Serial Eyes
Programme · 2027Prestige 78/100
Nine full-time months in Berlin learning to run a series room. 4,500 euro fee, and Berlin rent is not included.
Deadlines & fees
Opens soon
Applications for SE#15, starting September 2027, open in December 2026. No closing date, time or timezone has been published yet. The previous round ran from December to early March, with decisions by the first week of May.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 8 Aug 2026.
It costs €4,500 if you get in
That is charged after selection and is separate from any entry fee above. The fee covers tuition, travel and accommodation for the two study trips and the Brandenburg writers' retreat, and festival accreditation for Series Mania. It does NOT cover living in Berlin, which is the real cost: the programme is full-time and residential for roughly nine months, and Serial Eyes publishes a typical Berlin rent range of 600 to 1,000 euro a month, excluded from the fee. Visa costs are also excluded. Three tuition waivers a year fully cover tuition. Payment can be split into two instalments over the summer. VAT treatment of the fee is not stated.
Key facts
- Formats
- TV Pilot
- Required materials
- CV with work, training and filmography, with produced episodes outlined · Personal letter of motivation covering expectations and three to five year goals, maximum 3,800 characters · Tuition waiver letter if requesting one, specifying the financial reasons · Analysis of a recent scripted television drama series covering the main character emotional arc, arena, main conflicts and series structure, maximum 3,800 characters · Two original television series concept proposals of 2,200 to 2,500 characters each, one more market-oriented and one more passion-driven · A full-length screenplay in English, or in the original language with a 10-page translated excerpt, in standard industry format · A letter of recommendation in English from a producer or broadcaster
Applicants need at least three years of paid professional experience writing, directing or producing scripted content, and must own the credit for at least one produced episode of a serialised format for a television channel or platform, as a writer or development producer. Open to writers and to development or executive producers with writing experience. Applicants must hold a passport from an EU or associated country (Iceland, Norway, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine or Tunisia); up to three places a year are granted to applicants from outside that group. Fluent English, spoken and written, is required and all materials must be in English. Full-time attendance in Berlin is required for the whole programme. Story ideas do not have to be set in Europe, though the programme targets the European market. Visa support is offered but visa costs are not covered.
Prizes
No cash award, prize, stipend, bursary or living allowance of any kind. This is a cost, not an income: participants pay the programme fee and cover their own living costs in Berlin for the duration. Three tuition waivers are offered each year, awarded on the applicant's potential in the European audiovisual industry, financial circumstances, background and the state of their local film industry; thanks to Creative Europe MEDIA support the waiver fully covers tuition fees. No other scholarships or funding are available, and German federal student aid does not apply because this is a postgraduate programme.
Judging
Applications are screened by Serial Eyes readers, all industry professionals. Around 20 shortlisted candidates receive a creative brief and a short writing assignment taking two to three days, followed by a roughly 20 minute online interview with Head of Studies Katrin Merkel and a second tutor, with final decisions in early May. Selection also weighs the overall composition of the group by gender and country. Core tutors have included Frank Spotnitz, Sarah-Louise Hawkins, Donna Sharpe, Freya Stewart and Cyril Tysz. No written feedback is offered to applicants.
The PreList verdict
Serial Eyes is Europe's flagship showrunner school, and the graduate list backs that up. Nine full-time months at the dffb in Berlin, twelve writers and up to four producers a year, two writers' rooms, a midterm and final pitch to industry partners, and study trips including Series Mania. You leave with a pilot script, a series bible and a network. Core tutors have included Frank Spotnitz. If your ambition is running a room in Europe, this is the most direct training that exists.
The honest part, and it is the sharpest in our directory: the 4,500 euro fee is the smallest part of what this costs you. The programme is full-time and residential in Berlin for the better part of a year, and accommodation is explicitly excluded. Serial Eyes publishes a typical Berlin rent of 600 to 1,000 euro a month itself, so the housing alone runs well past the tuition, and that is before you eat. There is no stipend, no bursary, no cash award and no living allowance of any kind, and German student aid does not apply because it is postgraduate. Three tuition waivers a year exist, fully covering tuition, and if you need one you should say so in the application.
Apply if you already have three years of paid professional experience and at least one produced episode of a serialised format, and you can fund most of a year in Berlin without earning. That combination is the real filter here, more than the application itself. One thing in its favour over the TorinoFilmLab labs: this is the only one of the three a writer can enter entirely alone, with no director or producer attached. Applications for the intake starting September 2027 open in December 2026.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
What does it really cost?
The programme fee is 4,500 euro, payable in two instalments, covering tuition, the study trips, the Brandenburg retreat and Series Mania accreditation. But it is full-time and residential in Berlin for around nine months and housing is not included. Serial Eyes publishes a typical Berlin rent of 600 to 1,000 euro a month, so accommodation alone exceeds the fee, and there is no stipend of any kind.
Are there waivers?
Yes, three each year, awarded on your potential in the European audiovisual industry, your financial circumstances, your background and the state of your local film industry. Thanks to Creative Europe support they fully cover tuition. You request one at application with a letter setting out the financial reasons. No other scholarships exist, and German federal student aid does not apply.
Can I apply from outside Europe?
Yes, but under a quota. The standard gate is a passport from an EU or associated country, and up to three places a year go to applicants from outside that group. Visa support is offered though visa costs are not covered.
What credits do I need?
At least three years of paid professional experience in writing, directing or producing scripted content, and the credit for at least one produced episode of a serialised format for a television channel or platform, as a writer or development producer.
Is your script right for Serial Eyes?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this programme: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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