Ice Seguerra, Liza Diño’s ‘Never the Bride’ makes history at TorinoSeriesLab

Ice Seguerra and Liza Diño just made history on the global television stage after their dramedy series “Never the Bride" became the first Southeast Asian project ever selected for the prestigious TorinoFilmLab’s TorinoSeriesLab 2026. 

Diño, 44, shared the milestone on social media, calling the selection “surreal” and saying she was deeply proud that "Never the Bride" is both the only Asian project in this year’s lineup and the first Southeast Asian project ever accepted into the program’s history. “Yes, our Bride is heading to Europe. Hope you can support us in this journey,” she wrote.

SeriesLab 2026 is organized by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema with support from the Creative Europe MEDIA sub-programme, in partnership with the Polish Film Institute, VAF – Flanders Audiovisual Fund, and Comunidad de Madrid.

“Never the Bride" is a Philippines–Italy–Taiwan co-production produced by Fire and Ice Media and Volos Films. Representing the series in the program are creator and writer Liza Diño and director Ice Seguerra, alongside Italian-Taiwanese producer Stefano Centini.

Diño also thanked TorinoSeriesLab, their production team, and industry partners Series Mania and the Taiwan Creative Content Fest for supporting the project’s journey. According to Diño, the series has been quietly in development for the past three years.

Fire and Ice Media — the entertainment company founded by celebrity couple Diño and Seguerra, 42 — said in a post, “Southeast Asia has arrived on the European series stage. Never the Bride. The Bride is heading to Europe.”

TorinoFilmLab announced the official SeriesLab & SeriesLab Story Editing selection on May 13, marking the 10th edition of the program. The Head of Studies Eszter Angyalosy said the organization was proud to continue working with creators from around the world who are shaping today’s television landscape.

This year’s edition brings together 27 participants from 16 countries, including Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Philippines, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and Ukraine.

As part of TorinoSeriesLab 2026, the "Never the Bride" team will join intensive residential workshops in Poland, Spain, and Italy, where they will collaborate with international creators, producers, broadcasters, and industry executives.

The selection follows the project’s participation at Series Mania 2026 in France and its major wins at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest 2025, where the series received the Series Mania Award and the MyPick Project Award.