2 weeks ago
EXCLUSIVE: Seriencamp 2026 will connection nan manufacture solutions not “doom and gloom,” nan creator head of Germany’s apical TV show has said arsenic he unveils afloat lineup.
The Cologne-set fest has conscionable rounded retired its programme and convention strands pinch Paramount+’s Halo showrunner Steven Kane and seasoned Hollywood supplier Alan Greenspan joining nan lineup.
Artistic head Gerhard Maier is engaged applying nan finishing touches to this year’s version of Seriencamp and Maier is reasoning difficult astir imaginative ways successful which producers tin navigate their measurement done immoderate difficult times.
He is besides overseeing a programme lineup that includes nan Wallander reboot, nan world premiere of ARD’s Westend Girl starring Golden Globe nominee Helena Zengel, and large upcoming shows for American streamers for illustration Disney+’s Alice and Steve and Prime Video’s Game of Keys.
“A batch of pillars done which you build your business and imaginative models look to beryllium successful mobility astatine nan infinitesimal truthful for america it’s really to prime up connected those trajectories and put them successful a programme that’s not punishment and gloom,” Maier told Deadline. “We don’t want to say, ‘Everything is going to hell,’ but alternatively tin connection solutions, inspiration, ideas for producers, writers and determination makers to person connected their representation erstwhile readying for nan adjacent 5 years.”
Maier has been engaged reasoning astir caller opportunities including microdrama, gaming IP and AI.
On nan former, he is keen to research further a bustling manufacture that emerged successful Asia and has been taken up by Hollywood. In Germany, he says “there is simply a batch of disorder complete what a microdrama is.” “I person only spoken pinch 4 indies who successful my sentiment person produced microdrama and are alert of what it intends to beryllium information driven and rooted successful economies of scale,” he added. “This only useful if you do 25 [microdramas] a twelvemonth alternatively than a one-off project.”
With this successful mind, a typical microdrama way will see Gregor Sauter (Red Pony), media strategist Bo Zhang (Bolytics), writer Will Buckingham, shaper Felix Mann (WennDann Film), Brooklyn Coffeeshop creator Nitay Dagan and showrunner Lukas Lankisch (VEAM), each examining vertical video “from a wide scope of strategic, creative, and economical perspectives,” according to nan fest.
Maier wants to link reasoning astir microdrama and IP and “discuss really producers tin leverage intelligence spot successful absorbing ways.”
With this successful mind, U.S. showrunner Kane is simply a immense get. He oversaw nan deed adjustment of nan Halo video crippled for Paramount+ and his talk astir “the challenges of adapting games from a bid perspective” comes pinch gaming IP much celebrated than ever. Greenspan, meanwhile, who precocious launched Munich and London-based guidance and accumulation firm Bridge MP, will reply questions connected “organic co-production improvement and packaging successful nan bid sector.”
Structures “radically upended”
Unsurprisingly for immoderate modern TV fest, Seriencamp will tackle AI caput connected with, for nan first time, a dedicated Plot Next strand including a convention pinch Netflix’s The Marquise showrunner Pandora de Cunha Telles and a chat of what AI-supported activity looks for illustration successful nan writers’ room of German telenovela Rote Rosen.
While acknowledging that he is “very very captious of definite kinds of AI,” Maier said Seriencamp will erstwhile again return a applicable approach. “We want to reply nan questions astir moving pinch AI-powered devices and really that changes accumulation processes,” he added. “The hierarchical stucture of filmmaking is being radically upended. We want to talk astir wherever it is being used, wherever it needs to beryllium discussed and what is already happening truthful we tin tie a model for argumentation decisions.”
Seriencamp is of people each astir nan shows. ZDF’s The Flaws is title victor and nan squad person landed starry ones likes Wallander and Westend Girl, which Maier said travel from creatives who are “regular guests” astatine Seriencamp.
Streamer shows for illustration Alice & Steve and Prime Video’s caller German type of Game of Keys tap into stories astir relationships, while location are splashy co-pros successful nan Work successful Progress conception successful nan style of nan Gibbons’ brothers The Reluctant Vampire and Bryan Elsley’s Counsels, both of which are made by nan BBC and ZDF. Elsley will beryllium successful municipality addressing nan fest.
While world premieres are of people important, Maier said he wants nan lineup to beryllium “cohesive.” He truthful group retired Seriencamp’s committedness to female voices, which will spot shows created by women surface from nations ranging from Bangladesh to Palestine.
One of nan German industry’s astir salient female voices of this procreation has been HBO Max Germany leader Anke Greifeneder and she will beryllium successful Cologne receiving nan Deadlie Disruptors Award.
Maier said nan highly-rated manufacture vet greenlit “some of nan bravest and astir daring series” retired of Germany, which he feels “may beryllium lacking a bit” astatine nan moment. “She was 1 of our earliest guests astatine Seriencamp backmost erstwhile original TV shows from Germany were not done arsenic backmost and she had specified a clear imagination of waht she wanted to do,” observe Maier.
Seriencamp runs June 9 to 11.
