Awards
Le Monde De Demain, Dark Heart, and Chair Tendre win at Series Mania Festival
PARIS & LILLE, FRANCE: Series Mania 2022 has come to an end. The international TV Series festivals that started on 18 March and concluded on 25 March garnered potential attention. The 2022 edition brought together 70,000 participants and 3,300 accredited persons from 64 different nations this year.
In the previous years, there were 2,100 accredited persons on-site in 2021 and 2,700 accredited persons on-site in 2019. The visits to the Series Mania Website and Series Mania Digital Platform totalled 260,000 views.
Speaking about the event, the founder and general director of Series Mania, Laurence Herszberg said, “As we close the doors to an incredibly successful edition, we would first like to thank the public and the professionals who attended in record numbers, but also want to thank the city of Lille and the Hauts-de-France Region for their unwavering support of Series Mania.”
She said, “We are delighted to be announcing our new dates for 2023, and in terms of final numbers, our numbers far exceeded our expectations for the Forum, and we could not be prouder.”
“While the highlights are numerous from this year for the Festival, Forum, and Lille Dialogues, I certainly want to acknowledge our Jury President and my dear friend, Ukrainian producer film producer Julia Sinkevych, who was truly an inspiration to everyone who met her. I’d also like to congratulate all the Festival winners, as well as the team from Paradys, winner of the Forum’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Series Mania 2023, ” she added.
The Series Mania 2023 dates will be announced shortly. Herszberg also announced on Friday the winners of the Series Mania Festival and the final number of participants.
We have listed below the Series Mania Winners:
French show Le Monde De Demain bagged the grand prize in the International Competition, which was created by Katell Quillévéré, Hélier Cisterne, Vincent Poymiro and David Elkaïm. The jury was chaired by Ukrainian producer Julia Sinkevych. The production from Les films du Bélier and Arte France airs on Arte and Netflix.
Michelle De Swarte was named best actress for The Baby (UK) broadcast on HBO and Sky, while for the Israeli show Fire Dance, Yehuda Levi won the best actor, which will be broadcasted on HBO and Sky.
Sweden’s Dark Heart won the best series created by Oskar Söderlund and Gustav Möller in International Panorama and is broadcast on Discovery+ in Sweden with Reinvent International Sales on sales.
Maria Von Heland’s Sunshine Eyes from Germany produced by Maze Pictures, Red Balloon Film GMBH and Tindra Film received the special jury prize. Another German show, Funeral For A Dog created by Hanno Hackfort, Bob Konrad and Thomas Pletzinge, bagged the best series that was awarded by the student jury. Sky Studios/NBCU represented international sales and Sky was the broadcaster.
Created by Yaël Langmann, the Chair Tendre won the best series honours in the French Competition. France TV airs it and sales are handled by France TV distribution.
The best actress was won by three actresses Inès Ouchaaou, Charlie Loiselier and Assa Sylla from Reusss. It is broadcasted by France. tv Slash and sold by France TV Distribution.
Moreover, Axel Granberger was named best actor for Les Papillons Noirs created by Bruno Merle and Olivier Abbou. Mediawan Rights handled the sales and represented it. Arte and Netflix are the broadcasters.
The best original music was won by Clement Doumic, Antoine Wilson, Sebastien Wolf from the group Feu! Chatterson.
Besides the above, in the Night of Comedies section, Kastina Communications’ High School Jury-Bloody Murray from Israel won the best series. The best series in short formats was won by Black Camel Pictures’ Float (UK) directed by Arabella Page Croft.
The Audience Prize is awarded to the audience’s favourite series among all the titles in competition – except for Short Formats- voted on at the end of the screenings went to The Birth Of Daniel F. Harris (UK). It is created by Pete Jackson and directed by Alex Winckler and Alexandra Brodoski. The broadcast is on Channel 4 and BBC Studios handles sales.
Awards
Ajay Kakar to chair jury for ad:tech Honours Awards 2026
Industry leaders join jury as nominations surge for marketing tech awards
NEW DELHI: The ad:tech Honours Awards 2026 are gearing up for a bigger second edition, with Ajay Kakar, head of corporate branding at Adani Group, set to chair the jury for India’s technology-focused marketing awards.
Organised in partnership with the International Advertising Association India Chapter, the awards celebrate the growing influence of technology in shaping modern advertising and marketing outcomes. This year’s edition has drawn a strong response from across the industry, signalling rising momentum around innovation in marketing technology.
The organisers say the nominations reflect a wide range of ideas and approaches, highlighting how brands and agencies are increasingly leaning on platforms, tools and data to sharpen their campaigns and connect with audiences more effectively.
Leading the evaluation process, Kakar will head a jury made up of senior leaders from across brands, agencies and technology platforms.
The jury panel includes Amaresh Godbole, CEO, digital technology business at Publicis Groupe; Bishwajeet S, head of marketing and PR at Volkswagen India; Carol Goyal, executive director at Rediffusion and CEO of Aesthetic Intelligence Lab; Kushal Sanghvi, director at Komerz; Lara Balsara, executive director at Madison World; Rana Barua, group CEO India, sea and North Asia; Deepak Oram, senior vice president growth marketing and martech; and Priyanka Khaneja Gandhi, head of marketing and creative solutions at Amazon Ads India.
The ad:tech Honours Awards aim to recognise not just creative campaigns but the smart use of technology that delivers measurable impact and business results. Categories this year reflect the rapidly evolving digital landscape, covering areas such as artificial intelligence, data-driven marketing, content ecosystems, automation, martech and adtech integration, and commerce-led marketing.
The winners will be announced on 17 March 2026 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in New Delhi during ad:tech New Delhi 2026. The event is expected to bring together leaders from brands, agencies, platforms, creators and technology partners for an evening celebrating the ideas and innovations shaping the future of marketing.iconductor industries.
