From 24 to 26 March, the Portugal Film Commission took part in the Series Mania Forum, an international market dedicated to TV series that brought together around 5,000 professionals at Lille Grand Palais, in France. The team hosted a meeting table in the Delegates’ Hall and organised a networking breakfast that kicked off the second day of the event, showcasing Portuguese producers and projects.

Luís Chaby Vaz, President of the Portuguese Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual (ICA), and Ana Marques, Executive Director of the Portugal Film Commission, welcomed the approximately 80 guests who attended the breakfast. Attention then turned to the seven producers who presented their projects, in a session designed to encourage networking and promote potential collaborations with international producers.

The day of 26 March was marked by the signing ceremony of the Convention on the Co-Production of Audiovisual Works in the Form of Series. Alberto Santos, Secretary of State for Culture, attended the Series Mania Forum for the ceremony, as Portugal was among the first nine countries to sign this Council of Europe convention.

With its implementation, co-productions recognised under the convention will acquire national status in each of the co-producing countries, thereby being eligible for national support schemes. This new legal framework also ensures the protection of intellectual property and promotes greater transparency, providing the sharing of audience data by broadcasters and streamers with independent co-producers partners.

Alberto Santos also had the opportunity to visit the Series Mania Forum, accompanied by Jorge Barreto Xavier, Cultural Counsellor at the Embassy of Portugal in France, and Bruno Cavaco, Honorary Consul of Portugal in Lille. During the morning, the Secretary of State for Culture visited the Portugal Film Commission’s meeting space and the stand of the Association of Independent Television Producers (APIT).