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‘The White Lotus' Fashion Designer Be Inthavong to Talk at Seriesly Berlin
The second edition of Seriesly Berlin, an event that focuses on series, running Sept. 15 to 18, will feature an appearance by the fashion designer behind the costumes of the latest season of 'The White Lotus.'
Laos-born designer Be Inthavong, creative director at Jim Thompson, will speak as part of the panel 'Dressed to Impress: Fashion as a Narrative Force.' Inthavong's collaboration with the art department of the third season of 'The White Lotus' — filmed in Thailand — saw his elegant kaftans and signature textiles become integral to the show's visual language.
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The panel explores how designers and fashion brands use series as creative platforms, how product placement evolves into cultural currency, and how series makers can benefit from stylish, story-driven collaborations in an era where series set trends in fashion, interiors and lifestyle culture.
The panel 'Storytelling 2030: Who Pays, Who Plays? Power, Platform, and the Price of Creativity in a Changing World' examines how the greenlight process now hinges not only on great storytelling but also strategic partnerships and navigating an evolving financing landscape. The panel features Benjamina Mirnik-Voges, VP original production, the Walt Disney Company Germany, and Sabine de Mardt, president of Gaumont Germany.
In 'Nordic-German Co-Producing,' in partnership with Göteborg Film Festival, key creatives and decision-makers from both regions discuss opportunities and challenges in Nordic-German collaborations. Speakers include Miira Paasilinna, COO of Anagram Group and managing director of Anagram Sweden, who brings vast experience producing and selling international productions, like Disney+'s first Nordic original 'To Cook a Bear' and Season 3 of SVT's 'Thin Blue Line.'
The panel 'Beyond the Usual Suspects: Reinventing Co-Productions' will tackle examples of co-productions between atypical territories, that signify a creative response to a demanding market, but also a response to a global audience's wish to see more cross-cultural narrative.
Additionally, a case study about the show 'Drops of God,' presented by its co-producer and serial storytelling mentor Klaus Zimmermann, will spotlight the trilingual (English, French, Japanese) co-production between Apple, Hulu and TV France, winner of the 2024 International Emmy Award. Rahul Patel, principal analyst, Ampere Analysis, will provide data support in mapping out the market reality and opportunities for co-pros in 2025.
In 'Stories for Tomorrow: How Collaborative Palestinian and Israeli Writing Transforms Television,' in partnership with the Albi Fund, Palestinian and Jewish creators from the fund's Shared Society on the Small Screen program show how collaborative storytelling can reshape how identities are portrayed and understood. They explore how art can challenge assumptions, foster empathy, and inspire change.
Actor-director Yousef Sweid ('The Goat,' 'Between the River and the Sea,' 'Unorthodox,' 'The Spy'), 'Non-Issue' co-creators Nayef Hammoud and Gal Rosenbluth, program director Keren Michael, and Albi founder Libby Lenkinski share how their partnerships imagine futures 'built on complexity, curiosity and connection.'
'What the Heck Is a Queer Show?! Queerness in Mainstream TV,' in partnership with Queer Media Society, tackles ongoing challenges in queer representation on television. Speakers include Stijn Van Kerkhoven, creator and director of 'Oh, Otto!'
In partnership with Fantasy Filmfest, the panel 'Building Fear That Stays With You: How Horror Works in Episodes' features Turkish director, producer and writer Can Evrenol ('Baskin,' 'Housewife,' 'Çiplak') and German director and writer Till Kleinert ('Der Samurai,' 'Hausen'), discussing how long-term dread, tension-building and mythologies unfold in serialized storytelling, enabling deeper character arcs and emotional horror.
This year's workshop series ranges from producer-focused sessions – such as 'Germany 2026: Film & Series Funding – Turning New Rules Into Opportunities,' offering hands-on insights into the latest developments in German funding from experts at the German Producers Alliance (Produktionsallianz) and PROG Producers of Germany – to writer-centric topics like 'Development Hell' by screenwriter and creative producer Elena Lyubarskaya ('Pauline,' upcoming 'The City of Blood'), which tackles a common dilemma for many scriptwriters: why projects get stuck in endless rewrites and how to break free.
Seriesly Berlin also includes the German premieres of several international series. Highlights include the Belgian queer drama 'Oh, Otto!,' the Colombian coming-of-age thriller 'Eve's Rib,' about young people discovering their sexuality while hunted by a serial killer, the German series 'House of Bellevue,' set in Berlin's dazzling ballroom scene, the Kazakh series 'Kazakh Scary Tales,' about an investigator being confronted with a supernatural case, and the Canadian documentary series 'Sanajiit (Inuit Makers),' immersing viewers in Inuit culture.
'With this year's program, we remain true to our mission of creating spaces for stories and themes that often have no place on other stages. We want to bring forward voices and topics that are usually left unspoken. Seriesly Berlin aims to show the unexpected, to spark conversations, and to push the boundaries of storytelling,' festival director Dennis Ruh said.
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