Running July 3–11 along the Adriatic coast, the Italian Global Series Festival returns for its sophomore edition with a leaner lineup and sharper focus. As international attendees hit up Rimini and Riccione, the showcase once again transforms the Riviera Romagnola into a beachfront crossroads for the television industry.
“We wanted to open this festival to the world,” says IGS artistic director Marco Spagnoli. “It’s not just about promoting Italian creation, but also the region, the culture and the spirit of collaboration. We need people to meet. Last year, you could see an American actor, a Spanish actor and an Italian director all together. Television rarely creates those opportunities.”
Building on his 2025 inaugural edition — either a reboot or a spinoff of the RomaFictionFest, which held its finale in 2016 — Spagnoli has streamlined the selection to give attendees more breathing room. The international competition now features 21 series from 15 countries, down from 32 titles last year. He describes the move as a “rationalization” that brings IGS more in line with other major international festivals.
‘Emergency 53’
IGS takes a flexible approach to premieres. The U.K.-Spanish detective drama “Benidorm Is Murder” and Brazilian medical thriller “Emergency 53” will make their world debuts at the festival, though exclusivity is not a requirement for competition. International premieres include the spy thriller “Secret Service,” directed by James Marsh and starring Gemma Arterton; Korean thriller “Speaking Dead” from Lee Jung-hyo; and historical epic “Raza Brava,” which follows Santiago’s violent soccer ultras during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile.
