Our Speakers

Gisa Flake, born 1985 in Braunschweig, has been performing on stage in cabaret and theater productions since her childhood. She completed her acting training at the Bavarian Theater Academy in Munich in 2010 with a diploma. In 2009 Gisa won the national singing competition and in the same year she began working for film and television. She is known for her role in „Polizeiruf 110“, as a permanent ensemble member in the „Heute Show“, or from productions such as „Jerks“, „4 Blocks“ and „Wickie“. In 2024 she played the leading role on the stage of the Komische Oper, Berlin, directed by Axel Ranisch. In 2020, she won the German Acting Award for her role in "Sag du es mir". The Berliner-by-choice also works as a screenwriter and voice actress and tours with her chanson programs.

Álvaro is a renowned Spanish artist, director, and screenwriter known for his innovative storytelling and distinctive style. His body of work spans across short films and television series, showcasing his versatility and creativity.

Among the short films by Álvaro Carmona, "El Tratamiento" stands out, having made the shortlist for the Oscars in 2023.

In the realm of television, Álvaro Carmona has created written, and directed the two seasons of the award-winning show "Gente Hablando," which was nominated for an International Emmy. The series focuses on conversations between ordinary people, lauded for its authentic dialogue and the way it captures the essence of human interaction, earning a dedicated following and critical praise.

The latest project by Carmona is "Déjate Ver," a series that blends humor and drama with surrealist touches to explore the absurdity of modern society and the world of art. The series was selected for the Berlinale Series Market, highlighting its international appeal and innovative approach.

Before joining Germany’s distribution and production house Beta Film GmbH as International Creative Executive & Content Editor in 2011, Anna Rohde studied dramaturgy, philosophy, and literature at Munich's Theatre Academy and at Ludwig Maximilian University Munich. Before her studies, she worked as assistant director in many national and international TV and feature films. She is member of Germany’s VeDRA (Verband für Film- und Fernsehdramaturgie e.V.), jury member of the International Emmy’s semi-finals, and mentor of the post-graduate Serial Eyes writing program. As creative executive, she has been working on many internationally successful shows from the CEE region, most recently on the multi-awarded “The Silence”(2021-2023) and “Golden Boy” (2021), Jasmila Zbanic’s Venice premiered “I Know Your Soul” (2023), and the Canneseries-awarded “Operation Sabre” (2024).

Anthony’s debut feature film “Sunburn”, which he wrote, produced, and directed was commercially released across major VOD channels in North America and Canada (2020), and subsequently in the UK in early 2021, produced by Born Wild.

Currently, Anthony has several TV shows under development including “Hammersmith Nudes”, a UK/Irish venture produced alongside Danu Media, which secured development funds from Screen Ireland in 2021 and has renowned show-runner Brendan Foley attached, as well as Lucio's Treasure' co-produced by Red Arrow International Studios.

Arabella’s multifaceted filmmaking career began with a master's degree in journalism, has been crafting compelling narratives across documentaries, commercials and music videos for over a decade.

In 2020, Arabella made her scripted content directorial debut with “Deadlines", a comedy series for zdfNeo. The show swiftly captured attention and was heralded as a unique addition to German television. Arabella's directorial prowess earned her a nomination for Best Director, while DEADLINES garnered acclaim as the best comedy series at the Deutscher Fernsehpreis.

Building on this success, Arabella helmed DRUCK (season 7), a poignant coming-of-age drama series for FUNK in 2021. Her work on the series propelled lead actor Eren M. Güvercin into the spotlight, earning him a nomination for the Deutscher Schauspielerpreis 2022 in the category of Younger Generation.

In 2021, Arabella directed the highly praised documentary series HER STORY, with her portrayal of Dunja Hayali for Sky. The documentary garnered accolades, earning a nomination for the Deutscher Kamerapreis in the documentation/docu-series category.

For the inaugural season of LOVE ADDICTS, Arabella took the helm as the lead director on the comedy series for Amazon Prime in 2022, directing episodes 1-4.

In 2023, she brought her directorial talents to Disney+ with PAULINE, serving as the lead director for episodes 1-3, further solidifying her reputation as a versatile and visionary filmmaker.

Bob Konrad was born in 1968 in Heidelberg and pursued his studies at the Berlin University of the Arts. Since 1993, he has been dedicated to writing and producing radio plays and radio comedies, establishing a strong foundation in storytelling. His transition to television began in 2000 with an animated series, followed by the release of his first feature film, Besser als Schule.

In 2012, Bob began collaborating with Hanno Hackfort and Richard Kropf, forming a creative team that has since made significant contributions to the television industry. Together, they are credited as the writers and, more recently, as showrunners for acclaimed series such as 4 Blocks (Warner TV), You Are Wanted (Amazon), Para - Wir Sind King (Warner TV), and Kleo (Netflix). His work is characterized by its depth, innovation, and ability to resonate with diverse audiences.

Caroline Rosales was born in Bonn in 1982 and is the author of several books and a columnist at ZEIT weekly. Her feminist memoir "Sexuell Verfügbar" (EN: "Miki Unchained") was published in 2019, which she made into a series for ARD, her literary debut "The Life of No Woman" was published in 2021, and her second novel "The Unlived" was published in 2024. Rosales lives with her family in Berlin.

Christian Beetz is the CEO of the documentary powerhouse Beetz Brothers film production, which is specialized in documentary series and international co-productions since the very beginning. The latest productions include Juan Carlos (Cannes Series 2023), Eternal You (Sundance 2024), Crimes Scenes Berlin (Netflix) and the upcoming German Cocaine Cowboy series (Prime Video).

Christine Guenther, co-founder of the transatlantic outfit Fireglory Pictures, has built a diverse producing career in independent films and high-end series, with her work spanning over 20 countries and years.

By day, Christine is a seasoned producer and a storyteller at heart; by life, she is a devoted practitioner and advocate of traditional Yoga and meditation. With over 20 years of deep, daily practice, Christine seamlessly integrates the focus and clarity from the mat & cushion into her work.

For Christine, mindfulness isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the guiding force that enables her to balance the fast-paced demands of "the industry" with her commitment to sustainable production, responsible leadership, and the right livelihood. She advocates for a saner, healthier, more sustainable, and regenerative industry ecosystem, sharing her insights through guest lectures at institutions like the Film University of Babelsberg and the Erich Pommer Institute in Berlin. Additionally, she leads workshops for international training programs and festivals and serves on the International Committee of the Producers Guild of America.

Berlin-based, Israeli-born,  seasoned content executive, Stern works across borders and genres, focusing on scripted and non-scripted productions.

One of her recent projects “Bros” (Netflix) launched earlier this spring and she has recently completed production of the documentary “Supernova: The Music Festival Massacre” currently airing on multiple channels and platforms around the world.

As the founder of Tel-Aviv-based yes Studios, Stern created a distribution and development powerhouse delivering premium content for international platforms. 

Recognized twice as one of Variety Magazine’s “Top 500 Global Media Leaders”, she was directly responsible for the global launches of multiple series including “Fauda”, “Shtisel”, “The Devil Next Door”, “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem”, etc.  In addition, Stern has spearheaded dozens of format adaptations in multiple territories including “Your Honor” one of the bestselling scripted formats in recent years, “As We See It” (Prime Video, originally On the Spectrum ), “68 Whiskey” (Paramount +), “The Good Cop” (Netflix), “Significant Other” (ITV), “Tanaav” (Fauda India, SonyLiv), “Escort Boys” ( Prime Video/ TF-1), etc.

David’s journey began with a strong foundation in law, having studied in Heidelberg and Cologne, followed by his legal clerkship in Berlin. However, his passion for storytelling soon led him away from the legal field and into the world of television. At Tele5, he quickly made his mark, taking charge of Distribution & Business Affairs before stepping into the role of Creative Director, where his innovative ideas began to flourish.

In 2018, David took a bold step by founding his own production company, Turbokultur. It wasn’t long before his unique vision and creative approach led to the development of hit TV formats like Heroes, Deadlines, and Freitagnacht Jews, a show that garnered widespread acclaim and earned him both the prestigious Grimme Award and the German Television Award.

David’s latest triumph is the TV series Die Zweiflers, where he serves as both creator and showrunner. The series has already made waves internationally, winning three awards at Cannes, including the “High School Award,” “Best Music,” and the coveted “Best Series” prize. His ability to blend sharp storytelling with captivating visuals has positioned David as a visionary force in the industry.

Dr. Christoph Schneider is the Country Director of Prime Video in Germany and Austria and also Managing Director of Amazon Digital Germany GmbH. In his position, he is responsible for bundling the strategy of the areas SVOD, TVOD, Prime Video Channels, and AVOD (Freevee). He is also responsible for localization and licensing content in several areas. Before joining Amazon, from 2010 Dr. Schneider was part of the management board of maxdome GmbH. From 2011 onwards he was responsible for the successful integration of the online video platform into the ProSiebenSat1 Group as the sole managing director. Leading up to his experiences at maxdome and ProSiebenSat1, over the course of 14 years, Dr. Christoph Schneider had held various management positions at Hubert Burda Media, the Kirch Group, the Bertelsmann Group and lastly, the managing director role at Abantis Media GmbH (Burda). At Abantis he developed convergent media solutions for the Women and Food section. Prior to this position, as a managing director at Burda Yukom Publishing GmbH, he was responsible for the acquisition and integration of Yukom Medien (Axel Springer) into the Burda Group. Before Yukom Publishing, he was on the management board of Venturepark AG (Bertelsmann), publishing director of ELLE Germany (Burda), and sales director and head of Coproductions for Italy at Kirch Group (Beta Film). Dr. Schneider studied international business administration at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar, and earned his doctorate at the Marketing department of the University of Mannheim.

The Vietnamese-German director & writer Duc Ngo Ngoc was born in Hanoi and later moved to Berlin as the son of GDR contract workers. In award-winning films such as “Apples and Oranges,” “Farewell Halong” and “Trading Happiness,” he processes his personal experiences of migration and presents his perspective on the issue. His short film “Apples and Oranges” won the Best Short Film award at the Viet Film Fest in 2018. “Farewell Halong” and “Trading Happiness” were also part of the official selection at the Viet Film Fest.
Đức Ngô Ngọc completed his bachelor’s degree in media design/media art at the Bauhaus University Weimar. As part of his master’s degree in film directing at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, he studied for a semester at the Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema.
Triggered by the lack of diversity in the film business, Ngô Ngọc founded the documentary-based workshop "Dreh's Um" for Vietnamese-German youth. For his intercultural media work he was awarded with the Dieter Baacke Prize 2022. His passion for documentary film also influences his approach on fictional sets. He enjoys working with amateur actors and loves to play with hybrid formats, especially when developing scripts and rehearsing with actors. Ngô Ngọc is particularly interested in merging comedic elements with tragic tones to reach large audiences. In addition to cinema, he therefore worked on Grimme Award nominated series such as “Wir” and “Echt ” in 2021 and 2022.
Recently, he wrote and directed an episode of the six-part drama series “Made in Germany,” which tells the stories of a group of friends who grew up in Berlin in the second generation. Together, they face challenges in establishing their roles in society, chasing individual aspirations, contemplating their identities, and confronting life’s profound questions.

Elena is a creator and writer of the coming-of-age genre series Pauline, which premiered on Disney Plus Germany in May 2023. Her next series "The City of Blood" is currently in production by Amusement Park for Disney Plus Germany. Elena is a graduate of Serial Eyes programme. In addition to writing and creative producing, Elena is also a script consultant and has completed the Midpoint Institute Script Consulting Training scheme.

Originally from Italy, Capurro moved to France in 2005 to work in various positions for film festivals such as Premiers Plans, Paris Cinéma, and Le Festival des Arcs. He spent three years at the Marché du Film of the Cannes Film Festival. Since 2013, he has been in charge of the Series Mania Forum, which has since become one of the leading professional events in Europe for the TV series industry. 

Gaia Tridente (Ph.D.) is a content curator, producer, and creative executive, expert in the audiovisual ecosystem, well known and appreciated by the international film, TV, and digital industry. Gaia was appointed Director of MIA, International Audiovisual Market, in 2022 and renewed in 2024. Previously served as Head of International Scripted Productions at Minerva Pictures, with responsibilities in the international development slate of the group. Gaia has extensive management experience in the global film and television market, experience in delivering large-scale projects, and a proven ability to meet ambitious budget targets. Seasoned professional in the film and TV industry, she is a voting member of the European Film Academy (EFA) and served on the evaluation commissions for the European Writers Club, EWA Networks, and Eurimages. Since 2017, Gaia has been one of the key executives of MIA Market, serving as Head of Drama, and her knowledge placed MIA among the top content marketplace on the international agenda. Gaia also served as Head of Programming at RomeFictionFest, from 2007 to 2016, curating the global selection of scripted series. With a strong passion for her academic background, Gaia has been a guest lecturer and guest professor at the University of Rome Tre (Rome), Scuola Holden (Turin), Master Sole24Ore Business School (Rome), The Media Faculty (Paris), University Alma Mater (Bologna), and wrote several articles and essays on film and TV studies.

Henning is a Peabody-winning and primetime Emmy and BAFTA-nominated producer who co-founded DETAiLFILM in 2007 and Zentropa Hamburg with Danish powerhouse Zentropa in 2014.

In December 2016 Henning joined REAL FILM Berlin as managing director where his productions include Anna Winger's „Unorthodox“, and „Sleeping Digs“ for Netflix, the ARD event feature „Three and a Half Hours“ directed by Ed Herzog, and most recently Luzie Loose’s/John Karsten’s „Everyone is F*cking Crazy“ for ARD, „Viktor Bringt’s“ for Amazon and „KRANK“ for Apple TV+/ ZDFneo amongst others. 

Henning was Germany’s „Producer on the Move 2014” and one of Variety's “10 Producer's to watch" in 2017. He is an EAVE and Inside Pictures alumni and has served on the board of the European Film Academy from 2016 to 2020.

Ipek Zübert, Creator and Writer of the Grimme awarded series THE MOPES (TNT/2021) has
been working as a screenwriter since 2012. In addition to the feature films “Dreiviertelmond”
and “Ein Atem”, Ipek Zübert has worked as a writer on crime and thriller series such as “Dogs of
Berlin” (Netflix/2018), “Bruder - Die Schwarze Macht” (ZDFNeo/2017), “The Next Level” (ARD/
Degeto/2024) or the Grimme Award-nominated young adult series “Die Welle” (Netflix/2019).
Her first children's and youth film @Kalinka08 - Please get in touch! (ZDFKika), for which Ipek
Zübert developed and wrote the script in the first lockdown during the Corona pandemic, was
filmed in 2020 and was also nominated for the Grimme Award in the category Children's and
Youth Special.
This summer, filming took place in Hamburg and Istanbul for “EVET DEDI/SHE SAID YES” (WT)
(Netflix), a romantic comedy for which Ipek Zübert wrote the script.

Pisani-Ferry is a French writer, based in Berlin. She recently created and was the headwriter of “Becoming Karl Lagerfeld” for Disney+. Before that, she co-created “Vampires” for Netflix and wrote on “Kaboul Kitchen” for Canal+ and “Ganglands” for Netflix. She studied Literature and Social Sciences and is an alumna of Serial Eyes (DFFB). 

Jan Ehlert joined the Constantin subsidiary MOOVIE in 2000, initially working in script
development and subsequently as a producer. In his 24-year long career at
Constantin Film, he has realized a large number of successful TV projects.
These include shows such as VERBRECHEN and SCHULD, based on the stories by
Ferdinand von Schirach, TV events such as DIE HEBAMME for Sat.1 or FAMILIE! and the
high-end crime series DIE PROTOKOLLANTIN for ZDF.
Since joining the management of Constantin Television in 2018, he has produced
high-profile multi-part series such as GLAUBEN, STRAFE after Ferdinand von Schirach
for RTL+ and DIE HEIMSUCHUNG as well as FEINDE for ARD/Degeto. His most recent
productions include ACHTSAM MORDEN for NETFLIX and HAGEN feature film and
series. Jan Ehlert has been the new Chief Content Officer (CCO) for Constantin Film's
non-theatrical division since 2024. In this position, the experienced filmmaker is
responsible for the content of series/streaming/TV. This also includes the supervision of
the Development and Creative Affairs divisions as well as the further development of
the company's creative direction.

Jan was born in 1975 in Münster, Nordrhein-Westfalen. In 1997, he relocated to Berlin, where he pursued studies in sports and geography, ultimately earning his degree as a high school teacher. Despite his qualifications, Jan chose not to pursue a career in education. Instead, in 2007, he embarked on a career in location scouting, a field where he has built a strong reputation and has continued to work successfully ever since.

Jenji Kohan is an American television writer, producer, and showrunner known for her ability to blend comedy and drama while tackling complex societal issues such as race, gender, sexuality, and criminal justice. She gained widespread acclaim as the creator of Weeds, a dark comedy-drama that ran from 2005 to 2012 on Showtime. She went on to create the critically acclaimed Netflix series Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019), which received many awards and nominations. Kohan also served as an executive producer on GLOW, a Netflix comedy-drama series that premiered in 2017. Her work has been recognized with accolades including a Primetime Emmy and Writers Guild of America Award. She lives in New York and Los Angeles.

Jesse is the International TV Co-Editor at Deadline, overseeing breaking news and features coverage out of Europe and Asia. He joined the site in 2022 from UK TV trade Broadcast, where he was Insight Editor, overseeing features and long-form reporting, for four years. A veteran entertainment industry journalist, he has also worked at Television Business International, where he was Editor, and at C21Media. He has moderated panels around the world and appears on radio and podcasts talking about the TV business. Jesse is based in London.

Jorgo is a German-Greek producer. He studied media and cultural studies at Bauhaus-University Weimar and worked at German theaters Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg and Schauspiel Köln before studying film production at Goldsmiths, University of London.

In 2016, Jorgo started working for the production company Iconoclast in London, where he produced, among others, the award-winning short film "REBIRTH IS NECESSARY" by Jenn Nkiru. This film was exhibited at Tate Modern and won the Prix Canal+ Award at Clermont-Ferrand.

Jorgo joined Berlin-based X Filme in 2018. Most recently, he produced the anthology series "ZEIT VERBRECHEN," based on the famous podcast by DIE ZEIT, directed by Jan Bonny, Helene Hegemann, Mariko Minoguchi, and Faraz Shariat. The series premiered at the 2024 Berlinale. Together with fellow producer Rosh Khodabakhsh, Jorgo initiated NewMotion, a program aimed at diversifying the German film and TV industry by offering job shadowing and mentoring opportunities for people from underrepresented groups.

Josie Cyrus joined The Ink Factory as a development manager in Los Angeles in November 2020, and recently moved to London to take up the role of VP, Creative. Prior to joining Ink, Josie was a Development Coordinator for international scripted development at AMC Networks working with the team across a slate of original commissions and co-productions for AMC, BBC America, Sundance TV and AMC Studios; including “Killing Eve”, “State of the Union”, and “The Split”.

Julia Fidel is a producer, choreographer, and series curator. She studied film and media in Mainz, Berlin, and at Babelsberg Film University, where she headed the student film festival sehsüchte in 2005.

Born in Darmstadt, she lived briefly in New York and London and mostly in Berlin. She enjoys doing multiple things at the same time: from 2019 to 2023, she headed the Berlinale Series section, introducing the Berlinale Series Award in 2023. From 2016 to 2022, she choreographed all dance elements for the series “Babylon Berlin”. Other choreography credits include “A Cure for Wellness”, “Hunger Games: A Story of Songbirds and Snakes”, and “Bumper in Berlin”. She has worked as an advisor for the German festival TeleVisionale since 2022. Since 2023 she has been working as a producer at Intaglio Films GmbH.

Ljubica Lukovic is a Cologne-based writer from Serbia. She has a bachelor’s degree in dramaturgy from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, and an MA in Serial Storytelling from IFS Köln. A series she co-authored, "Kljun/Awake", premiered at Canneseries 2021, where it won the Audience Award. "How I Learned to Fly", her debut feature, was the most-watched film in Serbian cinemas in 2022, with over 230k admissions, and it won over 20 awards at festivals around the world. Her credits also include series "Blok 27", and "Apsolutnih 100", and she is currently developing film and series projects in several European markets.

Born in Düsseldorf in 1996, she studies Film & Television Production at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. In addition to her studies, she is also part of several international festival juries. In February 2020, she completed her bachelor's degree in film production at the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts with the historical web series "Haus Kummerveldt", for which she received the FIRST STEPS AWARD. Her master's film "Another German Tank Story" (rbb) premiered at the International Filmfest Shanghai and the Filmfest Munich 2024. In 2022, she founded Goldstoff Filme GmbH together with director Mark Lorei. Her debut, the sequel to "Haus Kummerveldt", has been available in the ARD Mediathek since March 2024 and was awarded the Grimme Prize Special.

Lucas Ochoa is a producer and executive producer of films and television series. Formerly Chief Creative Officer of Pulse Films, he works now as a producer at House Productions. His credits include Sky’s “Gangs of London”, Andrea Arnold’s “American Honey”, and Robert Eggers’ “The Witch”. 

Marc Lepetit worked as a freelance journalist for various German magazines in Cologne and
Hamburg until 1999. At the same time, he found his way into TV and film production and
studied International, Digital, Commercials and TV/Series Producing at the Filmakademie
Baden-Württemberg until 2003.
In 2003, he joined Phoenix Film, a UFA Group company, as a producer and later as a
business developer. As a producer, he was responsible for UFA Cinema's first feature film -
'Die Teufelskicker' - and the groups first transmedia project 'Kill your darling'.
Following the merger of Phoenix Film into UFA Fiction GmbH, he became a producer there
and was responsible for formats such as the successful event series 'Ku'Damm' on ZDF or
the 'Donna Leon' films for ARD, as well as various one-offs and series. As part of UFA
GmbH, he was also responsible for restructuring the new media and online divisions. It was
also his impetus to bring the musical 'Ku'damm 56' to the stage of the legendary Theater des
Westens together with BMG and other partners of the Bertelsmann Content Alliance, the
author Annette Hess and the hit composers Peter Plate and Ulf Sommer.
In May 2002, he was appointed to the management of the newly founded UFA Documentary
GmbH, where he realised projects such as 'All or nothing - Deutsche Nationalmannschaft'
and 'Ich bin! Margot Friedländer' and successfully established the label on the market.
Since 2005 he regularly teaches at European film and media schools and participates in
various panels on 'Dramaturgy', 'Transmedia' and 'Multiplatform Storytelling'.
Marc was born in Cologne in September 1973 and lives in Berlin.

One of the most experienced international content production, acquisitions, and formats executives, and an award-winning producer; skilled in scripted and unscripted originals and formats, in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia; as well as Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and encompassing the CIS, CEE and MENA regions, amongst the 20+ non-English speaking countries Marc has lived and/or worked in.

Marc, as the founder of The Art Of Coproduction, is currently consulting for various producers across a slate of international series from Italy to Quebec, Australia to the UK - has set up financing and co-production for three series this year already – “Video Nasty” (Ireland/BBC/WDR), “The Boy That Never Was” (Ireland/RTE), and “Mix Tape” (Australia-Ireland/Foxtel Binge), and distribution of two seasons of “Unclassified” with SBS and DCD Rights; executive produced the first format version of NBCU’s “Million Dollar Listing” outside the US - in the UAE for ImageNation and Starzplay, and created/produced a new competition series “Unstoppable: The Italian Dream, for the same parties alongside Pure Health and Series A Italy.

Marge Liiske is a seasoned professional in the Estonian film industry, currently serving as the Head of Industry at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), also known as Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event. This platform promotes connections between the global audiovisual industry and the regional market, enhancing partnerships across ICT, gaming, mobile technology, and venture capital sectors. Since 2014, PÖFF is one of the 15 A-list film festivals accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) alongside Cannes, Karlovy Vary, San Sebastian, Locarno, Venice, Berlin, Cairo, Mar de Plata, Goa, Tokyo and other film festivals.

Marge’s earlier roles include Managing Director at the Estonian Film Institute (the main film financing body in Estonia) and Manager at MEDIA Desk Estonia, both of which positioned her at the forefront of national cinema development and integration into European networks. She has also worked as a Production Manager at a film production company and as a Project Coordinator in a cinema network.

An alumna of the European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs (EAVE), Marge Liiske also contributes to the growth of the Estonian film industry by serving on the supervisory board of the Estonian Film Institute, which is the principal film financing organization in Estonia. Marge is a also member of the European Film Academy.

Matija Dragojević is a Serbian screenwriter based in Berlin. With a background in psychology and an MA in Serial Storytelling from ifs Film School in Cologne, Matija is an alumnus of Midpoint, CNC’s Going European program, and the Laureate of the CanneSeries Residency. He co-authored the series “Awake,” a supernatural detective thriller that won the Audience Award at CANNESERIES. On the industry side, Matija has worked with Sundance Labs, Seriencamp, Cinelink Sarajevo, Berlinale Series Market,  and is the Head of Programming at Seriesly Berlin. Matija also offers "quality post-production services" to his 4-year-old son. Representation by Homebase Agency.

Mel Eslyn is a film and television producer, writer and director, and President of Duplass Brothers Productions. Winner of the 2016 Independent Spirit Producer's Award, Eslyn is the veteran producer behind films that include the 2014 Sundance hit “The One I Love”, Clea DuVall's debut “The Intervention”, Lynn Shelton's “Outside In”, Miguel Arteta's “Duck Butter”, Natalie Morales' “Language Lessons”, and Roshan Sethi’s “7 Days”, for which she won her 2nd Spirit Award. In the documentary space Eslyn frequently collaborates with filmmaker Sam Jones, most recently on his HBO features “Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off” for which she won the Producers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Sports Program, and “Jason Isbell: Running with Our Eyes Closed”. She also produced the award-winning documentary “Not Going Quietly”, which follows the activist and lawyer Ady Barkan as he embarks on a national campaign for healthcare reform. On the smaller screen, her narrative television producing credits include HBO's “Room 104” on which she also frequently wrote and directed, and the breakout HBO comedy "Somebody Somewhere", which was named an AFI Television Program of the Year in its 1st season and won a Peabody Award in its 2nd.

Her documentary series credits include the Independent Spirit Award-nominated docu-series “The Lady and the Dale, the Hulu series “Sasquatch”, and Netflix's “American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murderers”. Last year Eslyn released her narrative feature directorial debut “Biosphere”, starring Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass, after a well-received premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. Most recently she co-created the series “Penelope” with Mark Duplass, on which she acted as both showrunner and director. The series will be released in the US on September 24 on Netflix. Additional upcoming releases include the Hulu true-crime series “Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal”, the horror series “The Creep Tapes”, and season 3 of “Somebody Somewhere”, all out this fall.

Nataly Kudiabor has 30 years of professional experience in the film industry and started her
career at Medienruppe RTL. Soon followed positions at RTL II, ARD Degeto, Ziegler Film and
Grundy UFA.
As Head of Development and producer, she headed the Berlin office of ndf, neue deutsche
Filmgesellschaft, for eleven years.
From 2015 until 2018 Kudiabor was Managing Director of the production company “good
friends” and led the company to success within a few years. The most notable developments
were the award-winning comedy noir series "Arthur's Law" and the German adaptation to the
Swedish series "Bonus Family".
Since May 2019 Kudiabor has been working as Executive Producer for UFA Fiction and was
appointed to the management in June 2022.
The series „All you need“ (ARD Mediathek) and „The Mopes“ (TNT) were very well received,
both by critics and audience.
The director of “All you need” - Season 1 was nominated for Bunte New Faces Award 2021.
“The Mopes” was honoured with Audience Award of Grimme Award 2022.
In 2022 her romantic comedy “Die Liebeskümmerer” (The Heartbreak Agency) (Netflix) was
completed and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film 2024 by National Film Awards.

Nataly Kudiabor is one of the Executive Producers of the recent produced first German-
language serie of Apple TV+ “Where's Wanda?”

She is a member of European Film Academy and International Academy of Television Arts &
Sciences.
Nataly Kudiabor is committed to promote diverse narrative perspectives in front of and behind
the camera.

Creator of more than a hundred hours of TV shows, Olivier Fox is a screenwriter, showrunner, and director. He has written numerous episodes for series such as “Avocats et Associés” (FTV), “Le Remplaçant” (TF1), “Q.I“ (OCS), and “Osmosis“ (Netflix), as well as the fifth season of “Spirals” (Canal+), for which he won the International Emmy Award. He also wrote “Le Horla” (Arte) and is the showrunner for the anthology series “Métamorphoses“, which offers contemporary versions of Jekyll and Hyde, Faust, and Dorian Gray (FTV/RAI/ZDF).

He created one of the world's first 26-minute hybrid comedies, mixing live-action and 3D animation, “7 & Me” (FTV/RAI/ZDF).

As a director, after the short film “Kozak” for Canal+ (awarded in over 20 festivals and the Cinephiles Award at the Critic's Week in Cannes Film Festival), he directed the first season of “NU” for OCS, a futuristic series he created and co-wrote, which has been sold in many countries. He also directed the series “Comme des Gosses” for M6.

Pavlo is a Berlin-based screenwriter, content creator, and stand-up comedian. After moving to Germany from Ukraine in 2015, Pavlo started performing stand-up in English around Europe and quickly made his way into writing for German TV. In 2022 Pavlo completed the Serial Eyes program. His writing credits include ZDF, ZDFneo, Comedy Central Germany, and more.

Pierre Puget, a French writer and producer based in Berlin, is the CEO of the international narrative studio BRAINS.

After a successful career as a TV director in Brussels, Pierre participated in the Serial Eyes show-running program in 2016. Since then, he has been hired across Europe for series development in both English and French, receiving several grants from the French CNC. In 2020, Pierre worked on the Netflix mystery series “1899”. He also hosts the EURO PUDDING podcast, offers script consulting, and teaches TV series writing at IFS Cologne and MET Film School.

Rahul is a Senior Research Manager at the research company Ampere Analysis. He leads Ampere’s AVoD content tracking product and works within the Analytics team to evaluate trends, popularity, and distribution in the global Video on Demand market. Rahul’s research covers a diverse range of areas, such as the content and expansion strategies of VoD platforms, approaches to content releasing and timing, the value of IP ownership, and distribution window patterns across the theatrical, broadcast TV and OTT spaces.

His animated feature “A Stork’s Journey”  (aka Richard The Stork) premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and became a worldwide critical and commercial success.

As a former manager in the games industry, Reza has an extensive background in entertainment marketing and games development. He is an alumnus of the Academy for Children’s Media and Berlinale Talents and a member of the German and European Film Academies.

​​Roshanak "Rosh" Khodabakhsh is an Iranian-German film producer. After working as an production assistant in various TV and film productions, she earned a degree in Creative Producing from ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln in 2009. She then collaborated with director Ali Samadi-Ahadi on the award-winning documentary THE GREEN WAVE.

Following additional training at Atelier Ludwigsburg Paris, Rosh joined One Fine Day Films, a production company founded by Tom Tykwer and Marie Steinmann-Tykwer, in 2011 as a project manager and later co-producer. In 2013, she started working as a freelance filmmaker on notable projects like CHARITÉ, SENSE8, and BABYLON BERLIN. She became a producer at DCM in 2019 and, since March 2023, has served as producer and managing director at Port au Prince Film & Kultur Produktion. Alongside Jorgo Narjes, she co-founded NewMotion, an initiative promoting diversity in the German film and TV industry through mentoring and job shadowing for underrepresented groups.

A former Emergency Room doctor turned screenwriter, Samuel is a graduate of The London Film School and the Serial Eyes course at the DFFB. He is an award-winning writer working across Europe and the UK, most recently as Co-Creator and Head Writer of new AppleTV series KRANK BERLIN. He is a Co-Founder and Artistic Director of groundbreaking the new narrative studio company, BRAINS.

Simon Ruschmeyer is a writer-director from Berlin. He is a Serial Storytelling alumni from ifs internationale filmschule köln. Stories from the borderlands of culture and tech are his creative focus, embracing the hallucinatory qualities of AI to create story worlds never been seen before.

Solmaz founded the renowned festival section Berlinale Series and directed it for many years. In her more than 12 years at the Berlinale, she played a key role in various capacities in giving the world's first A-list festival its own platform for serial storytelling. After leaving the festival, she moved to YouTube, where she discovered new worlds in gaming and worked as a marketing expert for EMEA. Since 2022, she has been working in development and production at Studio Zentral and is part of the leadership team responsible for driving the company forward. She has recently produced MADE IN GERMANY for ARD and ANGEMSSEN ANGRY for RTL+ both to be released in autumn 2024. As a producer at Studio Zentral, she is committed to diverse and innovative storytelling, which is reflected in the material she develops and produces.

Stewart represents the Deadline brand at Festivals and industry events, and writing news and features for the website. He joined Deadline in late 2023 after a four-year stint as Creative Director at the Edinburgh TV Festival, the largest event of its kind in the UK. Prior to that, Stewart was a London-based International Correspondent for Variety, reporting from events around the world for the trade publication. He started his career in film and TV journalism at Informa, where he was rose to the position of Editorial Director.

Tatjana Samopjan is a sought-after speaker known for her deep dives into the art, craft, and soul of storytelling. Her original and impactful lectures explore relationships between storytelling, science, technology, music, spirituality, social dynamics, philosophy, and real-life experience. 

Tatjana works as a creative consultant specializing in development of TV series, films, and documentaries. Her clients include European broadcasters, streamers, production companies, development programs, and funding institutions.

Tatjana is based in Stockholm, her workplace is in Europe. As a member of several European advisory boards, she is involved in financing new projects. Her academic background is in languages and literature. Her explorations of contemplative traditions have informed and deepened her way of working with storytellers.

Theo has been the storyteller among the creators in Germany for years. Whether it’s about heartbreak in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, an inner monologue on the Star Wars set, or the dreariness of single life – Theo uses his amused and open perspective on interpersonal relationships to create content that inspires his community.

Wero Rodowicz is a director, script developer, and creative producer specializing in narrative shifting fiction focused on stories of marginalized communities. She previously worked in development for a leading streaming platform and now focuses solely on directing. Wero attended the prestigious MA Directing Fiction Programme at ZHdK in Zurich and has a strong educational background, including BA and MA in Communication degrees from UDK Berlin and additional training from the University of Cambridge and Accademia Teatro Dimitri. She has collaborated with Constantin Television, SKY, ZEITSPRUNG PICTURES, and others. The most recent project, "die Zweiflers," she contributed to as creative producer won "Best TV Series 2024" at Cannes Series 2024. Wero is preparing two feature films, one series as writer and director while editing her first feature shot in Italy. Her virtual community, Let's Plant Stories, supports underrepresented talent in film and TV. She lives between Berlin, Zurich, and Nice and frequently visits the US.

Yolanda Rother (she/her) is co-founder of "The Impact Company". She moderates and speaks on topics related to digital society, politics and open government, diversity and sustainability. The Berlin native is a graduate (Master of Public Policy) of the Hertie School and has lived in Brazil, France and the United States.