Leo Barraclough

This year, for the first time, the European Film Market allowed producers and sales companies representing up-market drama series to sell their shows at the EFM with the introduction of Drama Series Days, a platform for serial content. It also introduced CoPro Series as part of the Berlinale Co-Production Market, with six handpicked serial projects. Matthijs Wouter Knol, the director of the EFM, spoke to Variety about the thinking behind the decision.

The EFM’s move sprung from a desire to reflect the growing integration of the TV, digital and film industries. “In reality — as we all know — people active in the drama series sector are increasingly people who are producing films as well,” Knol says.

He adds: “As the boundaries between cinema film and top-quality series are dissolving, the same is happening to the industry producing it. Therefore, for us it was a logical step to include high-end drama series in the Market and offer the Drama Series Days as a platform for those involved in their production and distribution. Our initiative is not about including television content in the EFM, it is about including high-quality series content, regardless of the medium showing it.”

More at http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/berlin-european-film-market-chief-matthijs-wouter-knol-on-embracing-drama-series-1201434132/