Press Releases
European Film Market & Co-Production Market

On February 12 and 13, the Berlinale Co-Production Market is inviting producers, programming directors, distributors and other series financiers to the fifth annual edition of the exclusive pitch event “Co-Pro Series”, which is taking place in the scope of “Drama Series Days” 2019 (February 11-13) at Berlin’s Zoo Palast cinema. In previous editions, “Co-Pro Series” has hosted budding German series that have gone on to success, such as Babylon Berlin and The Vanishing, or the Norwegian hits Valkyrien and State of Happiness during their search for co-production partners.

“With the presentation of series projects at the Berlinale Co-Production Market, we are creating a fruitful meeting platform for series makers. The Berlinale Co-Production Market is above all an important gathering place for the growing number of renowned filmmakers and producers that work both in the area of film and within the series format,” comments Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick.

This time around, ten new hand-picked projects are appearing at “Co-Pro Series”, where they aim to find like-minded co-producers and financiers among the industry representatives attending. Each of the drama series will be presented in a brief pitch, after which their makers will come together with interested partners at the planned Networking Get-Together and in one-on-one meetings. The guest list for “Co-Pro Series”, including seats at the pitches, Networking Get-Together and meetings, is already fully booked.

The selected series include several with strong local connections, such as Reindeer Mafia from Finland, an action drama in which snowmobile-riding rockers challenge the power of the Reindeer clan leaders. With Flesh & Blood from New Zealand/Australia, the makers aim to bring indigenous content and tone into the crime genre. Also not for the faint of heart are Trom, the first series project from the Faroe Islands, and the Viennese post-war thriller Big Bones by David Schalko (Braunschlag, Altes Geld, M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder), which is based on his 2018 book.

Competition director and distinguished film and television series luminary Agnieszka Holland (Mr. Jones, House of Cards, The Wire) will direct a new series on Napoleon and his cult of personality, echoing certain current political leaders, which is being written by seasoned series creators and showrunners Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris (Sleeper Cell, Brimstone, Eleventh Hour).

Danish Berlinale director Pernille Fischer Christensen (A Soap, Astrid), is represented with the family drama A Family Matter, created by Maja Jul Larsen (whose past series credits include The Legacy, Follow the Money, Borgen). The Norwegian producers of Home Ground (Berlinale Series 2018) will also be returning to Berlin this year with their new project Hacker.

Those who enjoy historical settings paired with dramatic tension can look forward to the espionage thriller Davos, to be directed by Michael Krummenacher (Eight Days, The Wall) and set to feature the writing talents of Christoph Busche (NSU: German History X) among others. For the first time, the event also includes a comedy series: Clone by actor and director Ole Giæver (familiar to Berlinale audiences from his Panorama films Out of Nature and From the Balcony).

As in previous editions, a further project will be presented in co-operation with the Series Mania Forum in Lille: the German series Immunity from the 2018 Series Mania selection is now coming to “Co-Pro Series” to look for further partners. In exchange, one of the new projects presented for the first time at “Co-Pro Series” will have an opportunity to participate in a pitching event at Series Mania in late March.

The main partners of the Berlinale Co-Production Market (February 9 to 13, 2019) are MDM – Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung and the Creative Europe – MEDIA programme of the European Union.
The Networking Get-Together following the “Co-Pro Series” pitches is taking place in co-operation with the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI).
The “Drama Series Days” are a joint initiative for series content from the industry platforms European Film Market, Berlinale Co-Production Market and Berlinale Talents, and are organised in close collaboration with Berlinale Series.

Projects selected for “Co-Pro Series” 2019 (in alphabetical order according to production company):
• Davos (writers: Michael Sauter, Thomas Hess, Christoph Busche; director: Michael Krummenacher), Contrast Film Zürich, Switzerland
• A Family Matter (creator: Maja Jul Larsen; director: Pernille Fischer Christensen), DR Drama, Denmark
• Reindeer Mafia (writer: Sami Parkkinen; director: Mika Kurvinen, Mika Kaurismäki), Kaiho Republic, Finland
• Trom (author: Torfinnur Jákupsson; director: tba), KYK Pictures, Faeroe Islands & REinvent Studios, Denmark
• Clone (writer/director: Ole Giæver), Mer Film, Norway
• Hacker (writers: Andreas J. Riiser, Christian A. Owe, Amalie Kasin Lerstang; director: Andreas J. Riiser), Motlys, Norway
• Napoleon (creators/showrunners: Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris; director: Agnieszka Holland), Saltire Entertainment, United Kingdom
• Big Bones (writer/director: David Schalko), Satel Film & Superfilm, Austria
• Flesh & Blood (writers: Michael Beran, Natalie Medlock; director: Tusi Tamasese), Tauihu Media, New Zealand & Bunya Productions, Australia

Project in co-operation with Series Mania:
• Immunity (creator/writer: Niels Laupert; director: tba), Jumpseat Filmproduktion & Real Film Berlin, Germany

Press Office
January 15, 2019