European Showrunner Programme

Source: Photo credit: Heiko Specht

(From left to right), back row: Pedro Lopes, Frederik Hunschede, Malina Nwabuonwor, Matti Laine, Rachel Paterson, Sylvain Caron, Matus Krajnak; front row: Senad Halilbašić, Tunde Aladese, Agnieszka Kruk, Dávid Csicskár (Mona Masri is missing)

Screenwriters including Domina’s Rachel Paterson and The Gryphon’s Senad Halilbasic are among 12 series writers from 10 countries selected for the 2023 edition of the European Showrunner Programme at International Film School Cologne (ifs).

The training and mentoring programme is run by Borgen showrunner Jeppe Gjervig Gram with showrunners Jeff Melvoin (Killing Eve), Petja Peltomaa (Syke/Nurses) as well as Philipp Käßbohrer and Matthias Murmann (How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)).

The programme is designed to train up a new generation of showrunners in Europe. Show runners, who have creative and managerial repsonsibility for a TV drama, have become increasingly important in European series production as budgets and creative ambition have increased.

The ifs programme, which kicks off this week and runs for six months, helps experienced series writers to expand their skills in core areas of showrunning such as creative leadership and to deepen their knowledge of production, directing and editing. 

The part-time, blended learning training is supported by the EU’s MEDIA Programme and the regional German funder Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. Netflix also supports the programme both financially and in terms of content. In addition to Series Mania in Lille and the Film Festival Cologne, the ifs has Seriencamp in Cologne and the Film Festival Gothenburg as new festival partners.

European Showrunner Programme participants 2023:

Tunde Aladese, Germany
MTV Shuga / Alone Together (head writer), Transatlantic (writer, story editor)

Sylvain Caron, France
The Cage (creator, head writer), Balthazar (writer)

Dávid Csicskár, Hungary
Tóth János (writer, director), Elephant (creator)

Senad Halilbasic, Austria
Der Pass / Pagan Peak (writer), Der Greif / The Gryphon (writer)

Frederik Hunschede, Germany
Think Big! (creator, writer, executive producer), Nix Festes (producer)

Matus Krajnak, Slovakia
Sexfluencing (head writer, producer, director), Other White (head writer, producer, director)

Agnieszka Kruk, Poland
Na Wspólnej (writer)

Matti Laine, Finland
The Paradise (head writer), Bordertown (writer)

Pedro Lopes, Portugal
Glória (creator, showrunner), O Códex 632 (creator, showrunner)

Mona Masri, Sweden
Snabba Cash (writer), Copenhagen Cowboy (writer)

Malina Nwabuonwor, Austria
Sam – A Saxon (writer), Para – We are King, Season 2 (writer)

Rachel Paterson, UK
Domina (writer), Fallen (head writer, co-executive producer)