Masters in Storytelling – Flemish Talent and Series at TV Drama Vision

TV Drama Vision 2024 spotlights the rich creative talent and vibrant upcoming series from Flanders in Belgium.

Our Focus on Flanders delves deep into the region’s dynamic audiovisual scene, spotlighting an extensive range of series currently in development and production, as well as high-end facilities, technical know-how, and funding options in Flanders. We will uncover the region’s latest productions, resources, and financing opportunities with a delegation of Flemish producers, creators, and decision-makers. Read more about the series here

Special session: Meet the Masters from Flanders

Focus on Flanders will unveil an in-depth session featuring a selection of the region’s eminent experts in audiovisual production. The session highlights the unique contributions that Flanders offers to international productions, emphasizing the region’s advanced technical capabilities and creative innovations. 

Joining on stage are Wim Michiels, Underwater DOP and Owner of the LITES Water Stage & Film Studios; Jules Debrock, the Managing Director of Flow Postproduction; Pieter Dewinter, Managing Partner at Famework and Flanders Tax Shelter, and producer Samuel Bruyneel at Lumiere/Lunanime.

It is a must-attend session to learn about the attractive Flemish co-production landscape with different funding sources, high-end studio facilities and top-notch post-production & VFX services. 

The Focus on Flanders is presented with the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), Flanders Image and Screen Flanders.

As the industry faces a crossroads, this session aims to dissect how the industry’s slowdown affects production companies. Which adaptive strategies are needed, and how can we facilitate a sustainable turnaround?

On stage we welcome, Ulf Synnerholm, Head of TV Drama, B-Reel; Synnøve Hørsdal, Producer, Maipo; Anna Croneman, Head of Drama, SVT and Helen Perquy, Producer, jonnydepony.

Moderated by Marike Muselaers. In collaboration with the European Producers Club.

Director Tomas Alfredson and screenwriter Sara Johnsen will join TV Drama Vision to do an exclusive case study of the upcoming series Faithless (Trolösa), an adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s 2000 story. Alfredson and Johnsen will share the stage with the series’s key team. 

The series, produced by Denmark’s Miso Film for SVT and ARTE, revisits the original film’s theme of a marital triangle marked by infidelity and betrayal. Alfredson, known for his internationally recognized works like Let the Right One In and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, is directing the series written by acclaimed Sara Johnsen (22 July, Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize 2020 recipient). 

Joining the stage are director Tomas Alfredson, writer Sara Johnsen, producer Christian Rank and actors Lena Endre, Frida Gustavsson, Jesper Christensen and Gustav Lindh. 

The session is presented in collaboration with Bergman Week and will be moderated by Jannike Åhlund, Chair of the Board, Bergman Center Foundation.  

How do the commissioners and creators move ahead to create content that truly resonates with Gen Z? Can we strike a balance between crafting universally appealing stories and meeting the specific, diverse needs of young audiences?

Young adults are reshaping the media landscape. Featuring insights from Sened Dhab, VP of digital scripted at France Télévisions; Henriette Marienlund, Head of Fiction at DR Drama; and Lisa Ambjörn, main writer and executive producer of Young Royals, we will look into the media habits of younger audiences, their demand for authenticity and diversity in content, and how to reach this underserved target group. Moderated by Marike Muselaers. 

We are delighted to welcome key Nordic and Northern European commissioners and streamers to the TV Drama Vision stage!   

As always, a vast selection of commissioners and executives will join us on stage to share their insights, the stories they hope to find and new collaborations including the New8 initiative and the Scandi Alliance.

The lineup of commissioners and streamers include: Anna Croneman, Head of Drama SVT; Hans-Jørgen Osnes, Head of International Financing Drama NRK; Marianne Furevold, Head of Drama NRK; Henriette Marienlund, Head of Fiction at DR Drama and Head of Development at DR Culture, Children and Family; Jarmo Lampela, Head of Drama YLE; Robert Franke, Vice President Drama ZDF; Dr. Simone Emmelius SVP International Fiction – coproduction & acquisition ZDF; Sened Dhab, VP Young Adults Scripted France Télévisions; Wim Janssen, Head of Drama VRT; Johanna Lind, Head of Drama, TV4 Sweden; Dunja Vujovic, Head of Development TV4 Sweden; Alice Sommer, Head of Drama TV2 Norway; Pernille Bech Christensen, Senior Executive Producer TV2 Denmark; Mette Nelund, Head of Drama TV2 Denmark; Janne Vakio, Development Manager MTV Finland; Jenny Stjernströmer Björk, Vice President Nordic Content Netflix; Håkon Briseid, Director Nordic Series Netflix; Karin Lindström, Head of originals Nordics Amazon MGM Studios / Prime Video; Sari Lempiäinen, Executive Producer Elisa Viihde; Vibeke Lia, Director Programming & Production The Walt Disney Company Nordic & Baltics.

Panel: What about AI?  

Join Robert Franke, Vice President Drama at ZDF Studios, Gerhard Maier, Artistic Director at SerienCamp; and producer Kateryna Vyshnevska, as they delve into the evolving world of AI in the audiovisual sector. Uncover what excites and troubles the panel, and what inspires their optimism as they discuss the latest advancements and diverse impacts of AI-powered technology. Moderated by Johanna Koljonen. In collaboration with SerienCamp, Kulturakademin, the Nordic and Baltic Creative Europe MEDIA Desks.

Steve Against the Machine – AI in development   

Banijay’s Content Executive, Steve Matthews, helps production companies move forward in the development phase. AI tools like AI canto are popping up in this particular space by the dozen. But what can they offer a seasoned development veteran like Steve? We’ll find out in a live experiment using a brand-new idea for a TV series. Moderated by Marike Muselaers. 

Rediscovering Life – Storytelling in the age of AI  

In a time when powerful tools of audiovisual creation are put into the hands of everybody and their uncle, which storytellers will still be able to pierce through the noise? Maybe even get paid for their work? The most tech-savvy ones or the ones who are the most… alive?  Fiery keynote by Tatjana Samopjan. In collaboration with Kulturakademin and the Nordic and Baltic Creative Europe MEDIA Desks.

Opening Thoughts: Framing Drama Futures 
Johanna Koljonen, Industry Analyst and author of the Nostradamus report. 

Keynote: Ampere Analysis’ Guy Bisson  
Market Changes, Market Challenges  – Global Entertainment and Drama in 2024 and beyond 

Recent events have reshaped the scripted content market, driven by factors like streaming saturation, fierce competition, and investor demands for profitability. This shift resulted in reduced content spending, job cuts, and a push for greater value from original productions. The US writers and actors strikes and the adoption of advertising by streaming services are indicative of these changes. As studio streaming businesses aim for profitability, growth is expected from ad-supported customers. This presentation explores current global trends and their implications for scripted content commissioning and studio, streaming, and broadcaster expectations. Presented in collaboration with Edisen and Kulturakademin.

Nostradamus Closing Keynote  
Industry Analyst and the author of the Nostradamus Reports Johanna Koljonen will close this year’s TV Drama Vision with a future oriented summary of the two conference days. 

They say that fishing is good in stormy waters, and chaos is the breeding ground for creativity. We all need positive energy, especially during a crisis, which is why the penultimate session of TV Drama Vision will be an uplifting one: what are the positive trends in the current market and are we returning to quality over quantity?

The panel includes Lars Blomgren, Head of International at MediaRes, Marianne Furevold, Head of Drama at NRK, and Johan Hedman, Head of Drama at Warner Bros. International Sweden. Moderated by Marike Muselaers.

The demand for Nordic-European collaborations is growing now that the business models are changing once again. In this session, Emmanuel Eckert, Deputy Acquisition Director, Mediawan; Andrea Scarso, Partner and Investment Director at IPR.VC; Karin Annell, Head of Commercial Business and International Affairs Wildside, will discuss the current challenges and opportunities when it comes to (co-)production, distribution and financing. Moderated by Marike Muselaers.

In collaboration with MIA Market.

Kulturakademin proudly presents “The Skills Reports,” focusing on the art of leading and developing tomorrow’s talents. Through these reports, Kulturakademin aims to provide relevant and future-oriented insights to those involved in the cultural sector, sparking discussions on engaging in lifelong learning and fostering proactive learning. In the presentation, Sofia Rasmussen, CEO of Rasmussen Analysis and Peter Hiltunen, Managing Director, Kulturakademin, delve into talent management within the cultural realm, exploring the techniques of attracting and leading today’s young generation. 

Download the report here.

New8 brings together eight public service broadcasters from North-Western Europe to co-produce and distribute high-quality drama series. The initiative aims to strengthen its offer to local audiences, build on a shared public mission, and create a bigger impact in the international media sector. The partners of New8 are ZDF (DE), NPO (NL), VRT (BE), SVT (SE), DR (DK), YLE (FI), RÚV (IS) and NRK (NO).   

The collaboration will be introduced on stage by Simone Emmelius, SVP of International Fiction at ZDF; Anna Croneman, Head of Drama at SVT; Wim Janssen, Head of Drama at VRT; and Hans–Jørgen Osnes, Head of International Financing Drama at NRK. 

Meet three commercial broadcasters in Scandinavia and hear about their content strategies and their new collaboration the Scandi Alliance initiated to create high premium local drama for their audiences. On the stage we welcome: Johanna Lind, Head of Drama TV4 Sweden; Dunja Vujovic, Head of Development TV4 Sweden; Mette Nelund, Head of Drama TV2 Denmark; Alice Sommer, Head of Drama TV2 Norway. 

Moderated by Marike Muselaers.

When their latest hit show, Kleo, called for a showrunner-led production, creators Hanno Hackfort, Richard Kropf, and Bob Konrad employed a unique three-person showrunner model. The “HaRiBo” trio, having collaborated for years, created, tested, and revised this work method by building on their strong friendship, extensive knowledge and refined collaboration skills acquired in their successful careers as series writers. This session, led by Marike Muselaers, aims to spotlight the collaborative aspect of the writer-led showrunner model – within the team and beyond. The discussion will focus on the requirements and benefits of this approach as well as on the challenges posed by recent developments in the series market.

In collaboration with the European Showrunner Programme at ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln.

Introducing new ways of accelerating TV series development with the broadcasters. Writer and creator Molly Malene Stensgaard and co-creator Jörg Winger will share their experience developing their project The Attaché for Miso Film in a highly European, collaborative, and trustful environment. We will get insight on how the EWC session resulted with them leaving with not only one, but two broadcasters attached to their project. Joining the conversation are also Pernille Bech Christensen (Senior Executive Producer in the Fiction Department, TV2/Denmark) and Dr. Simone Emmelius (SVP International Fiction, Co-production and Acquisition at ZDF).   

Moderator: Marike Muselaers.  

We welcome three series to hear their successful journey after pitching at TV Drama Vision. 

This is not Sweden, Spain, directed by Aina Clotet & Mar Coll, written by Valentina Viso & Dani González, produced by Marta Baldó, Aina Clotet, Sergi Cameron, Marc Clotet, Jan Andreu & Ventura Durall (Nanouk Films, Funicular Films, Anagram Sweden, RTVE, 3Cat, SVT, NDR, YLE) for RTVE (Spain), 3Cat (Catalonia – Spain), SVT (Sweden), NDR (Germany) & YLE (Finland). Sales 3Cat, RTVE.

Those Who Stayed, Ukraine, directed by Oleksii Yesakov, Artem Lytvynenko, Pavlo Ostrikov, Tala Prystaietska, Valentyn Shpakov & Katia Tsaryk, written by Anastasiia Lodkina, Artem Lytvynenko, Pavlo Ostrikov, Tala Prystaietska & Serhii Lushchyk, produced by Anna Eliseeva & Kateryna Vyshnevska (FILM.UA Group and Red Arrow Studios International) for SVT, Yle & NRK. Sales: Red Arrow Studios International.

Reykjavik Fusion, Iceland, directed by Samuel Bjarki Pétursson & Gunnar Páll Ólafsson, written by Hordur Runarsson & Birkir Blær Ingolfsson, produced by Hordur Runarsson (ACT4), Jónas Margeir Ingólfsson and Olafur Darri Olafsson for Channel 2 – Iceland. Sales: Wild Sheep Content (US).