Creator: Finbarr Wilbrink
Production: De Haaien
Attached broadcaster: VPRO

The Life Changers (Taiwan/South Korea)
Creators: Danielle Yen, Fu-Hsiang Hsu
Writers: Yi-Wei Hsiao, Chen Liang-tzu, Lin Yun-shan
Producers: Park Tae-joon, Mio Liang (Select Entertainment Film Production Co Ltd)

Seriesly Berlin Writer’s Pitches

The People We Eat (Italy/Denmark)
Creator: Ilaria Fravolini

The State Operetta (Austria)
Creators: Daniel Hoesl, Julia Niemann
Producers: Ula Okrojek, Herwig Krawinkler (Satel Film)

Birthright (Nigeria)
Creator: Kaelo Iyizoba

Who’s Burning Now (Germany/Switzerland)
Creators: Maria Neheimer, Wero Rodowicz, Marshall Maihofer Demirovic
Head writer: Mariama Djité

N.I.M.R.O.D. (Germany/Romania)
Creator: Vlady Valentin Oszkiel

Automat (Germany)
Creator: Christoph Rohrscheidt
Producer: Sven Otto (FILMGARNITUR)

All Our Fathers Are Dead (Germany)
Creators: Alexander (Alex) Tanglao, Miguel Gallo

Chatbots Don’t Kill People (Lithuania) – European Writers’ Desk wildcard
Creators: Domante Urmonaite, Martynas Mendelis