Calling all series makers & TV fans worldwide, the Berlin TV SERIES FESTIVAL is in its 9th season and back on the screen bringing audiences together to discover new series, short films , animation and music acts of newcomers. Be the first to see favorite tv shows, premieres + virtual screenings on our official festival channel on ARGO.

Berlin is the hot spot during summer for all top executives, creative producers, creative and talents to discuss future projects, perform, to network on the festival campus, and be part of our exclusive events.

September, 2025, the 9th Berlin TV SERIES FESTIVAL will celebrate TV Culture, music acts and education and the newest international tv shows, docu-series and short films with German & international premieres, specifically its talents, content creators and makers with the BERLIN SERIES "Panda Award".

Each year, the leading television producers from around the world showcase their programming and compete to be recognized at the PANDA Awards with its internationally acclaimed jury.

The industry has remarkable storytellers, astonishing excellence that has shaped what ‘peak TV’ is today and introduce new voices in episodic storytelling. Over the festival days, each event will feature in-depth conversation with the creators, the stars of favorite and upcoming tv shows, in-development pitches & talks and Masterclasses.

CREATR SUMMIT : Home to writers , new talents, creative producers, musicians, and top executives. During the summer in Berlin, the CREATR SUMMIT is filled with exciting talks, panels, keynotes, presentations , pitching sessions and more. Get in touch if you want to present your slate, your project , your company, or simply want to network!

Enjoy the Official Competition, World & German Premieres, Out of Competition Screenings, Classics and Open Air Screenings!

PANDA AWARD / TV SERIES AWARD
- Best Series (Drama / Comedy)
- Best Docu-Series
- Outstanding Acting Performance / Stellar Cast
- Outstanding Writing in a Drama or Comedy
- NEW: First Time Director
- Special Mention
- Outstanding Artistic Achievement
- Honorary Award Career

SECTIONS:
In Competition - The Series, Docu.Series and Short Film competing for the Berlin Series Award. They are projected at the Festival 's Main Theater.

Special Mention - The selection committee chooses for these tv series & short films an environ- ment specially adapted to their particular identity, and unique storytelling.

Official Selection - These TV SERIES are streamed on our partners platform ARGO, but do not compete for the main awards.

Window To The World - TV SERIES & SHORT Films selected from cultures near and far; original and different works. These TV SERIES are streamed on our partners platform
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Short Films - The shorts competing for Berlin Series Award.

Fandom Sections - These are alternative programs dedicated to discovering other aspects of tv & pop culture, classics & fandom in general.

Critics’ Choice - focus on discovering new talents and showcasing first and second filmmakers and series makers/writers from all over the world.

For any question regarding rules and regulations, please send an email to and only: dreesen3101@gmail.com

For all "Out of Competition" Premieres & Screenings and other sections read below!
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APPLY NOW:
Pitch-Your-Pilot 2025 | Co-Pro Pitch Forum (TV Concepts) , submitting series concepts.
More on: https://www.tvseriesfestival.de/pitch-your-pilot-engl
Entry Fee 35€

Emerging writers with a unique vision and a genuine voice can submit their pilot, and story bible in mentioned categories. If you're a veteran producer or writer and wanting to close your gab financially, our participating productions houses looking for cooperation, contact to discuss the registration in detail.

Also as an upcoming talent, who wants to leave his/her mark on the current TV and VOD market with great talent in their craft; the Second Day and pitching contest is for you.

HOW TO:
The Festival requires that the first 2 episodes of your series must be submitted via Fimfreeway for the Official Competition 2025. This streaming link must include a downloadable version of both episodes. Please prepare this link. Note: Submissions may be work-in-progress form; however, episodes that are not final cuts must be clearly labeled Work in Progress (“WIP”) or Rough Cut with an indication of what will change or what is missing in writing.

For any question regarding rules and regulations, please send an email to and only: dreesen3101@gmail.com

KEY (NEW) DATES SUBMISSION - Festival: September 2025
▪ August 15th, 2024 – Submissions (officially) open
▪ June 15th , 2025 Submissions close – all entries must have been completed and received by the festival at this time.
▪ ... Official selection announced

ELIGIBILITY To be eligible for consideration:
1. You must fully comply with these Entry Rules & Regulations, including all deadlines, episode duration, entry material and other requirements.
2. Non-English language works must have English subtitles at the time of submission (except for series in the German language). Dialogue lists will not be accepted.
3. The series must have a minimum of a “German Premiere status”.
4. All series must have been produced in 2024/2025
5. For series that have already premiered in the Country of Origin, to be eligible for the Official-Competition, the premiere date must have been after November 30th 2024 - please email us through dreesen3101@gmail.com
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EPISODE DURATION: 25min - 60min for Drama Series / Comedy Series / Docu Series.
Short Films: 5min - 38min.
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TV SERIES: All submitted series must consist of episodes intended to be at least 25 minutes in length. The festival will screen the first 2 episodes for series that exceed 40 minutes of length per episode, including credits. For series that run under 40 minutes, including credits, the festival will screen the first 3 episodes. Not longer than 1 hour, including credits.

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SHORTS:
All submitted shorts must not to be longer than 38min minutes in length. The festival will screen the short film including credits. We accept shorts across all genres, from animation, docu-short to fiction. The rule of our diversity norm in this specific section applies:

At least one actor/actress from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group must be cast in a significant role. At least one person of the general ensemble cast must be from underrepresented groups (women, racial, ethnic, LGBTQ+, or people with disabilities).
At least one person of the other departmetns behind the camera must be from underrepresented groups (women, racial, ethnic, LGBTQ+, or people with disabilities).

We want more representation in film, and WE WILL SHOW IT. Your films have the POWER to make it happen. We encourage the creators to have a social impact by using their talents to tell stories that matter.

THE FESTIVAL SECTIONS
Series invited to participate in the Berlin International TV SERIES FESTIVAL will be shown in the section determined most appropriate by festival programmers and is up to their sole discretion. In 2024, the festival sections will include the following categories:

IN COMPETITION
Drama Series
Comedy Series
Docu Series
Short Film

Official Competition World Premieres section: the series must not have been screened in any international festival nor have been broadcast in their country of origin before August 2nd 2024. Exceptions for local previews or market screenings in festivals in the country of origin and certain Partner Festivals may be considered.

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OUT OF COMPETITION TV SERIES
The series must not have been screened in any German Festival. The priority will be given to German premieres.

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SHORT FILMS

DIVERSITY STANDARDS for more exposure as it must be the NORM! We are showcasing the power of diversity. Projects with underrepresented groups and people in front and behind the camera will be reviewed and selected. The standards are designed to encourage equitable representation ON and OFF screen in order to better reflect the diversity of our global population.

RULES:
At least one actor/actress from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group must be cast in a significant role. At least one person of the general ensemble cast must be from underrepresented groups (women, racial, ethnic, LGBTQ+, or people with disabilities).
At least one person of the other departmetns behind the camera must be from underrepresented groups (women, racial, ethnic, LGBTQ+, or people with disabilities).

All independently produced drama & mixed genre SHORTS will be considered. The short Film must not have been screened in any German Festival, nor have aired on a streaming services in Germany before July 2nd 2025. The priority will be given to short movies with diversity standard proof in front & behind the camera. In order to meet the standard, the Short Film must have either at least 1 leadership position or head from underrepresented groups, and at least one actor/actress must be from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. The standards are designed to encourage equitable representation on and off screen in order to better reflect the diversity of our global population.

Short films that premiered exclusively in their home country, or with exceptions at certain festivals may also be submitted.

Submissions are accepted through FilmFreeway only. Links via email will not be considered. All submitters must be 18 + years old.
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VIRTUAL SCREENINGS ONLY ON ARGO (SERIES & SHORT FILMS)

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CULT & CLASSICS/Retro section & special screenings for FANS.

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AWARDS: Official Competition- The international jury will award: (SEE ABOVE)

FESTIVAL SCREENINGS
The screenings of the selected series will be held at our festival screening location and digitally during the festival period in September, 2025 in theaters (tba). The screenings will be presented by a representative of the series, or a member of the festival programming team and can sometimes be followed by a Q&A session.

The festival reserves the right to communicate on the selection ahead of the festival. The synopsis for each series will be written internally by the festival’s team. The right’s holders will be required to submit a 60-seconds sequence for communications purposes that the festival may use for trailers and promotional clips/videos.

SCREENINGS SUPPORTS
Public screenings: all the series will be screened in High Definition, in its original version with English or German subtitles. The right’s holders should provide the festival high definition supports in their original language and with English subtitles. The deadline to provide the required material is August 30th, 2025.

For any question regarding rules and regulations, please send an email to and only: dreesen3101@gmail.com

All independently produced drama & mixed genres series will be considered.
Submissions are accepted through FilmFreeway only. All submitters must be 18 + years old. The entry fees are not refundable and do not guarantee a placement in our festival screening schedule. After being selected , you will need to sign a screening agreement.

Additional Info Out of Competition Program:
Every series may participate, no matter when it was created or distributed.
At least two episodes have to be completed at the time of submission to qualify as a series. If only one episode exists, you are not allowed to submit your series, as it is non eligible (you might have the chance to be shown in the market screening).

All submissions must contain "English Subtitles" if the original is in a different language. The running time of each individual Series episode should not exceed 60 minutes. The episodes to be screened will be selected by the festival team. For each series we can only guarantee 60 minutes of screening time. The submission must contain full episodes. Trailers are not allowed. Each applicant may submit more than one series, but not more than two. They must be submitted separately.

All festival selection, nomination and award decisions made by the festival team and the international jury are final. Being a FINALISTS on our FilmFreeway means the committee considers to select your project to be part of the festival program / or run in competition, but only after our official festival letter is sent to you, the final decisions is officially confirmed!

All submission must be the intellectual property of the submitter, or submitters must have permission for use of all content rights including music contained in their series and has to confirmed though the festival screening agreement.

„Berlin TV SERIES FESTIVAL “ reserve the rights to use submitted content (including name, logo, posters and video clips) of the selected series for screening, presentation of awards and promotion, on socials in in the media.

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Participants of „Pitch-Your-Pilot Contest will be back in 2025“ / Co-Pro Market & Submissions agree to not hold the festival, its employees, directors and representatives responsible for any losses, damages, rights, claims and actions of any kind in connection with the contest and event or resulting from acceptance, possession or use of any prize.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Krik Krak Productions


    We are very happy to have been selected and to be semi-finalists although we missed a little more communication with the organization in order to know if our series would be screened. In any case, thanks to the festival for valuing our work.

    July 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Dear Team of Krik Krak,
    Thank you for recognizing our efforts this year, despite working with limited resources and a smaller team. We are proud to have continued celebrating the global film community and supporting talented filmmakers, and we look forward to the opportunity to welcome you and your team in person in the future, where we can hopefully celebrate your achievements together. In the meantime, we are excited to announce our new programs soon, with more screenings on-site.

    We appreciate your continued support and understanding. Keep up the excellent work!

    Best regards,
    Berlin Series Support

  • So many thanks to the Berlin International TV Series for including We Are Bleach in this year's Shorts Corner! Such an honor! We appreciate how efficiently everything was arranged and the high level of responsiveness, organization, and consideration for our needs as filmmakers!

    July 2022
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Zoe, it was an honor to have your project in the program of this year's edition! Wishing all the best with the great short film, and see you in 2023 hopefully!

    Best,
    Berlin Series Team

  • Caravan Fantasia

    We just received an email stating the status of a semi-finalist. Unfortunately, even when we asked several times, we did not receive an answer as to what this meant.
    Therefore we can't say anything about the event itself but only about the lack of communication, which is a bit annoying considering the high submission fees.

    June 2022
  • A wonderful festival with wonderful staff. Always a pleasure collaborating with you! Thank you for selecting "Abadai" for the 2021 festival!

    October 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Asaf!! Always great receiving your projects , it’s an honor to include them in our programme! Looking forward to hearing and seeing more of your achievements.
    Berlin Series Support

  • Berlin International TV Series Festival is fantastic festival.

    October 2020