Festivals | SeriesFest

SeriesFest returns to Denver May 6–10 for its 12th season

Five days of independent TV pilots, network premieres and panels at Sie FilmCenter, capped by the annual Soirée and a closing awards ceremony.

By OnScreen Staff

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SeriesFest: Season 12, the Denver-based independent television festival, returns May 6–10, 2026, with screenings, panels and competitions across five days at the Sie FilmCenter and other Denver venues, including Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Founded in 2015 and run as a nonprofit, SeriesFest spotlights independent episodic storytelling and has premiered series later picked up by Netflix, Hulu, MAX, AppleTV+, AMC, BBC and Showtime, including Yellowstone. The 12th edition features more than 40 official selections in competition across drama, comedy, unscripted, digital shorts and late-night categories.

Highlights this year include the opening-night screening of season two of Netflix’s The Four Seasons, a screening of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale sequel The Testaments with Amy Seimetz, and a first look at Peacock’s Ponies. D’Arcy Carden will receive the Excellence in Acting Award at the SeriesFest Soirée on May 8. Panels include “The Directors of Shondaland,” an Innovation Talk with MicroCo’s Susan Rovner, and conversations on indie TV, microdramas and ESPN’s sports media operation. The International Spotlight program features series from France, Brazil and the United Kingdom.

The schedule below covers the full festival run. All events are at Sie FilmCenter unless otherwise noted; check the official schedule for venue details on individual events.

SeriesFest: Season 12

May 6–10, 2026 · Denver, CO

All events at Sie FilmCenter or Red Rocks Amphitheatre unless otherwise noted. Check the official schedule for venue details on each event.

Screening Panel / Talk Competition Special event Industry
1:30 PMPanelInnovation Talk with Liz Jenkins (Chief Business Officer)
2:45 PMCompetitionUnscripted: Block 1
4:00 PMScreeningInternational Spotlight: Jailbreakers
6:30 PMScreeningScreening: Womb Room
8:00 PMSpecialOpening Night Screening: The Four Seasons
9:30 AMSpecialPitch-A-Thon!
10:00 AMScreeningInternational Spotlight: Babies
11:15 AMCompetitionUnscripted: Block 2
11:45 AMCompetitionDigital Short Series: Block 1
1:45 PMCompetitionUnscripted: Block 3
2:00 PMPanelFaith in the Frame
3:45 PMCompetitionDigital Short Series: Block 2
4:30 PMPanelInside ESPN: Stories, Studios, and Sports Media
5:30 PMPanelBehind the Deals: Agents & Managers
6:30 PMScreeningScreening: Hulu's The Testaments
7:00 PMCompetitionDigital Short Series: Block 3
10:00 AMScreeningInternational Spotlight: Raul Seixas
11:15 AMCompetitionIndependent Pilot Competition Drama: Block 1
12:15 PMPanelNBCU 100 — Drama Writers
1:45 PMCompetitionIndependent Pilot Competition Comedy: Block 1
2:00 PMScreeningScreening: Ponies (Peacock)
4:00 PMCompetitionIndependent Pilot Competition Drama: Block 2
4:15 PMCompetitionIndependent Pilot Competition Comedy: Block 2
6:00 PMSpecialSeriesFest Soirée
6:30 PMScreeningInternational Spotlight: Lord of the Flies (NBC)
8:00 PMCompetitionLate Night Competition
10:00 AMSpecialCollege Television Awards Showcase
10:15 AMPanelImpact in TV: Littleton Road Productions
11:30 AMCompetitionIndependent Pilot Competition Comedy: Block 3
12:00 PMIndustryIndustry Expo
12:00 PMPanelThe Directors of Shondaland: Vision and Storytelling
2:00 PMPanelInnovation Talk with Susan Rovner
2:15 PMCompetitionIndependent Pilot Competition Drama: Block 3
3:45 PMCompetitionIndependent Pilot Competition Comedy: Block 4
4:30 PMPanelMicro Dramas, Major Impact
5:45 PMPanelState of Indie TV: Risk, Innovation, & Opportunity
6:30 PMScreeningScreening: My Father, Dick Allen
7:45 PMScreeningInternational Spotlight: Zorro
11:30 AMPanelExperience on Screen: Career Longevity in Today's Industry
12:00 PMScreeningScreening: Rainbow Socks
1:30 PMSpecialPitch-A-Thon Roadshow Showcase
2:00 PMScreeningNetflix' Little House on the Prairie Clips and Conversation
2:30 PMCompetitionPilots in Progress: Born Again
3:30 PMPanelCreative Control: Building Ownership in Film & TV
4:30 PMScreeningScreening: Spartacus: House of Ashur (Lionsgate)
6:30 PMSpecialAwards Ceremony

Full details, venue locations, and tickets at seriesfest.eventive.org. Schedule subject to change.

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