Genre as a Trojan Horse | Balancing Art and Mainstream
Balancing a unique voice with mainstream appeal is a challenge for any creator. But can genre, often seen as formulaic, actually offer more freedom to be original and push boundaries? This panel will explore how creators can maintain their authenticity while leveraging genre’s broad appeal to connect with worldwide audiences.
Speaker
Álvaro is a renowned Spanish artist, director, and screenwriter known for his innovative storytelling and distinctive style. His body of work spans across short films and television series, showcasing his versatility and creativity.
Among the short films by Álvaro Carmona, "El Tratamiento" stands out, having made the shortlist for the Oscars in 2023.
In the realm of television, Álvaro Carmona has created written, and directed the two seasons of the award-winning show "Gente Hablando," which was nominated for an International Emmy. The series focuses on conversations between ordinary people, lauded for its authentic dialogue and the way it captures the essence of human interaction, earning a dedicated following and critical praise.
The latest project by Carmona is "Déjate Ver," a series that blends humor and drama with surrealist touches to explore the absurdity of modern society and the world of art. The series was selected for the Berlinale Series Market, highlighting its international appeal and innovative approach.
Creator of more than a hundred hours of TV shows, Olivier Fox is a screenwriter, showrunner, and director. He has written numerous episodes for series such as “Avocats et Associés” (FTV), “Le Remplaçant” (TF1), “Q.I“ (OCS), and “Osmosis“ (Netflix), as well as the fifth season of “Spirals” (Canal+), for which he won the International Emmy Award. He also wrote “Le Horla” (Arte) and is the showrunner for the anthology series “Métamorphoses“, which offers contemporary versions of Jekyll and Hyde, Faust, and Dorian Gray (FTV/RAI/ZDF).
He created one of the world's first 26-minute hybrid comedies, mixing live-action and 3D animation, “7 & Me” (FTV/RAI/ZDF).
As a director, after the short film “Kozak” for Canal+ (awarded in over 20 festivals and the Cinephiles Award at the Critic's Week in Cannes Film Festival), he directed the first season of “NU” for OCS, a futuristic series he created and co-wrote, which has been sold in many countries. He also directed the series “Comme des Gosses” for M6.
Before joining Germany’s distribution and production house Beta Film GmbH as International Creative Executive & Content Editor in 2011, Anna Rohde studied dramaturgy, philosophy, and literature at Munich's Theatre Academy and at Ludwig Maximilian University Munich. Before her studies, she worked as assistant director in many national and international TV and feature films. She is member of Germany’s VeDRA (Verband für Film- und Fernsehdramaturgie e.V.), jury member of the International Emmy’s semi-finals, and mentor of the post-graduate Serial Eyes writing program. As creative executive, she has been working on many internationally successful shows from the CEE region, most recently on the multi-awarded “The Silence”(2021-2023) and “Golden Boy” (2021), Jasmila Zbanic’s Venice premiered “I Know Your Soul” (2023), and the Canneseries-awarded “Operation Sabre” (2024).
Jesse is the International TV Co-Editor at Deadline, overseeing breaking news and features coverage out of Europe and Asia. He joined the site in 2022 from UK TV trade Broadcast, where he was Insight Editor, overseeing features and long-form reporting, for four years. A veteran entertainment industry journalist, he has also worked at Television Business International, where he was Editor, and at C21Media. He has moderated panels around the world and appears on radio and podcasts talking about the TV business. Jesse is based in London.