Seriencamp highlights industry’s future as attendance reaches new peak
June 12, 2026 16.44 Europe/London By Jörn Krieger

Discussions about artificial intelligence, emerging television projects and the future of scripted content took centre stage at this year’s Seriencamp Conference in Cologne, which attracted a record number of attendees.

Nearly 1,000 accredited industry professionals attended the Seriencamp Conference, while the accompanying Seriencamp Festival drew around 4,000 visitors, reinforcing the event’s growing importance within the European television industry.

Alongside debates on the impact of AI on series production, industry executives, producers and writers pitched new projects, explored co-production opportunities and presented series in development during the three-day conference, which ran from 9 to 11 June 2026.

The public-facing Seriencamp Festival showcased around 20 series premieres, including German productions All Heroes Are Bastards and The Flaws, both of which received extended standing ovations. International titles including Happiness, Trespasses, Annie and Fadia were also screened, with several making their German or world premieres in Cologne.

Actors and creators attending screenings and red-carpet events included Helena Zengel, Merlin Sandmeyer, Aylin Tezel, Kebir Sefer Sargin, Collien Fernandes, Tim Sander, Detlef Soost, Max von der Groeben, Jannik Schümann and Veronica Ferres.

The French drama Happiness won the Seriencamp Audience Choice Award. The series, centred on an Iranian student in Paris, finished ahead of The Flaws in second place and Club der Roten Bänder – Die Neue Generation in third.

The Seriencamp Critics’ Choice Award, selected by a jury comprising Arabella Wintermayr, Dominik Porschen and Patrick Heidmann, went to the British-Northern Irish drama Trespasses.

Other honours presented during the week included the Official Competition Award for Arne Feldhusen’s comedy The Flaws. In the Short Form Competition, the jury awarded a joint victory to Australian dark comedy Buried and German-Austrian production Sheep.

“We are thrilled to see awards go to series like The Flaws, which take stylistic risks, or Happiness, which is incredibly attuned to current events. Of course, we also want to thank the Cologne audience, who turned out in large numbers over the three days of the festival, filled the theatres, and showed so much enthusiasm. That’s why we’re looking forward all the more to next year with the promise of making the Seriencamp Festival 2027 even bigger and better,” said Seriencamp Co-Managing Director Malko Solf.

Seriencamp Artistic Director and co-founder Gerhard Maier added: “We’re always thrilled to see the results of months of preparation and planning. This applies both to the selection of topics and speakers and to the selection of projects. Above all, however, we’re thrilled that our visitors discover what’s particularly close to our hearts, creating a warm atmosphere and a pleasant environment where the industry enjoys meeting, networking and showcasing its work.”

The European Series Development Award, presented by the Council of Europe, went to the German political thriller Radio Free Europe. The Co-Productions Pitch Award was awarded to Icelandic band biography Gusgus, while Czech horror-comedy concept Paralegal received the Writers Vision Pitch Award. The award includes €50,000 in development support.

Anke Greifeneder, Vice President of Local Original Production for GSA & France at Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO Max, received the 2026 Deadline German TV Disruptor Award.

The event is backed by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, which have served as principal sponsors since 2023.

The next Seriencamp and Seriencamp Conference will take place in Cologne from 8 to 10 June 2027.