Highly talented storytellers with new, uncompromising quality standards

Eight outstanding new series from around the world have entered the competition for the New Creators Award Mannheim-Heidelberg which will be awarded for the first time this year. With this additional competition, the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival is about to establish a unique platform for creative, intelligent television and web series – and for their creators' enormously fertile potential. From October 10 through 17 – in some cases months before their television launch – the series from Australia, Denmark, Germany, Canada, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland will be celebrating their World Premiere or German Premiere in Mannheim and Heidelberg.

“For the past 63 years, the special character of our festival and its worldwide reputation have been built on the continual discovery of new directorial talent in arthouse cinema”, says Festival Director Dr. Michael Kötz. “Now we take this special focus and apply it to the world of series for the first time in the 64th year of the festival. And in doing so we will put the spotlight on especially talented creators and showrunners – who have taken on this function for the first time or are not yet known internationally. The competition covers all lengths and formats which meet a high level of visual and storytelling quality.“

Torsten Zarges, curator and coordinator of the new competition, has selected the eight participants after an intensive international research process. A high-caliber, independent jury will make their decision on the winner during the festival. The jury consists of Marcus Ammon, Senior Vice President Film at Sky Deutschland, Rola Bauer, CEO of Tandem Productions, Prof. Nico Hofmann, Co-CEO of UFA and Juliana Lima Dehne, screenwriter and creative producer.

All the series of the competition:

• Anomalia (Switzerland / Point Prod, RTS) – The first locally produced mystery series in Swiss Romande, tells the story of a brain surgeon who discovers that she has witchcraft powers. Pilar Anguita-Mackay (Creator), Pierre Monnard (Director) and Jean-Marc Fröhle (Producer) will introduce their work at the festival. [World Premiere]
• Boy Machine (Sweden / FLX, TV4) – This comedy series is driven by both music and punch lines as it follows an aging boy group as they attempt a pop comeback. Eleonor Sager (Executive Producer) and Michael Lindgren (Director) will come to Mannheim and Heidelberg. [World Premiere]
• Club der roten Bänder / (Germany / Bantry Bay Productions, VOX) – A dramedy filled with joy of life centered around six terminally ill teenagers in hospital. It is the first locally produced TV show in the history of VOX. Richard Huber (Director), Jan Kromschröder and Gerda Müller (Producers) will be at the festival. [World Premiere]
• Familie Braun (Germany / Polyphon, ZDF) – The eight-part web series takes on the subject of right-wing radicalism with a dose of not quite politically correct humor. Two neo-Nazis are confronted with the chocolate-brown 6-year old daughter of one of them, when she shows up at the doorstep of their apartment. Manuel Meimberg (Creator, Author), Uwe Urbas (Creator, Producer) and Maurice Hübner (Director) will take part in the festival. [World Premiere]
• Follow the Money (Denmark / DR) – The ten-part business thriller from “Borgen” writer Jeppe Gjervig Gram revolves around insider deals in the energy industry. Jeppe Gjervig Gram (Creator) and Anders Toft Andersen (Producer) will be present at the festival. [Mannheim-Heidelberg Special Premiere]
• Le Clan (Canada / Productions Casablanca, ICI Radio-Canada Télé) – The six-part family thriller tells the tragic story of a former gangster caught between two identities. Joanne Arseneau (Creator) and Charles Ohayon (Co-Producer) will introduce the series. [German Premiere]
• Occupied (Norway / Yellow Bird, TV2, Arte) – How does a society change when under occupation? In this political thriller, the nightmarish scenario plays out through the installation of a Russian energy protectorate in Norway. Karianne Lund (Creator), Erik Skjoldbjærg (Creator, Director), Marianne Gray and Gudny Hummelvoll (Producers) will come to the festival. [German Premiere]
• The Principal (Australia / Essential Media and Entertainment, SBS) – The four-part mini series shows a principal’s fight in a tough school in a rough neighborhood as a blend of crime thriller and social drama. Kristen Dunphy (Creator, Writer) and Ian Collie (Creator, Producer) will be present at the festival. [German Premiere]

“The selection of these eight series reflects the unbelievably creative variety in 2015's series landscape”, says Torsten Zarges, Curator of the New Creators Awards. “Highly talented storytellers are pushing the art of serial drama forward on a global scale with their new uncompromising pursuit of quality. We are happy and proud that eight outstanding representatives of this guild have accepted our invitation to the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival.”

Each night from Saturday, October 10 through Saturday, October 17, the festival will screen one of the participating series in Mannheim and in Heidelberg. The screenings of the first episode (or the complete web series) start at 6 p.m. and at 9 p.m. (except for 10.17. as an exception at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.) Each showing is followed by an indepth workshop conversation with the creators. The award ceremony of the New Creators Awards will take place on Saturday, October 17 at 8:30 pm.