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Filmförderung im digitalen Zeitalter bedeutet Filmförderung in Zeiten tiefgreifender kultureller Veränderungen. Helge gibt einen Einblick in seine Überlegungen dazu und reflektiert darüber, wie sich die öffentlich-rechtlichen Förderstrukturen der Filmbranche nicht nur an die Veränderungen anpassen sondern sich neu definieren und den Wandel in der Branche proaktiv gestalten können.

Helge Albers ist seit April 2019 Geschäftsführer der Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein. Seine Erfahrung als international tätiger Produzent (inkl. eines Deutschen Filmpreises für den besten Dokumentarfilm, des erfolgreichsten Dokumentarfilms des Jahres, einer Oscar-Nominierung als Co-Produzent, einer Lola für den besten Dokumentarfilm u.a.), seine Tätigkeit als Geschäftsführer des Produzentenverbands, die Arbeit als Gremiumsmitglied (u.a. bei der FFA, dem World Cinema Fund und der Deutschen Filmakademie) haben ihn letztlich zur nördlichsten Filmförderung Deutschlands gebracht.

www.ffhsh.de

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In seinen "Speed Insights" wird Raymond reflektieren, wie sich seine Arbeit als Film- und Medienproduzent in den letzten fünf Jahren verändert hat, wie sie sich in den nächsten fünf Jahren seiner Meinung nach verändern wird und wie er plant damit umzugehen.

Raymond van der Kaaij hat über ein Jahrzehnt Erfahrung in Entwicklung, Finanzierung, Produktion und dem Vertrieb von audiovisuellen Medien. Er ist der Gründer von “Revolver Amsterdam”, einem Content-Studio und Kreativlabor. Das vielfältige Portfolio an erfolgreichen Projekten deckt die gesamte Bandbreite zwischen Kunst und Unterhaltung ab und umfasst Spielfilme, Dokumentarfilme, VR, digitale Medien, Werbung und Branded Content.

www.revolver.nl

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In ihren "Speed Insights" wird Rikke reflektieren, wie sich ihre Arbeit im Bereich Development, Packaging, Finanzierung und Weltvertrieb in den letzten fünf Jahren verändert hat, wie sie sich in den nächsten fünf Jahren ihrer Meinung nach verändern wird und wie sie plant damit umzugehen.

Rikke Ennis ist Gründerin und CEO von REinvent Studios, einem skandinavischen Mini-Studio, das auf Development, Packaging, Finanzierung und Weltvertrieb von Filmen für den globalen Markt spezialisiert ist. REinvent Studios ist ein Accelerator für große Talente und Ideen und hat eine Leidenschaft für TV Serien, Spielfilme und Scripted Content. Von 2008 bis 2018 war Rikke CEO von TrustNordisk, dem wichtigsten Weltvertrieb in Skandinavien und Teil der Geschäftsführung von Zentropa. 2012 gründete sie Zentropa China.

www.reinvent.dk/

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Erwin M. Schmidt is the managing director of Produzentenverband / German Producers Associaton.

www.produzentenverband.de

Helge Albers is the Managing Director of MOIN Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein Film Fund since spring 2019..

www.moin-filmfoerderung.de

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As of March 2020, Bero is the CEO of the Netherlands Film Fund. From 2015 to early 2020, he was the General and Artistic Director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Before he joined IFFR, he served a three-year term as a Film Consultant at the Netherlands Film Fund (2013-2015). Prior to this, Bero worked as an independent producer. Through his company Augustus Film (created in 2000) he has produced a number of award winning films, like "Rana’s Wedding" (2020), which premiered in Cannes in the Semaine de la Critique, and the first Palestinian Oscar nominated feature film, "Paradise Now" (2005), which premiered in the Berlinale Competition and went on to win the Golden Kalf, the Golden Globe and was nominated as Best foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards.

www.filmfonds.nl

Anna Hellge is a Communications Specialist with the United Nations Environment Programme and based in Nairobi. Together with the TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) Team she strives to make nature’s values visible. Anna has previous experience as Communications Consultant for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) as well as the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Her passion lies in storytelling and she has worked as a Freelance Reporter for various German and international publications, with a focus on human resilience and solutions, instead of problems.

www.teebweb.org

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Film i Väst, Scandinavia’s major regional film fund and one of the bigger regional film funds in Europe, has conducted in 2020 and 2021, together with Nostradamus/Gothenburg Film Festival and Cine Regio (the European network of regional film funds) a study focused on the challenges that public film funding is currently facing. The study Public Film Finance at A Crossroad - Ideology vs Reality is based on interviews made with 600+ key professionals in Europe representing all sectors (production, distributors, international sales, cinemas, broadcasters, streaming services, international film festivals, and public funds). The study follows the assumption that the ecosystem for production, dissemination and screening of films is undergoing a paradigm shift – a rapid evolutionary change that fundamentally affects the power dynamics in the film industry and the broader conditions as we have come to know them. At the same time, public funding systems today operate in a dramatically different, partly outdated landscape, one that in the near future risks becoming even more foreign to principles, priorities and financing systems. The accelerated rate of change in the wider world during the pandemic emphasizes the importance of rethinking the public funding system. Tomas Eskilsson of Film i Väst will present the most important findings of the study and shed a speculative light on the future of the entire ecosystem, with a special focus on public funding and Arthouse films.

Tomas is Head of Strategy & Film Policy at Film i Väst since 2017. After working as a teacher and researcher, he started Film i Väst in 1992 and was CEO until 2016. In this time, Tomas was involved in the co-production of around 600 feature films, documentaries, and TV dramas, plus 400 short films. The list of films includes "Dancer in the Dark" (Lars von Trier), "Melancholia" (Lars von Trier), "In A Better World" (Susanne Bier), "The Hunt" (Thomas Vinterberg), "A man called Ove" (Hannes Holm), "Fucking Åmål" (Lukas Moodysson), "A Royal Affair" (Nicolai Arcel), "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" (Niels Arden Oplev), "The Square" (Ruben Östlund) and most recently, four time EFA-award and Oscar winner "Another Round" (Thomas Vinterberg).

www.filmivast.com

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Paris-based European Producers Club (EPC), an association of 130 influential independent film and TV drama producers from all over Europe, has issued earlier this year a Code of Fair Practices for streaming services when commissioning content from independent producers. In the light of a growing dominance of non-EU streamer in the European audiovisual landscape, it is obvious that a thriving environment for the independent audiovisual industry requires strong regulatory frameworks (like the implementation of the investment obligation from the AVMS-Directive) and sustainable contractual practices (for which the Code of Fair Practices establishes the basic parameters). Alexandra Lebret of the European Producers Club will present and discuss the Code of Fair Practices and explore the impact it has had since it was published earlier this year.

Alexandra is the Managing Director of the European Producers Club since 2002 and has transformed the association into the European lobby power-house, think tank, and network it is today. The EPC gathers more than 150 independent production companies from 33 European Countries and Canada. Alexandra is also the Founder and Managing Director of Mare Nostrum Productions and Halley Production, two Paris-based production companies which have coproduced 10 films in the last 5 years. In 2013 she was decorated Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government for her work and dedication in favor of the European cinema. She is a member of the European Film Academy, the French Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques and the Acadèmia del Cinema Català.

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Public Service Broadcasters are undergoing a fundamental digital transformation and face gigantic challenges and opportunities. In the age of a rapidly growing on-demand media consumption, they strive to acquire a renewed legitimacy, to act as innovators and trusted brands at the same time, to cater to new and younger audiences, to digitize their processes and organizations… In this presentation, Dr. Florian Kumb (SVP Programming at ZDF) will explore how ZDF is proactively shaping and designing the digital transformation and the impact this process has on the content, commissioning, target audiences, and distribution channels of its program.

Dr. Florian Kumb has been working for ZDF in various functions since 2007- From 2018 to 2020 he was Managing Editor for the Program Directorate, where he was responsible for program strategy. Since March 2020 he is SVP Programming. The division includes media research, international program monitoring, program IT, program management, production planning, broadcast management and the planning department for ZDF’s main channel and the coordination for ZDF’s multichannel portfolio. Florian Kumb is a regular lecturer at film schools and universities. He is a member of the supervisory board of the joint industry committee AGF Videoforschung, a member of the supervisory board of the production company Nadcon Film and a member of the advisory board of the Erich Pommer Institute in Potsdam.

www.presseportal.zdf/biographie/dr-florian-kumb.de

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We’re living in an era of major consolidation in the media industry, with the landscape being reshaped by an ongoing trend of groundbreaking mergers, acquisitions and new alliances. Berlin based entertainment lawyer Christoph Fey will explore the effect of these tectonic shifts on a large and small scale and how they impact the future of film studios, streaming services and independent producers.

Christoph Fey is an entertainment lawyer at Von Have Fey and recognized internationally for his work in the business of film and television. Alongside being a lawyer, he runs Fred Film, an independent agency packaging finance for big budget drama series. Christoph is a founding partner of the Entertainment master Class, a non-for-profit, peer-to-peer executive education program, launched in 2005 as the first “Format Academy” worldwide. He has written widely on copyright law and the business of television, most recently the book Trading TV Formats for the European Broadcasting Union.

www.vonhavefey.com

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Arthouse films and cinemas have seen turbulent times in recent years. Most films have difficulties to perform well and to recoup their financial investments and the movie-going experience offered by most cinemas more often than not looses the battle with the convenience of the streaming experience. As of yet there is no end to this trend, which the pandemic has tremendously increased. In the closing session of the Explorer Konferenz, producers Louise Vesth of Copenhagen based Zentropa and Ingo Fliess of Munich based if … Productions will explore their personal vision of the future of Arthouse films and cinemas and discuss with the audience means and ways to reshape the production, distribution and experience of films.

Producer Louise Vesth (b. 1973) has worked as a producer at Zentropa since 2001 and is a member of the company’s board. She holds a BA in economics. International film productions have always had Louise Vesth's great interest, both in terms of funding and distribution. She manages to combine the commercial with the artistic and is keen to work with a younger generation of directors. Louise Vesth has had long term collaborations with directors like Christian E. Christiansen, Mikkel Nørgaard, Nikolaj Arcel, and Lars Von Trier. She produced Nikolaj Arcel's A Royal Affair (2012), which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. She has also produced the highly successful adaptations of Jussi Adler Olsen's Department Q, The Keeper of Lost Causes, The Absent One, A Conspiracy of Faith and The Purity of Vengeance. She has been Lars Von Trier’s regular producer since Melancholia and was at the Festival de Cannes 2018 with The House that Jack Built. Lately she has produced A Taste of Hunger by Mr. Boe and is currently working on the third season of The Kingdom by Lars Von Trier.

www.zentropa.dk

Ingo Fliess is a former journalist, author of non-fiction books, script agent and managing director of Verlag der Autoren. He founded if… Productions in München in 2007. The company initially focusses on documentary films, among the highly awarded films are How to Make a Book With Steidl (Gereon Wetzel and Jörg Adolph, 2010; Goldene Taube in Leipzig) and El Bulli - Cooking in Progress (Gereon Wetzel, 2011; sold to more than 20 territories). A Godsend (Oliver Haffner, 2015; Bayr. Filmpreis, Deutscher Schauspielpreis, Produzentenpreis München) ist a first success in fiction. Since then Ingo produces fiction and non-fiction, predominantly for cinema. Lately he produced I was, I am, I will be (Ilker Çatak, 2019; Deutscher Filmpreis in Bronze) and the directorial debut of Katharina Marie Schubert, The Girl with the Golden Hands which will be released in theatres later this year. Ingo Fliess ist a former fellow of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, a member of the German and the European Film Academies and a member of the German Producers Association.

https://www.ifproductions.de/

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Much like our world order and society at large, the film industry is constantly transforming. However, currently this seems to be more the case than ever. In her opening keynote, Vienna based futurologist Christiane Varga will dissect the mechanisms of transformation and highlight how systems can navigate this process. Transformation does not necessarily need to end in turmoil, disruption and crises. Ideally it leads to a reconfiguration and rearrangement of the individual particles that form a system. Given the particular context of the conference, Varga will also explore the transformation of the systems known as ‘public broadcasting’ and ‘public film funding’ and will describe how each of us can contribute to the transformation of these systems.

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(International) film financing has always been a dynamic process that is constantly adapting to changing circumstances and conditions. The current post-pandemic situation and the ongoing market disruption means that this has become the case more than ever. In the opening session of Explorer Konferenz #3, veteran and emerging producers as well as heads of film funds, share their personal views on the future of (international) film financing and explore which financing models and sources might play a major role in the coming years.

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Everyone loves talking about their success stories and achievements. But what about the darker sides of our careers? This session will focus on our failures and mistakes, and the value they can bring. Reflecting on her long career as an independent producer, Helena Danielsson of Viaplay Studios (Malmö) will explore the ‘Failing Forward’ approach to show how we can learn from failures and mistakes and share her experience of pulling the plug on a project much too late.

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The podcast world has exploded within the last few years. It has not only become its own solid industry, but has also become a source of inspiration and field of activity for many audiovisual storytellers. Jon Handschin of podcast Studio Bummens (Berlin) and Manuel Bickenbach of independent production company Frisbeefilms (Berlin) will explore the podcast industry at large. They will deep dive into their current true crime co-production and talk about the differences and similarities of storytelling in an audio-only format versus a film/series.

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Drafting contracts for all parties involved in a film production can be immensely challenging. Complex and individualized contracts have to be negotiated and closed with a large number of team members, actors, artists and companies, most often under time pressure. Katrin Wukojewic of Constantin Film (Munich) will share her experience using Vera, a cloud-based legal tech platform that streamlines the entire contractual process by allowing production contracts to be assembled in a modular way. The platform has been in development in-house at Constantin Film since 2017 for internal use and is now being launched onto the market. Developer Quirin Stiegler of New Digitals and Sebastian Bergau from Constantin Film will share their perspective.

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While virtual production is becoming increasingly common, more breakthrough technologies are just around the corner. Synthetic characters, AI-based VFX, Voice Cloning, GenerativeAIs and so much more could revolutionize how we produce. Timor Kardum of design and technology company MAGIG (Berlin) explores the convergence of the current mega-trends in filmmaking and storytelling into what he coined ‘Synthetic Production’ and how it impacts storytelling at large.

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We all know the hassle of managing, planning, and scheduling the production of content. Among the main challenges are sharing information, communication and collaboration, most of which still happens through endless and inefficient email loops. Jan Diepers of Studio Hamburg Serienwerft and Deborah Tolkien of Hager Moss Film (Munich) share their experience using Yamdu, a platform that helps creators manage their projects efficiently by providing one central hub for all their production needs. Florian Reimann of Yamdu itself will accompany their exploration.

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Metadata has been the talk of the town for some years now. Now, thanks to recent developments in tech, it could finally become a game-changer for the film industry as well. How will this impact film producers?

In their talk, Peter Effenberg and Irmela Wrogemann will discuss how producers can benefit from these promises and actively shape the shift towards data-driven film production. As the CEO and CMO of transfermedia production services (Potsdam), they will present their newly launched tech solution jay, which allows users to access metadata from the various stages of film production and use it for distribution or the creation of in-stream experiences. They will also explore how access to metadata could unlock new business models for broadcasters, enable the monetisation of production data, automated workflows, audience interaction and in-stream shopping. The goal is to shed light on many of these questions and explore the opportunities and challenges around metadata for producers.

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Whether to expand to new markets, increase profitability, minimize the risk of an industry downturn or simply to complement an existing product portfolio, companies diversify their business activities for a range of reasons. In this session, Anna Różalska of the talent agency Match & Spark (Warsaw) and Naima Abed of production company Paradise City (London) will share insights into their diversification strategy, challenges, successes, failures, business strategy and especially their overall perspectives on talent representation. They will explore what it means for arthouse and auteur filmmakers to be represented and how this impacts talent development and producing.

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In a follow-up session to their talk at Explorer Konferenz #2, Ole Hellwig and Henriette Ahrens of the online distribution company notsold (Hamburg) and Andy Green of AI company Chara.AI (Edinburgh/Lisbon) will give an exclusive insight into their approach on building an intersectional data model. They will also talk about their joint endeavor Data Agent.AI, a data-driven company that is building solutions for all sections of the film industry: development, distribution and discovery. They will discuss current algorithms, the need for diverse storytellers, the existing supply-demand gap, why Netflix is losing so many subscribers and why intersectionality in combination with artificial intelligence might be the solution to these problems.

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Agile project management is an iterative approach for planning and delivering a project by breaking it down into small sections and tasks. Writers Rooms today use their own semi-standardized methods to meet the demands of high quality, fast creative turnover and tight schedules. In this session, author and producer Juliana Lima Dehne, author Richard Kropf, and innovation consultant Lars Gaede will dissect the creative process of writers rooms from an organizational perspective and explore concepts and tools to manage the creative workflow efficiently.

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The British Film Institute has recently commissioned and published the Economic Review of Independent Film in order to better understand the sustainability of this vital artform at a time of great change. In conversation with producer Saralisa Volm of POISON (Berlin), Neil Peplow of the BFI (London) will present the most important findings of the report as well as the recommendations for policy intervention which could be implemented to reverse the negative trends identified.

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The recent amendment to the German Copyright Act (Urhebergesetz) provides a proactive reporting by producers to copyright holders about the revenues generated by a film. The Produzentenverband has commissioned London based fintech FilmChain with the development of a platform for automated reporting. Maria Tânjală of FilmChain will briefly introduce this platform in the making.

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Inspired by the conversation with Werner Herzog at the New York Public Library in 2007 ‘Was the Twentieth Century a Mistake?’, Berlin based entertainment lawyer Christoph Fey will follow up on his insightful, entertaining and provocative talks from Explorer Konferenz #1 & #2 by exploring whether public service broadcasting was a mistake. Spoiler alert: it was not. But looking at the current state of things, there is certainly a lot of room for improvement.

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Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring, but we all have ideas about what should and shouldn’t be part of a future worth living in. Knowing how to navigate the plurality of futures can help us to prepare for and, more importantly, to shape what lies ahead – without leaving anyone behind.

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The death of linear TV has been predicted for over a decade. But this year seems to be all about the downfall of streaming - with streamers cancelling commissions, the number of green lights shrinking considerably and development periods stretching out, their role in the industry is being put to the test. This keynote will shed light on current developments in the streaming and TV market and explore how the streaming business model is shifting from total buy-outs to co-productions.

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The annual Nostradamus Report monitors, analyses and predicts the near future of the faster-than-ever evolving audiovisual industries. In this tenth edition (and her talk) Johanna Koljonen of The Nostradamus Report (Gothenburg) explores how new production technologies powered by AI accelerate the restructuring of the traditional film and television industries. With market contraction, inflation, and recession affecting the industry, new business and financing models for production and distribution will be explored and adopted at a rapid pace.

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Research shows that diversity in the workforce allows teams to be more innovative, resilient, and perform better financially. Yet, many companies fail to leverage the potential of a diverse team. Does this also apply to the film industry? In her talk, Dr. Ricarda Schauerte of Matter of Facts (Münster) explores the impact of diversity behind and in front of the camera. She illustrates why having a diverse workforce is a prerequisite for creating authentic and novel stories that engage underrepresented audiences, how diverse casts perform at the box office and what obstacles teams that are diverse need to overcome.

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NewMotion aims to promote diversity in the German film and television landscape with a special focus on behind-the-scenes jobs. The recently launched program will offer a variety of services, including a program that allows participants from underrepresented and underengaged communities to shadow a film professional for a few days. The two founders, producers Roshanak “Rosh” Khodabakhsh of Port au Prince (Berlin) and Jorgo Narjes of X Filme (Berlin), will explore how this shadowing approach can lead to a more diverse and inclusive film and television industry in the long term.

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There has been no data available to map the diversity (or lack thereof) of the people involved in the German film and television industry - until now. Inga Becker of MOIN Filmförderung (Hamburg), will explore how OMNI, an initiative on inclusion data, launched by MOIN in collaboration with the Australian platform The Everyone Project, gathers, processes and publishes crowd-sourced data, and analyses the relevance and impact of detailed diversity and inclusion insights.

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With the rise of social media platforms, marketers ditched the fascination with the average consumer and instead focused on the individual. The Hamburg based Bubbleversum, developed by Jung von Matt, one of Germany’s top advertising agencies, is an immersive installation that allows creative story developers and marketers to deep dive into the personal digital filter bubbles of individuals. Robert Andersen of Jung von Matt (Hamburg) will explore the transition (in advertisement) from the audience to multiple audiences and from mass to micro-segmentation. He will illustrate how the Bubbleversum visualises the potential digital reality of specific individuals, using real-time data and cutting edge technology in a physical space. He will also reflect on how this tool could be used in the development and marketing of films.

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In most cases, decisions to develop and greenlight film and TV projects are based on past experience, assumptions and gut feelings. Using hard data in decision making is still looked at with suspicion by creatives and producers. Producer Ivy Vanhaecke of De Mensen (Brussels) and financier Koen Van Bockstal of the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (Brussels) will share their experience working with Publikum (Copenhagen). Their audience research techniques make data more usable for creative processes in the film industry, by combining AI-analysis and anthropological insights in the early stages of script development. In their talk, Ivy and Koen will explore how film funds can incentivize the use of these technologies as support for decision-making, and how production companies can benefit from such support and tools.

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There is often a gap between the aims of public funding and the wants and needs of the audience. In his talk, Swedish producer Paolo Vacirca of the Scandinavian Content Group (Stockholm) will share his audience-driven approach to development and production. He will explore how his company built a pipeline to finance successful (genre) projects for the big screen through private equity, without the restraints of public funding. He will show why market research and strategic marketing play key roles in truly understanding and reaching the audience and how he accelerates the next generation of storytellers.

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Draw for Change! is a six-part documentary series about female cartoonists in Mexico, USA, Russia, India, Syria, and Egypt. The series blends documentary and animation in exploration of themes such as female representation, femicide, censorship, and democracy. Producer Hanne Phlypo of Clin d’Oeil Films (Brussels) will explore how documentary film can drive social change and share her experience on packaging, financing, producing and releasing this project. Draw for Change! is produced in collaboration with European broadcasters and is being released as a TV-series, one-offs, a VR experience, an exhibition and a book.

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The podcast boom continues, with ever-growing audiences tuning in. The medium has long reached creative maturity and has become a source of inspiration and a playing field for audiovisual storytellers. In her talk, podcast veteran Maria Lorenz-Bokelberg of Pool Artists (Berlin) will dive into the intersections between podcasts and audiovisual media. She will explore how podcasts can function as an additional format for existing films and series to reach audiences. Together with author Nilz Bokelberg she will also explore how podcasts can be used to test stories intended for the screen.

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The Bastard (The Promised Land), directed by Nikolaj Arcel, starring Mads Mikkelsen, produced by Zentropa, in co-production with Zentropa Berlin and Zentropa Sweden, with sales handled by TrustNordisk, just world premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival. The film tells the true story of an impoverished captain, Ludvig Kahlen, who set out to conquer the harsh, uninhabitable Danish heath with a seemingly impossible goal: to build a colony in the name of the King. The film was financed before the war in Ukraine transformed the world and the film industry was turned upside down by the streamer boom, Covid-19, the energy crisis, inflation and a shortage of team and crew members. Due to these reasons the film was 25% over budget when shooting started and strong action was necessary by the producers to prevent the project jeopardizing their companies. The film was pre-sold to more than 50 territories. Producer Fabian Gasmia of Zentropa Berlin / Seven Elephants will explore the ups and downs of a production caught in earth-shattering changes, the mind-set necessary to stay on top of things in an epic production and the relevance of trust among co-producers.

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Generative artificial intelligence (AI) can produce high quality text, images, sound, software...The breakthroughs in the field since last November (when GPT-3 was released) have the potential to drastically change content creation. In his talk, creative technologist Timor Kardum of MAGIG (Hamburg, Berlin) will share his insights in the latest technological developments in this field. Using some of the newest tools, he will demonstrate how Generative AI can be used in the development and production of films and series.

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The podcast ZEIT Verbrechen features real criminal cases from Germany and takes a look at the people and motives behind the crimes. Since its release in 2018, it has been one of the most listened to podcasts in the German-speaking territory. Producer Jorgo Narjes of X Filme (Berlin) will share his experience producing a four-part anthology series for Paramount+ inspired by four of the podcast episodes, directed by four of Germany’s most exciting and distinguished filmmakers: Jan Bonny, Helene Hegemann, Mariko Minoguchi and Faraz Shariat.

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The 4-day work week movement has grown considerably in recent years, with increasing numbers of companies and organisations worldwide experimenting with or adapting this model. Research indicates that it leads to lower stress-levels and increased productivity. Is this also the case for the film industry? Producer Laura Bull of readymade films (Berlin), actress, director and producer Alice Gruia (Cologne) and line producer Kilian Grauel (Berlin) will share their experience producing with a 4-day week and explore how this model might apply to producing series and feature films on a larger scale.

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Stories have the power to change the world. But it is not only about the stories themselves, it is also about how works – films and series in particular – are having an impact based on the ways they are produced and marketed. Luana Lobo and Mariana Oliva from Maria Farinha Filmes (Sao Paulo) will dive into the particular business model and collective intelligence of their production company, that is fully dedicated to social impact entertainment, diversity and sustainability, and explore how they have implemented work principles based on these values, with an innovative form of leadership, and a focus on audience development.

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Dr. Insa Thiele-Eich, a meteorologist and climate researcher, is on track to become the first German female astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS).

In her opening keynote, she'll give us a glimpse into her fascinating life, sharing the highs and lows of her journey both personally and professionally. She'll also dive into what she's learned about handling risk along the way.

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Johanna Koljonen presents the latest edition of the Nostradamus Report, which has been analyzing trends in the audiovisual industry for over a decade. Last year's focus: market declines, shifting demographics, and opportunities from disruptive technologies. Media analyst Koljonen provides an overview of the current report. We’re looking forward what's in store for this year.

Johanna Koljonen is an analyst, broadcaster, and experience designer. She is the author of the annual Nostradamus Report for the Göteborg Film Festival, which focuses on the near future of the film industry. She gives international talks on changes in the media sector as well as on participation and narrative design.

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Hamburg is increasingly becoming the hub for film and TV production in Germany. In 2023, there were an impressive 2,292 shooting days in the film region of Northern Germany, with 551 in Schleswig-Holstein and 1,741 in Hamburg. This led to the creation of 16 feature films and eight high-end series that gained attention well beyond the country's borders (MOIN Annual Report 2023). In this panel, we will explore how the Hamburg film scene addresses risks in film production and successfully executes creative projects.

Lamin Leroy Gibba is an actor, screenwriter and producer. After his studies at The New School for Drama in New York City, he appeared in various theater, film and television productions. His award-winning short film DOGFRIEND, which he co-produced, wrote and starred in, was screened globally at festivals like the Tribeca Film Festival and the BFI Flare Film Festival. In 2023 Lamin was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient in the category Entertainment. His television series BLACK FRUIT, for which he is the creator, head writer, showrunner, and lead actor, will stream on ARD in 2024.

Ali Hakim is a German-Afghan film producer, director, and screenwriter from Hamburg. After working on smaller productions, including an animation project, he made his directorial debut with the feature film Bonnie and Bonnie. Since then, he has also directed for television. In 2023, he co-founded the production company Hakim + König Film with Max König, which currently has three projects in the financing phase. In addition to developing stories, Ali focuses on integrating artificial intelligence into artistic and business structures. Apart from his work in the film industry, Ali Hakim is also active as a lecturer, teaching camera acting and storytelling.

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Maritza Grass: The German-Dutch producer's short film "Free Nights" was selected for the NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER and screened in Warsaw & Cannes. Her graduation feature film "Die feige Schönheit," produced in collaboration with ZDF, was selected for EUROPEAN WORK IN PROGRESS COLOGNE. In 2022, she founded Carousel Film, which she has been running jointly with Vincent Edusei since 2024.

Lotte Ruf studies Film & Television Production at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF and is also part of several international festival juries. In 2022, she founded Goldstoff Filme GmbH together with director Mark Lorei. Her debut, the sequel to "Haus Kummerveldt", received the FIRST STEPS AWARD and was awarded the Grimme Prize Special.

The emerging Producers Maritza Grass and Lotte Ruf present insights from their master's thesis at Filmuniversity Babelsberg on the intersection of family life and film production. They designed a guide for producers in the German film industry, aiming to encourage a socially sustainable production culture on set.

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According to research by the BFI, many film funding programs disproportionately favor drama projects. Putting a greater emphasis on genre in the development space, and also decentralising development funding in order to do so, the BFI Film Fund launched the Next Wave Genre Lab. In this deep dive, Mia Bays will introduce this innovative initiative, and will discuss together with Charades' Joseph Pery on the basis of Sundance-winner “Kneecap" as a case study.

Mia Bays is an Oscar-winning and BAFTA-nominated film producer with over 30 years in the independent film sector. She produced the Oscar-winning short Six Shooter and received BAFTA nominations for Scott Walker – 30 Century Man. Since October 2021, she has led the National Lottery Filmmaking Fund at the BFI, overseeing a £54m strategy for film development and production from 2023 to 2026. Under her direction, 2023 marked the fund's most successful year, with numerous nominations and wins for films like Blue Jean and Rye Lane. Mia also supported emerging talent through the Microwave scheme and promoted gender equality in film with Birds’ Eye View.

Joseph Pery holds a master’s degree in Finance from Sorbonne University and a MSc in Management from ESSEC Business School in Paris. He joined Charades in December 2020 and is co-leading the Marketing and Publicity department since 2021. Joseph notably worked on several international marketing and promotional campaigns: Aftersun by Charlotte Wells (Cannes Critics’ Week 2022), Scrapper by Charlotte Regan (Sundance 2023 Grand Jury Prize), Memoir of a Snail by Adam Elliot (Annecy 2024 Cristal Award) and Kneecap by Rich Peppiatt (Sundance 2024 Audience Award) among others.

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Oğuz Yılmaz is a pioneer of the German YouTube landscape and a member of Y-Titty, once Germany's most successful YouTube channel with over three million subscribers. He won an ECHO award and performed at sold-out concerts. As the co-founder of the talent management YilmazHummel, he now nurtures creative talents and advocates for the conditions he once wished for himself.

In his Deep Dive, Oğuz Yılmaz will provide insights into his industry and explain why creators who want to achieve sustainable success cannot avoid long-form content. What is “time spent with the creator” and why is it so important? What do YouTube & Spotify have to do with it? And what does he think of TikTok? Spoiler: It's going to be interesting.

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The structure of international co-productions requires a special sensitivity in assessing risks and rewards. How can co-production shares be brought into a fairer balance beyond just the evaluation of invested financial amounts? Are there new metrics that assess the risks of the respective partners in addition to financial contributions? What role do official regulations and institutions play in a possible reorganization? The experts in this session are part of an EAVE think tank that has explored this topic and will present solutions currently in development.

Henrik Underbjerg is adviser and programme manager for International Media Support – a media development organization working to enable local media to reduce conflict, strengthen democracy and facilitate dialogue. Priority is given to film productions focusing on issues of current affairs, gender equality, cultural diversity, and human rights. Henrik is also producing and has a track counting more than 50 fiction and documentary films including Khartoum Offside, Aleppo’s Fall, Sepideh.

Jennifer Sabbah Immagine is an expert in co-production and international legal matters with over 20 years of experience, including roles as Line Producer, Business Affairs, and Producer. She has worked at Arsam International, Unifrance NY, TWC, and KinoElektron. Since 2007, through Big Sister, she produced documentaries like NASSER (TIFF 2016) and MARINER OF THE MOUNTAINS (Cannes 2021). In 2020, she co-founded Scale & Scope, a film consulting agency.

This session is brought to you by EAVE European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs

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Animation isn’t just for one genre or one audience—it’s a medium that can bring any story to life. In Fabian's Deep Dive, you’ll get an insider's look at the fascinating world of arthouse animation and beyond. Fabian will dive into the unique challenges of creating auteur-driven animation, where risk meets creativity, and the rewards that follow. Learn how to stand out on the international stage and discover how animation techniques and formats play a key role in success. From creative freedom to innovative storytelling (and the inevitable failures along the way), this session is packed with inspiration for anyone passionate about animation.

Fabian Driehorst is a producer of animation and CEO and co-founder of the Hamburg based production studio Fabian&Fred a company that was recognised with the FFA Industry Tiger as the most successful production company for short films in 2023. In the same year Fabian was awarded the Hamburg Producer Award for International Co-Production and in 2019 for the Documentary Producer Award at DOKfest Munich. He is chairman of the AG Animationsfilm and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the European Film Academy. Fabian is a regular lecturer at international film schools and training initiatives. In 2023 he became a mentor for Women in Animation.

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Florian Reimann, CEO of Yamdu, is a seasoned producer in the European film industry, recognized for his work across film, TV, commercials, and documentaries. His expertise has led him to focus on digitizing media production processes, improving pre-production workflows through Yamdu. A sought-after guest speaker, he shares insights on data consolidation, project management, and workflow optimization. Florian is a member of the HPA Hollywood Professional Association and participates in MovieLabs, Hollywood's top workflow think tank.

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Tobi Kyeremateng is a BAFTA-winning producer from London. She has been producing internationally for renowned broadcasters and media such as BBC, BFI, Channel 4, Film4, Netflix, NOWNESS and Sky Arts.

In an interview we're eager to hear her thoughts on how a community-focused approach can foster a more supportive industry. We also want to explore how production practices could be reshaped by communities across different fields and what benefits we might see from these changes. What “reward” awaits us as a result?

Lara-Sophie Milagro is an actress, author, director and producer. She studied at Goldsmiths College and RADA in London, Stella Adler in NYC and the UdK Berlin. She can be seen regularly in theater and film productions, currently at the Theater Neumarkt Zurich and in the bestselling movie adaptation “Woodwalkers” (blue eyes fiction). As a freelance author/creative producer she works for / with Studio Zentral and Achtung Panda! and developed the performative talk format “Declonized Glamor Talks”. As a film director she made her debut in 2020 with the short “Noah's Rainbow” and in 2022 with her first feature film “Emmett” for which she also wrote the film adaptations.

This session is brought to you by Creative Europe Desks Germany

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On stage, extraordinary experts come together, deeply engaged with the question of how to shape the future constructively and with vision – whether through scientific scenarios or cinematic storytelling. In this session, they discuss the role optimistic futures play in times of global challenges and how these futures can influence our present reality. What ethical and social responsibilities do they see in their work when it comes to creating positive futures? How can the interplay between vision and reality motivate people to actively contribute to a better future? What can science and film learn from each other to create positive future visions that offer more than just entertainment or speculation?

Dodo Vögler is the co-founder of Ellery Studio and the head of the Foresight and Participation department. She is also a co-initiator of the platform "zukunftsforscherin.de" and the "Speculative Futures: Berlin" forum. As a visiting professor at the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd (2021-24), she works at the intersection of futures research and futures design. Her work and initiatives have received numerous national and international awards, including the Emerging Scholars Prize in Futures Studies, the Malofiej International Infographics Award, the dpa-infographic award, the European Design Award, and the ADC Award.

Screenwriter and psychologist Naomi Bechert has worked in anti-racist and queer feminist education before she began writing for the youth series "DRUCK." In 2023, she was selected for the Netflix Writing Academy and is part of the selection committee for the Berlinale section "Generation." She is one of the authors of the post-migrant anthology series "Made in Germany" (release on October 4, ARD) and the pre-teen series "Echt Friends." From fast-paced young adult drama in the club scene to mystery thrillers in West Africa, Naomi is passionate about contemporary, provocative stories of Generation Y and Z, focusing on themes of identity, feminism, and relationships.