Having taken place in Brno from 23-28 September, the Czech television festival Serial Killer – dedicated largely to the best of Central and Eastern European series from recent years – celebrated its run with a closing ceremony crowning the winners of the event. The festival presented 33 series in total from 15 countries.

The Primetime Killer competition was won by the Polish series Proud, directed by Karol Klementewicz. The acclaimed show, which premiered on HBO Max in June, follows a hedonistic, gay twentysomething model who becomes an accidental father to his late sister’s daughter. The show previously won the Grand Prix in the International Competition at the 2026 edition of Series Mania (see the news).

The Primetime Killer jury consisted of Yuliya Fischer (sales and acquisition director, Drama, for ZDF Studios), Laurence Herszberg (founder and general director of Series Mania) and Joël Bassaget (French screenwriter, founder of Web Series World Cup).

Klementewicz was also presented with the Progressive Killer Award, which goes to an outstanding figure in television production from Central and Eastern Europe, honouring exceptional contributions. The Serial Killer organisers pointed out his work on Proud, in particular, as it explores a multifaceted range of pressing topics in Poland today, including the acceptance of queer people, parenting and various types of social prejudice.

The new Czech Killer competition, dedicated to domestic productions, was won by Friend, helmed by Petr Pylypčuk. The nine-part show, set to premiere in 2027, is based on a harrowing true story of abuse, following a young first-grade pupil who struggles to make friends in a new town, only to become close with one of the teachers. While the team accepted the award, Kateřina Ondřejková, creative producer from Czech Television, offered special thanks to the people who made the series possible by sharing their own experiences. The show also took home the festival’s Audience Award, after getting a rating of 94%.

Cell Block B, a Czech comedy set in a prison that will premiere on the Czech Republic’s Oneplay on 9 October, took home a Special Mention in the Czech Killer strand. The show was created by duo Petr Koleček (writer) and Jan Prušinovský (director), based on stories from the actor Zdeněk Godla about his time in prison. The Czech Killer jury was made up of Petra Soukupová (writer and script editor), Pavel Klusák (music journalist and writer) and Jindřiška Bláhová (film critic and historian).

Here is the full list of award winners:

Primetime Killer Award
Proud – Karol Klementewicz (Poland)

Czech Killer Award
Friend – Petr Pylypčuk (Czech Republic)
Special Mention
Cell Block B – Jan Prušinovský (Czech Republic)

Audience Award
Friend – Petr Pylypčuk

Progressive Killer Award
Karol Klementewicz