“While the Men Were Away” co-creator Alexandra Burke further achieved international acclaim with the drama/comedy series “Tulip Era” and won the Best Project award in the 2025 edition of Series Mania’s Serial Bridge Istanbul.
Co-produced with Turkish author Ali Ersivan under Burke’s new Midnight production and distribution banner, the story follows a South Korean star who is flown in to save an Ottoman epic in Turkey. When she proves to be as unpredictable as gambling itself, it’s the behind-the-scenes drama that becomes must-see on TV.
It was one of eight projects selected for the second edition of the International Series Development Lab, organized by the Series Mania Institute together with Institut Français Turquier and M2 Film Lab. A duo of screenwriters and producers from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran and Georgia came together for five days of mentoring, masterclasses and hands-on guidance from Turkish screenwriter Nuran Evren Sit and British financial strategist Leona Connell.
The award, voted by a jury comprised of representatives from Netflix Türkiye, OGM and SeriesMania, secures The Tulip Era a spot at next year’s Series Mania Forum in March, giving Burke and Ercivan the opportunity to pitch to producers and distributors around the world.
Mr Burke said it was “a real highlight” to see the project resonate so strongly with the Turkish industry.
“The development process through the Series Mania Institute, with its emphasis on international co-production, was invaluable,” she said.
“Winning the Best Project award marks an important step in Midnight’s strategy to develop IP with global potential.”
In comments published in Euronews, director Connell said he had enjoyed working with the “extremely talented writers, directors and producers” selected for Labo.
“As business leaders, we talked with them about how to finance the project and which strong international partners to contact,” she said.
“They were all very caring and open-minded, which made the process very efficient.
Tulip Era was selected for the TorinoFilmLab (TFL) SeriesLab earlier this year, allowing the creative duo to participate in residential workshops in Leuven, Madrid and Turin from June to November, collaborating with program curator Eilon Raczkowski and an international team of instructors.
