The Israeli producers and writers guilds have engaged in discussions with Series Mania organizers following remarks by the festival's chief suggesting that it was "impossible" for an Israeli show to be included in this year's official selection.
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When announcing the participants last week, Laurence Herszberg, general director of Series Mania stated that numerous ongoing projects in Israel were halted, rendering it impossible for Series Mania to feature an Israeli production. She cited several international crises, including the Israel-Hamas war and the Russo-Ukrainian War, as factors affecting the festival's selections.
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Israeli actresses Rotem Sela and Gal Malka during the 2023 Festival Séries Mania
(Photo: Gettyimages / Sylvain Lefevre)
However, Israeli sources have emphasized that production has continued over the past few months. Herszberg clarified in a statement shared with Deadline that while the number of projects submitted from Israel had decreased by 43%, there were still productions available for consideration by the selection committee, albeit fewer than in previous years.
Israeli sources have also emphasized that production has persisted over the past few months. And this year, eight Israeli series were submitted, a decrease from 14 the previous year.
“These titles were carefully reviewed, alongside 358 other series we received this year from countries all over the world,” said Herszberg. “Unfortunately, none of the Israeli series passed the selection process this year. It is important to note that our selection committee reviews each title individually with no preference given whatsoever to the country of origin.”
Herszberg expressed the festival's support for Israeli creativity. "We remain enthusiastic supporters of the Israeli industry and its talented creators, as well as actresses and actors, screenwriters, producers, directors and more. We welcome them warmly, as we always have at our festival," she said.
First published: 22:02, 02.11.24