Theinternational jury of the Serial Killer festival chose from six titles. This year's winner and winner of the Primetime Killer Award was the Czech series from the Oneplay production Monyová about the Czech writer Simona Monyová. It is a six-part series inspired by the life of the Brno writer, who struggled with domestic violence for many years and was murdered by her husband in 2011. Oneplay will air the series next year.
The main role of Simona Monyová is played by Tereza Ramba, her first husband by Kryštof Hádek and her second husband by Igor Orozovič. Alongside them, the story will feature Klára Melíšková, Václav Kopta, Jenovéfa Boková, Anna Fialová, Simona Kollárová, Vojtěch Machuta, Martin Myšička, Denisa Barešová, Tatjana Medvecká and others.
"It was not only the local context that led us to award the main prize to this title. The delicate and sensitive portrayal of Simona Monyová's story is based on both her creative genius and the tragic fate of her life. It reveals the artist's relationship to the real-life experiences that inspire her, and also touches on the complex relationships between men and women in our time," said Victoria Elmacioglu, judge of the NATPE International Forum, justifying this year's selection.
"This is only the second time in the eight-year history of the festival that the main prize has gone to a Czech series. I am very happy and I believe that this is one of the many proofs of the increasing quality of Czech television production. Friday's screening at the Husa na provázku Theatre in the presence of all the creators and Simona Monyová's family was an extraordinary experience," says Serial Killer Festival Director Kamila Zlatušková.
The aforementioned past success of the Czech series also concerned TV Nova and Oneplay, as Michal Reitler, director of content development at TV Nova and Oneplay, recalled: "The year before last, the main prize of Serial Killer went to Metoda Markovič: Hojer. It was the first winning Czech project in the history of the festival. It started a ride that continued with an incredible audience success, culminating in three Czech Lions. Two years later, Monyová won. I am very happy that we have once again managed to offer a story that can succeed in the international competition of strong series titles."
Monyová; Source
This year, the jury also gave special mention to the Estonian series Drahá mami, which appealed to them for its courage and consistency of acting performances. They considered it courageous to put a complex female character at the centre of a powerful drama. The series successfully tackles the prejudices in society associated with drug addiction and prostitution.
The Quick Killer Award for Best Short Series this year, presented by judge and world expert in this category Joël Bassagnet, went to the second series of the Estonian-Finnish webseries Kalamaja Blues by creator Vivian Säde, set in the renowned Tallinn district where the main characters' relationships are tested by love, trust and unpredictable turbulence.
This year, the Progressive Killer 2025 Award for outstanding television personality from the CEE region went to Serbian screenwriter and producer Ivan Knezevic. He won it for his extraordinary courage to tell stories that really matter. In today's complex political situation in Serbia, his work not only pushes the boundaries of creativity, but also proves that television can be a powerful voice for truth and change.
This year, the Serial Killer Festival presented 42 series from 24 countries. The TV Days conference featured more than 70 speakers from the UK, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France and Portugal, as well as from Central and Eastern Europe - Estonia, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Latvia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. This year, for the first time, the one-day expert programme was also held in Bratislava, where, among other things, the creator of the iconic Simpsons series Mike Reiss entertained visitors with his masterclass.
The ninth edition of the international Serial Killer Festival will take place next year in Brno from 23-28 September 2026.
Source: mediaguru.cz