On the Croisette, the Canneseries Festival has quietly stepped into its own spotlight. Since 2025, when MipTV moved to London, the pink-carpeted TV festival has sharpened its identity as a standalone event spearheaded by artistic director Albin Lewi.
A month before the Cannes Film Festival takes over the town, Canneseries had managed to welcome U.S., U.K. and international talent who come to town to present their shows. This year’s edition drew Adam Scott, Judith Light, Noah Hawley and Leslie Linka Glatter, alongside global pop phenomenon Jisoo, underscoring the festival’s widening cultural reach. Canneseries also kicked off with Richard Gadd’s hugely anticipated HBO drama “Half Man” simultaneously with its U.S. debut, and hosted high-profile premieres including Apple TV+’s “Star City” and AMC+/Shudder’s “The Terror: Devil in Silver.”
The festival has ultimately built momentum through relationships as much as programming. One of Canneseries’ biggest coups this year was welcoming “The White Lotus” producer David Bernad who spoke for the first time about the upcoming season of the Mike White’s anthology series which is currently filming in St Tropez. Lewi met White here in 2021, when the filmmaker was scouting locations, and later helped broker introductions that contributed to bringing the show to France.
The festival has also built a “boutique” industry strands, bringing together a curated group of producers and talent who take part in workshops and networking events, as well as masterclasses. “People are in the right conditions, so meetings are more meaningful than in a traditional market where everything is back-to-back,” he says. “Here, things happen more naturally. We create the environment, and then it goes beyond us — people meet, develop projects, even start companies.”
Canneseries, who’s now led by French industry veteran Laetitia Recayte – replacing retiring festival chief Benoit Louvet from 2027 — will host its tenth edition from February 11-16.
Getting the producer of “The White Lotus,” David Bernad, to speak at Canneseries was a great coup. How did that happen?
He was incredible on stage. The fact that he came – with everything going on — is a real gift. He told me on the way that it was the first time he was going to talk about all of this…
You’ve had a relationship with Mike White for a while — can you walk me through that?
I met Mike White at Canneseries in 2021. At the time, he was hesitating between Sicily and Paris. He came for a talk and was scouting hotels. It was between Season 1 and Season 2. We stayed in touch quite closely, and eventually they chose Italy. After that, I didn’t really know where things stood for the next season. Then they came back to Cannes over the summer, and that’s when things took shape.
And Canneseries played a role in bringing the project to France?
Yes. Last summer, we facilitated the connection with the American team. I acted as an intermediary so they could meet the right people in Cannes – especially from the city — who offered them a very tailored setup. We really helped unlock things. All the doors were opened for them, and that’s what allowed the project to move forward in a concrete way.
Do you have a sense of the production scale?
I think it’s planned over seven months. They’ll shoot partly in Paris as well. Season 3 was already very long to shoot, and it only covers a week in the story — so it’s incredibly complex to pull off. That’s what’s fascinating: the scale is big, but the storytelling is very concentrated, which makes the whole process even more demanding.
You’ve spent time with the team — what struck you about how they work?
What I love is that they’re real artisans. You’d think it’s a huge machine, but actually they operate in their own bubble. They’re very protected from the outside noise. Mike has a very unique universe, and Dave protects that. They’ve been working together for a long time. Mike focuses entirely on his creative world, and Dave builds everything around it. It’s a very strong alchemy. There are big resources, of course, but the process itself remains very intimate, almost handcrafted.
You also brought in Noah Hawley to the festival — how did that happen?
I’d been reaching out to him since 2018. He would respond, but he was never available. Then last year in L.A., I visited Jeff Russo, the composer, who presided over the jury last year. I actually went out of my way to see him, and during that meeting he said, “Why don’t you go after Noah?” That was the trigger.
He opened the door, and from there everything moved very quickly.
That word-of-month is partly how Canneseries has built its reputation in the U.S.?
Exactly. It’s all word of mouth and trust. People come, they have a great experience, and they talk about it. They leave with a big smile and the feeling that it’s a different kind of Cannes — more relaxed, more accessible, but still very high level. And now, with the pink carpet and the energy around the festival, it’s becoming something really special.
You’ve also had strong Korean participation — with huge viral stars like Jisoo. How did that come together?
We’ve done a lot of work around Korean series over the years. We traveled there, built relationships, met people. Then someone from the industry suggested we try, and once you have that first connection and a solid track record, it becomes easier. It was months of work, very tailored, very hands-on — and she left absolutely thrilled. That’s really how it works: consistency and trust over time.
Do you feel Canneseries is becoming more attractive to American talent?
Yes. They know us now, they respect us. At the same time, the broader context is shifting — there’s less production happening in the U.S., and more interest in going international. France is very attractive right now. And what’s important is that they don’t come here to stay among themselves. They’re looking to connect, to meet international talent. They’re more open, and that changes everything.
How does your industry program fit into that?
It’s boutique — small groups, but very high quality. People are in the right conditions, so meetings are more meaningful than in a traditional market where everything is back-to-back. Here, things happen more naturally. We create the environment, and then it goes beyond us — people meet, develop projects, even start companies.
Are there already concrete collaborations that came out of Canneseries?
Yes. For example, Act4 was created here by two Icelandic producers who decided to partner after meeting at the festival. There are many others. It’s sometimes hard to track everything precisely, but we can clearly see that things are happening and that it’s generating real results.
How do you plan to evolve the industry side moving forward?
We don’t want to change the identity. It’s about gradual elevation, not disruption. Everything has grown organically so far, and we want to keep that same trajectory without breaking what makes the festival unique.
How do you balance industry and public audiences?
Industry sessions are more intimate, curated; really designed for professionals. At the same time, screenings are open to the public, and they’re full. We even had to turn people away in the evenings. So it’s about maintaining both: a high-level professional environment and a strong connection with audiences.
Canal+ is your historic partner — how does that work editorially?
They give us complete editorial freedom. We work with everyone – Disney, Apple, HBO, AMC — while maintaining a strong relationship with Canal+ for their major launches. It allows us to stay very open while also supporting key partners.
What defines Canneseries today?
We’ve grown year after year without losing our DNA. We mix popular and high-quality programming, international talent and French productions. We fully use Cannes as a setting.
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