Raised in Vitrival, Belgium, Noëlle Bastin studied French and Romance languages and literature before teaching French for several years. While still in the classroom, she co-directed her first film, The Schoolyard (2017), selected at FID Marseille. She went on to co-direct eight short, medium, and feature-length films with Baptiste Bogaert, selected at major festivals including IFFR, IndieLisboa, Clermont-Ferrand, FIFIB, ALCINE, BRIFF, and Escales Documentaires de La Rochelle. Based in Brussels, her work blends fiction and documentary, with a strong attachment to real places and non-professional actors. Her first feature-length fiction premiered at IFFR 2025 in Tiger Competition.

Film:
Vitrival 

Nitumwesiga's shorts have been featured at Locarno Film Festival,Berlinale, and festivals worldwide. She was born in the spirit-protectedmountains of Buhweju and was raised by a family of teachers andfarmers. Devouring any book she could find, her love for stories droveher to the field of art and storytelling. The Woman Who Poked TheLeopard is her first feature-length documentary. She's developing herfirst narrative film. She’s an alumna of Makerere University where shestudied Drama, and Maisha Film Lab as well as Talents Durban. Commonthemes across her work include precolonial values, death, Africanutopianism, and gender deconstruction. She co-founded the film andstorytelling production company SHAGIKA based in Kampala, Uganda.

Film:
The Woman Who Poked The Leopard

Baptiste Bogaert is a Belgian filmmaker born in Charleroi in 1990. He studied film studies at ULB and photography at La Cambre before working as a project manager in public administration — an experience that directly inspired Hi Job (2019), the second short film he co-directed with Noëlle Bastin.

Together, they have made six short, medium, and feature-length films selected at festivals including IFFR, IndieLisboa, Clermont-Ferrand, and BRIFF. Their work blends fiction and documentary, rooted in real places and practices, often featuring non-professional actors. Their debut feature premiered at IFFR 2025 in Tiger Competition.

Film:
Vitrival

Stella Nyanzi is a Ugandan dissident poet who was imprisoned twice for her poetic writings which criticised President Museveni. Trained as a medical anthropologist, her academic research focuses on sexual and reproductive health rights, queer African studies and African feminism. As a human rights activist, her efforts promote the rights of women and girls, LGBTIQA+ rights, free expression and digital democracy. Currently, she is a postdoctoral fellow of the Philipp Schwartz Initiative based at Institut für Medienwissenschaft at Ruhr Universität Bochum. She lives as a refugee in Germany with her three children.

Film:
The Woman Who Poked the Leopard

Ulrich Köhler was born in Marburg in 1969. He studied art in Quimper, France, from 1989 to 1991, then philosophy in Hamburg, and later visual communication at the University of Fine Arts (graduating in 1998). He made numerous short films during this time. His feature films BUNGALOW (2002) and MONTAG KOMMEN DIE FENSTER (2006) were screened at numerous festivals and won awards both in Germany and abroad. SCHLAFKRANKHEIT (2011) was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlinale. IN MY ROOM (2018) premiered in the official programme of the Cannes Film Festival in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ section. DAS FREIWILLIGE JAHR (2019) was produced in collaboration with Henner Winckler and was screened in competition at the Locarno Film Festival.

Film:
Gavagai

Welf Reinhart first studied in Kassel and later at the HFF in Munich, specialising in feature film directing. His student film ‘Eigenheim’ screened at numerous Oscar-qualifying festivals, where it also won awards. The film also won the Student Oscar in the Narrative category in 2022. ‘A Fading Man’ is his feature film debut. The film celebrated its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2026, its German premiere at the Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt, and will be released in cinemas in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in early May.

Film:
A Fading Man

Joscha, born in Wolfsburg in 1994, grew up in Kassel. After completing his A-levels and training as an electronics technician for equipment and systems, he worked at the YouTube channel network TubeOne, which specialises in the marketing and management of YouTubers. This was followed by a position as a production assistant at Iconoclast Germany, before he began studying ‘Scenic Direction’ at the Film Academy in 2017. Pornfluencer, a portrait of a young porn couple, is his first feature-length documentary, which was released in cinemas across Germany by Salzgeber in July 2022.

In 2025, Joscha’s graduation film Babystar premiered at the 50th Toronto IFF and, following various festivals, the film will be released in cinemas in 2026.

Joscha is a Berlinale Talents ‘26 alumnus and part of German Films’ “Face To Face” campaign in 2026.

Film:
Babystar

Claudia Schaefer, a qualified psychologist and child therapist, studied screenwriting at the dffb from 2007 to 2010. Her first two feature films were based on true stories from her political and activist circles: *WEIL ICH SCHÖNER BIN* and *NAOMIS REISE*. Her third film, ELLBOGEN, won awards at the 2024 Berlinale and was honoured with, amongst others, the “Frankfurt Book Fair Prize for Best Novel Adaptation”. STAATSSCHUTZ, another original story, won awards at the 2026 Berlinale and was honoured with, amongst others, the Panorama Audience Award. Claudia Schaefer has participated in the Torino Film Lab, the Moin Nest programme, the Academy for Children’s Media and the Berlinale Talent Campus. She enjoys writing in various genres and narrative forms. In 2026, she was nominated for the German Screenplay Award for her new project “KASCHIERT”.

Film:
Prosecution

Born on September 2nd 1968 in Halle / Westphalia. Grew up in the foster care system for children and youths. Did extended Hauptschul-degree and apprenticeship as a specialized butcher shop saleswoman. Transferred into building cleaning at 40 years old and started as property manager. 

Mother of four children. Widow. Came into contact with Kilian through his research and stood in front of the camera for the first time.

Film:
I Understand Your Displeasure

Cornelius Schwalm (born in Frankfurt am Main) studied acting at the University of Music and Theatre in Hamburg. This was followed by engagements at the Schauspielhaus Bochum, the Maxim Gorki Theatre, Schauspiel Frankfurt, the Staatstheater Stuttgart and many other theatres.

He has appeared in over 50 film and television productions, including works by Tom Tykwer, Chris Kraus, Christoph Hochhäusler and Thomas Stuber. (“Der Frosch und das Wasser”, in cinemas from 30 April).

‘Bernd – Operation Germanenkind’ is his second feature film as a director, following ‘Hotel Auschwitz’. It was honoured at the Indie-Lincs Festival as the ‘most challenging movie’, and Verena Unbehaun received the award for ‘best acting’.

To this day, he still maintains close ties with his hometown and is a passionate supporter of Eintracht Frankfurt.

Film:
Bernd – Operation Germanenkind

Kai Wido Meyer is an editor, actor and video designer. BERND - Operation Germanenkind is the second collaboration with director Cornelius Schwalm after "Hotel Auschwitz" and his fifth evening-filling feature film as an editor. As a video designer he primarily works at the opera, for example at at Theater Bremen, Aalto-Theater Essen, Staatstheater Kassel and at Staatstheater Braunschweig. As an actor, he returned to stage in 2025 after a 10-year-hiatus and now tours the world in Carolina Bianci's "The Brotherhood".

Film:
Bernd – Operation Germanenkind

Silvina Buchbauer , born as the daughter of Austrian restaurateurs on the Saalburg in the Taunus, is equally at home on stage, in the cinema and on TV. She graduated from the Universität der Künste in Berlin. Since then she enjoys standing on the stages of the "big" Staatstheater just as much as the Off-Theater (for example Deutsches Theater Berlin, Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin, Theater Basel, Theater Thikwa, Sophiensaele, Berlin). Additionally, she develops her own stage formats, for example the scenic chanson evening "Bombenwetter heute!" and is active as an interdisciplinary and freelance director in varying formats.

In front of the camera, Silvana Buchbauer also wanders effortlessly between worlds: She plays in numerous, partly award-winning, German-language cinema and TV-productions (for example "Die Getriebenen," "Betonrausch," "Ku'damm '56") and has,  in the last few years, more and more stood in front of the camera for international films and series (for example "Genius: Einstein," "Nine Perfect Strangers," "Die Falle"). Recently she played alongside Max Giermann in the Cologne Tatort "Showtime" by Isabell Šuba.

Film:
Bernd – Operation Germanenkind

Maren Eggert, born in Hamburg, is one of Germany’s most renowned actresses – equally at home on stage, on the big screen and on television. She trained at the Otto Falckenberg School in Munich and has been a member of the ensemble at the Deutsches Theater Berlin since 2009. She achieved her international breakthrough with Maria Schrader’s 'Ich bin dein Mensch' (2021): for her leading role, she was awarded the Silver Bear at the Berlinale and a Golden Lola at the German Film Awards. The film was also submitted as Germany’s entry for the 2022 Oscars. She is also known for her role as police psychologist Frieda Jung in the Kiel-based ‘Tatort’ series (2003–2010) and for her collaboration with director Angela Schanelec. Most recently, she appeared in the social satire ‘Gavagai’ and as conductor Nina Palcek in ‘Kein Wort’, which premiered at TIFF.

Film:
Gavagai

The German-Brazilian filmmaker Daniela Magnani Hüller was born in 1995 in Munich. She graduated with a B.A. in media and communications in Passau and since 2019, she studies documentary film directing at the HFF München. Her short films were shown at the Internationale Hofer Filmtage and at the IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival. In 2023, Daniela received the Deutschlandstipendium and won the DOK.Talent Award at Dok.fest München for the pitch of her debut project. SOMETIMES, I IMAGINE THEM ALL AT A PARTY had its world premiere at the Berlinale 2026.

Film:
Sometimes, I Imagine them all at a Party

Ben Voit studied Applied Media Studies at the Technical University of Ilmenau, photojournalism at La Trobe University in Melbourne, and film directing at the Film University Babelsberg. His first films, NACHT UEBER KEPLER 452B and DIE ALLGEMEINE ORDNUNG, received more than 10 awards and 40 nominations at prestigious festivals, including Clermont-Ferrand, Busan, Tallinn, Ghent and Berlin. His works were nominated for the German Film Critics’ Award and licensed by ARD, ZDF, MUBI and TËNK. Since 2025, he has been a scholarship holder of the German National Academic Foundation and is studying for a Master’s degree in Feature Film Directing in Babelsberg. His first feature film, GROPIUSSTADT SUPERNOVA, won the Grand Prize for Best Feature Film at the Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival in 2026.

Film:
Gropiusstadt Supernova

Faraz Shariat is an Iranian-German filmmaker whose debut film, 'Futur Drei', premiered at the Berlinale in 2020 and won, among other accolades, two Teddy Awards and two First Steps Awards. Since then, Shariat has directed episodes of the series adaptation 'Druck', as well as the British horror comedy 'The Baby' (HBO/Sky). He also served as executive producer on 'Schwarze Früchte' (ARD), a dramedy that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2024 and was released in Germany later that year. In 2026, he returned to the Berlinale with his second feature film, the political thriller 'Prosecution', and won the Panorama Audience Award, the CICAE Art Cinema Award and the Heiner Carow Award. Staatsschutz is set to be released in cinemas worldwide in autumn 2026. Shariat is a fellow at Villa Aurora in Los Angeles.

Film:
Prosecution

Shahrbanoo Sadat (she/her) is an Afghan filmmaker based in Hamburg, Germany, since the fall of Kabul in 2021.

She has been working on a planned five-part film series inspired by her friend Anwar Hashimi’s unpublished 800-page autobiographical manuscript. Her debut feature, Wolf and Sheep (2016), was nominated for the Camera d’Or at Cannes and won the CECAE Award. The second film in the series, The Orphanage (2019), premiered at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. The third film, No Good Men, opened the Berlinale in 2026, with Shahrbanoo Sadat and Anwar Hashimi both playing leading roles. She is currently writing the fourth installment.

Shahr has served on juries for the Berlinale, Locarno Film Festival, Torino Film Lab, Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes, Reykjavík International Film Festival, FIFDH, and others.

Film:
No Good Men

Born in 1993 in Rostock. Independent author and director since 2014. 2017 Bachelor of Arts (English/American Studies and Philosophy). In the same year founding of the Von Anfang Anders film production and shooting of the first cinema film KAHLSCHLAG, which won the funding price Neues Deutsches Kino at the Hofer Filmtage in 2018. ALASKA follows in 2023, for which Max was nominated for the German screenplay award and the First Steps Award and won the main price of the Filmfestival Max-Ophüls-Preis. First work for television followed — four episodes SOKO KÖLN as well as three films of the series POLIZEIRUF 110. Max is a funding price winner of the DEFA-foundation and a member of the German film academy.

Film:
Bernd – Operation Germanenkind

Cinematographer for feature and documentary movies, living in Berlin.

Film:
Bernd – Operation Germanenkind

Chen Emilie Yan (born in 2000 in Shanghai) is a German-Chinese film and theatre actress. Having grown up near Düsseldorf, she first studied psychology in Germany and England before completing her acting training at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. Her work has taken her to venues including the Schauspielhaus Graz, the Deutsches Theater Berlin and the Stadttheater Ingolstadt, as well as to international festivals. PROSECUTION marks her feature film debut.

Film:
Prosecution

Markus Ott was born in Ludwigsburg in 1992. After completing his bachelor’s degree in Time-Based Media at Mainz University of Applied Sciences, he studied cinematography at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg and La Fémis in Paris. In 2024, he graduated from the Film Academy; in the same year, he was also awarded the Young Talent Prize at the German Cinematography Awards. Markus Ott was a scholarship holder of the Rhineland-Palatinate Young Media Fund and the Baden-Württemberg Foundation. His first feature film, ‘Sechswochenamt’, is due for release in cinemas in July 2026. He lives and works in Berlin.

Film:
Sechswochenamt

Paulina Lorenz is an author and producer, as well as co-founder of Jünglinge Film, living in Berlin. The production company develops and produces feature films and series with a queer-feminist, post-migrant stance, among them the cinema films "Staatsschutz / Prosecution" (2026), "Futur Drei / No Hard Feelings" (2020) and the ARD-series "Schwarze Früchte / Black Fruit" (2024). Further, Paulina works as a screenwriter for formats such as "Druck / Skam Germany" (Funk, 2021), "Krank Berlin" (Apple TV+ / ZDF, 2024) and "Euphorie / Euphoria Germany RTL+, 2025).

Film:
Prosecution

The director grew up near the German-French border and studied performing arts in Hildesheim and Madrid and subsequently movie directing with a focus on documentary film at the Filmhochschule München. His documentary film Nomades du nucléaire about traveling workers in the French nuclear industry had its premiere at the Berlinale 2023 and won the German Filmpreis in the category medium length film. Ich verstehe Ihren Unmut is his first feature film, which premiered at the Berlinale 2026 in the Panorama. Kilian also works as a film educator in the intercultural film work.

Film:
I understand your displeasure

Verena Unbehaun lives as an actress in Berlin.

Since childhood, she has been interested in odd types, whether sung, written, acted. She does not exclude herself there.

Born in Buxtehhude, acting school in Hamburg, moved to Berlin. Acted a lot at the HAU 1-3/ the Sophiensäle / as a guest amongst other things at the Komische Oper / Schaubühne etc ...but also feels at home in different roles. Currently, she is moving between music, crude Schlager, and "Bernd". Just acted in "Freak u.Kriegen" at Ballhaus Ost. Soon, she will sing in the Grüner Salon of the Volksbühne as part of her "Zitterparty-Ein Fessl Buntes". She drives a car, but rather biographically. She loves her bike.

Film:
Bernd – Operation Germanenkind

Matthias Rheinheimer, born in Berlin Moabit, studied acting at the University of Applied Sciences in Leipzig. He was a permanent member of the ensemble at the Schauspielhaus Magdeburg and appeared as a guest in numerous plays, including at the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. He has appeared in films and TV series such as Brecht, Dogs of Berlin, Morden im Norden and Dünnes Blut. Alongside this, Matthias performs on Instagram and at cabaret venues with his alter ego, Rio Juhnke. For his role in the film “Bernd Operation Germanenkind”, he was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Munich Film Festival in 2025.

Film:
Bernd – Operation Germanenkind

I am a student of European media science in Potsdam and have experience in scenography.

Film:
Bernd – Operation Germanenkind

Radka Hoffman is Head of Industry & International Relations at the cultural association krutón (BOO International Short Film Festival, Kino Kavalírka, KRUTÓN LAB, Young & Short) based in Prague, Czechia.

She studied Radio and TV Dramaturgy and Scriptwriting at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, where she is recently completed her Ph.D. Her research focuses on contemporary cinema for youth in a European context.

She is a board member of the European Children’s Film Association (ECFA) and has collaborated as a scriptwriter with Czech Radio, Radio and Television of Slovakia, Storylab Audio, and CAMP – Center for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning in Prague.

Panel:
DIY Audiences – Cinema, Criticism and Audience

Annekathrin Kohout is a freelance writer and cultural studies scholar who analyses internet culture, platform public spheres and digital image practices. In 2021, she completed her PhD at the University of Siegen on the nerd as a social figure. She is co-editor of the book series “Digitale Bildkulturen” (Klaus Wagenbach Publishers) and the journal “POP. Kultur und Kritik”.

As a non-fiction writer, she has published books on topics including internet feminism, nerds and K-pop, and regularly lectures as a guest lecturer at colleges and universities. Her latest book, “Hyperreactive: How the Battle for Interpretive Power is Fought on Social Media”, was published in 2025.

Panel:
Art-free zone? The place of art in digital media amongst artists, PR and platform logic

Maya Van Leemput is UNESCO Chairholder on Images of the Futures and Co-creation of the research group Open Arts & Futures at Erasmus Brussels University of Applied Sciences and the Arts.

In partnership with photographer Bram Goots, she runs a long-term independent project for exploring images of the future, combining conversation-based approaches and visual ethnography with multi-media co-creation. Her critical, forward-looking interdisciplinary work on media, culture, arts, (cross-cultural) communication, development, and science and technology in society, uses experimental and participatory approaches.

Van Leemput is a Fellow of the World Futures Studies Federation and the Centre of Postnormal Policy and Futures Studies and a founding member of the interdisciplinary visual arts collective OST and the Plurality University.

Panel:
AI – Authoritarian Intelligence 

He is an actor, theater director, author, and musician. Burghart Klaußner, the versatile one. His range spans from Tatort to Hollywood. Be it with Kate Winslet in THE READER or in Steven Spielberg's THE BRIDGE OF SPIES next to Tom Hanks. Born in Berlin, he studied German and Theater Studies, followed by acting training at the Max-Reinhard-Schule, and became known to a wide audience with films such as ROSSINI and GOOD BYE LENIN! For his role as a cold-hearted pastor in THE WHITE RIBBON he was awarded best actor at the Deutscher Filmpreis 2010. For his leading role as a Hessian attorney general in THE PEOPLE VS. FRITZ BAUER he was awarded numerous accolades. Currently, he can be seen performing as King Lear at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus and at LICHTER Filmfest in Ulrike Ottinger's THE BLOOD COUNTESS.

Events:
The Blood Countess &
Can Art Save the World?

Aileen Schneider is an award-winning opera director, stage-writer, and spoken word poet. She completed a degree of musical theater directing in Hamburg, before she directed there at the Opera Stabile. Recently in 2025, she staged "Melusine" by Aribert Reimann at the Oper Frankfurt - awarded with the renowned Götz-Friedrich-Preis for directing - and "Carmen" at the Staatstheater Augsburg. Aside from her main calling at the theater, she became poetry slam Hessenmeisterin in 2022. She is also a dramaturge and moderator. Since 2021, she has been creating her own super hero characters for poetry slam stages all over Germany. In 2026, her essayistic collection of theater and spoken word texts "Ich tu so als ob und du tust so als ob du's glaubst" was released.

Panel:
Kann Kunst die Welt retten?

Prof. Dr. Catrin Misselhorn is a professor of philosophy at the Philosophical Seminar of the University Göttingen. Since 2024, she is a full member of the Niedersächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen. Her area of research are philosophical problems of AI, robot and machine ethics. She has written a large amount of international publications in this subject area. In German, she published the following books:

• Künstliche Intelligenz – das Ende der Kunst? (Reclam 2023, 3. Auf. 2026)

• Künstliche Intelligenz und Empathie. Vom Leben mit Emotionserkennung, Sexrobotern & Co (Reclam 2021, 3. Aufl. 2024).

• Grundfragen der Maschinenethik (Reclam 2018, 5. Aufl. 2022)

Panel:
Artificial Intelligence – The End of Art?

Bazon Brock, exactly 10 years younger than Marilyn Monroe to the day, is a Professor Emeritus at the Chair of Aesthetics and Cultural Mediation at the Bergische Universität Wuppertal.

After his studies in Frankfurt, with Adorno among others, Brock worked as a dramaturge and made a name for himself as a performance artist and art connoisseur. In the mid-1960s art performances with Joseph Beuys, Nam June Paik and others, then professorships in Germany and Austria. The "Besucherschulen" (1968-1992), designed by him for the Kasseler documenta, conveyed understanding and appropriation techniques for modern art, according to the method of "Action Teaching" developed by Brock. For eleven years he moderated the broadcast "Bilderstreit - Kunst im Gespräch" on 3sat.

Since 2011, he operates the "Denkerei" in Berlin with a focus on "Arbeit an unlösbaren Problemen".

Panel:
Why Art is the Opposite of Culture

Claus Kleber, born in 1955 in Reutlingen, was raised in Berlin, Liechtenstein and Bensberg near Cologne. After his state law examination and doctorate, he became the director of SWF-Studios in Konstanz in 1985. In 1986 he was a first-time correspondent in Washington D.C. During is career he became one of the best journalistic experts of the US and American politics. He interviewed every US-president from George Bush Sr. to Barack Obama. 

In 2002 he became the chief moderator and head of the editorial department of the "heute-journal" in Mainz. Since he moderated his last edition in 2021, he has focused on his work as an author and documentary filmmaker.

Numerous ZDF documentary films followed, among them "UTOPIA - Irre Visionen in Silicon Valley" and "PUTINS TABUBRUCH - Die neue Angst vor der Bombe." He last published as an author in 2017 with "Rettet die Wahrheit," which became a SPIEGEL bestseller.

Panel:
Democracy dies in Darkness

Since the start of her career Bibiana Beglau has been working with directors, that shape contemporary theater and film. She repeatedly played under the direction of Christoph Schlingensief, Dimiter Gotscheff, Einar Schleef, Frank Castorf, Luk Perceval, Martin Kušej, Sebastian Nübling and Thomas Ostermeier, before gaining national fame and international recognition for her leading role in Volker Schlöndorff's feature film "Die Stille nach dem Schuss." Aside from her theater engagements at all important German-speaking stages, Bibiana Beglau plays in many great film and TV-productions like "1000 Arten Regen zu beschreiben," "Crescendo," "Der neunte Tag," "Sieben Stunden," "Über Barbarossaplatz," "Unter dem Eis," "Was Du nicht siehst" or "Zappelphilipp." Her intensity while acting, as well as her confident portrayal of most contradictory emotions are both valued by directors such as Christian Görlitz, Connie Walther, Dror Zahavi, Florian Hoffmeister, Isa Prahl, Jan Bonny and Viviane Andereggen, and widely recognized by cultural media. Her play testifies to a high acting intelligence, as well as a unique and outstanding physicality, with which she brings her roles to life. Bibiana Beglau has won multiple awards for example the Silberner Bär of the Berlinale as best actress, the Ulrich-Wildgruber-Preis, as well as the Adolf-Grimme-Preis. She was voted "Schauspielerin des Jahres 2014" by Theater heute and, in 2015, was awarded the Deutscher Theaterpreis Der Faust for her outstanding acting performance. 

Panel:
The Absence of a Lemon

Katrin Gebbe is a writer and director from Hamburg. Her psychological horror drama *PELIKANBLUT*, starring Nina Hoss, premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it opened the prestigious Orizzonti section. The film won, among other awards, the Grand Prize at the Bucheon International Film Festival, the Méliès d’Or for Best European Fantasy Film in Sitges, and the Best Director Award at Fantastic Fest in Austin.

Her controversial feature film debut TORE TANZT screened in Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section and won, among other awards, the German Film Critics’ Award and the Bavarian Film Award.

She is the lead director of the International Emmy Award-winning series DIE KAISERIN (Season 1) and recently directed her first English-language production, A THOUSAND BLOWS (Season 2), for Disney.

Panel:
Is German Film Capable of Art?

Elad Yaron is a researcher and curator working at the intersection of contemporary and modern art and cultural sociology. He is the chair of the Israeli Curators’ Union. He holds a Ph.D. in Art History from the Hebrew University and received his Bf.A. and M.A. from Bezalel Academy, where he currently teaches. His work involves contemporary and modern art from the perspective of cultural sociology; his engagement with artificial intelligence addresses some of its emerging implications for artistic practice. In recent years, his research has also examined the relationship between art and financial systems. Yaron previously served as chief curator of HaMiffal Art Center and currently holds a senior curatorial role at Binyamin Gallery, alongside extensive independent curatorial work.

Panel:
Creative Intelligence 

Dr. Anya Dietrich is a Neuroscience Liaison and Research Advisor at Frankfurt University Hospital.

Panel:
Creative Intelligence

Bettina Reitz is a widely experienced film and media manager and lead the Hochschule für Fernsehen und FIlm in Munich as the first female full-time president from 2015 to 2025. Reitz is active in numerous committees and advisory boards in the art, film and media industry, as well as in universities and colleges. Numerous of her productions received national and international awards. Films such as Sophie Scholl-Die letzten Tage, Der Bader Meinhof Komplex or Das weiße Band were Oscar-nominated, while Das Leben der Anderen, Amour and Citizenfour won an Oscar each. She received numerous honors, for example the Bayerischer Verdienstorden and the accolade PRO MERITIS SCIENTIAE ET LITERARUM.

Panel:
Less and less Art, less and less Democracy?

Publisher, journalist, producer and filmmaker.

Founder and editor of DMovies (Dirty Movies), a leading indie publication founded in 2016 and based in the UK, with a strong focus on the European festival circuit, particularly on innovative and subversive cinema practices.

Director of various documentaries, in special those with a political and activist profile. Producer and writer of a recent transgressive fiction, which premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlinale to great acclaim.

Panel:
DIY Audiences – Cinema, Criticism and Audience

Leon Joskowitz is a philosopher, artist and teacher from Frankfurt am Main. He curates the literature festival ‘Textland – Made in Germany’ as well as the Offspace OADE. In his teaching practice, drawing on his book 'On Cooking and Killing', he has developed a new interdisciplinary project-based course entitled ‘Cooking as Applied Ethics’. He also loves films.

Panel:
Artificial Intelligence – The End of Art?

Journalist for publications including Musikexpress, Rolling Stone, SpOn and Die Zeit; author of the Grimme Prize-winning feature “Eier aus Stahl – Max Giesinger und die deutsche Industriemusik” (*neo magazin royal*). He runs the pop culture website: www.kaput-mag.com and hosts the highly condensed podcasts “Komm Küssen – Das Alphabet des Lebens” and “Ausnahme der Rose – der Podcast über Hörspiele”. Linus Volkmann lives and works in Frankfurt – the adventurous Aquarius is a simple man who loves his friends.

Panel:
Art-free zone? The place of art in digital media amongst artists, PR and platform logic

Chloé Folens has been a member of La Clef collective since 2020, occupying cinema La Clef in Paris and then spearheading an effort to buy the building in order to save this historical venue. She is a board member of the Cinema Revival fund, a non-profit that aims to support community-run theaters. Apart from this volunteer work, she is a researcher and teacher of film history, focusing on militant cinema from the 60s ans 70s.

Panel:
DIY Audiences – Cinema, Criticism and Audience

Born in 1989 in France, Clément Schneider studied filmmaking at La Fémis (National French Film School) where he graduated in 2013. Since he finished La Fémis, he co-founded a production company, in order to produce independant films – fiction and documentaries. In 2018, his first feature film "A violent desire for joy" is selected in ACID Cannes and many international festivals. In 2021, his feature film "The Cure" (codirected with Simon Rembado) is selected in FIDMarseille. He also wrote a thesis within the frame of a research-creation PhD in PSL University, whose subject is: relations between Cinema and Utopia. His last film "The End of the Iron Age" was released in 2025. He currently teaches filmmaking at ENS de Lyon. He helps defending independant cinema through his involvement in l'ACID, that he co-presided between 2020 and 2022.

Event:
DIY Audiences – Cinema, Criticism and Audience

Artistic director, arts producer, essayist, moderator and speaker.

Aviv is the director of the Utopia non-profit association, its namesake film festival & co-editor of the Utopia magazine. Aviv writes and speaks on topics intersecting technology, media and society, science, science fiction, digital/arts and future/s. Aviv's been published in major news outlets and journals in Israel and around the world.

Based primarily in Tel Aviv, Aviv has participated and presented at numerous international events including the re:publica conference, Ratio, Docu:Tech, and B3. He has also taken part in curating, editing, and producing international cultural initiatives in various locations, among them Berlin, Frankfurt, London, Brussels and Shenzhen. Aviv is currently a program consultant at the LICHTER International Film Festival in Frankfurt.

Panels:
AI – Authoritarian Intelligence &
DIY Audiences – Cinema, Criticism and Audience &
Creative Intelligence

Leif Randt (*1983 in Frankfurt a.M.) is the author of five novels and a feature film. In the fall of 2025, "Let's talk about feelings" was released. On April 16, the film adaptation of his bestseller "Allegro Pastell" launched in German cinemas.

Panel:
Dialogue of the Arts

Nicole Deitelhoff is Professor of International Relations and Theories of Global Order at Goethe University Frankfurt and Director of PRIF – Leibniz Institute for Peace Research and Conflict Studies. Her research focuses on crises, political authority and legitimacy, as well as democracy, social cohesion, and dynamics of protest.

As spokesperson and (co-)director of renowned research networks, including the Research Institute for Social Cohesion and the Research Network Normative Orders, she has significantly shaped German and international peace and conflict research.

For her scholarly achievements, she has received, among other distinctions, the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize and the Schader Prize. Alongside her research, she is strongly committed to bringing academic knowledge into the public sphere.

Panel:
Democracy Dies in Darkness

Dr. phil. habil. Mirjam Schaub is a professor of cultural philosophy and aesthetics in the Department of Design at HAW Hamburg. Previously, she taught philosophy at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle an der Saale. She studied philosophy, political science and psychology in Münster, Munich (LMU), Berlin (FU) and Paris (Sorbonne I). Whilst studying, she attended the German School of Journalism in Munich (DJS) and later worked as a cultural journalist for publications including taz, Freitag, ZEIT and FAZ. She has written catalogue texts and art books (including the award-winning ‘Walk Book’ with and about Janet Cardiff) and produced artist portraits for ZDF (aspekte). In 2001, she completed her PhD with two monographs, including one on Gilles Deleuze’s two books on cinema. In 2009, she completed her habilitation thesis on the meaning and meaninglessness of examples in philosophy and aesthetics.

Her two-volume comparative cultural philosophy on radicalism has just been published by Felix Meiner Verlag: Radikalität und der Riss zwischen Theorie und Praxis. Eine unerhörte Kulturphilosophie. 399 v. Chr. – 1797 n.Chr.
Radikalität und der Mut zum Gebrauch des eigenen Lebens. Eine unheimliche Populärkultur. 1832 – heute.

Panel:
Is German Film Capable of Art?

Katharina Meyer is a curator and researcher working at the intersection of culture, media and digital infrastructure. She collaborates closely with artists from the fields of visual arts, performance, film and literature, and develops exhibitions, publications and other cross-media projects. As founding director of the Digital Infrastructure Insights Fund, she designs and manages global technology funding programmes and research projects on digital commons, and also publishes on art, economies, innovation and standards – including in her own newsletter. Previously, she worked for the Sovereign Tech Fund, the re:publica conference and the Open Knowledge Foundation; she regularly advises institutions and moderates debate formats and workshops that bring together different knowledge regimes and disciplines.

Panels:
Less and less Art, less and less Democracy? &
Art-free zone?

Prof. Dr. Harald Welzer is a sociologist and social psychologist, co-founder and director of "FUTURZWEI. Stiftung Zukunftsfähigkeit", speaker of the council for digital ecology, permanent visiting professor for social psychology at the university of Sankt Gallen. He has written numerous books about socio-political questions and about sustainability, for example "Klimakriege. Wofür im 21. Jahrhundert getötet wird", "Selbst denken. Eine Anleitung zum Widerstand", "Nachruf auf mich selbst. Die Kultur des Aufhörens". "Das Haus der Gefühle" was last released (all at S.-Fischer). Beside that he is the editor of "tazFUTURZWEI" - magazine for future and politics. The books of Harald Welzer have been published in 22 languages.

Panels and Key Note:
The Art of the Dialogue &
The Fourth Estate and the Arts &
Less and less Art, less and less Democracy?

Prof. Dr. Gesine Schwan, political scientist at the FU Berlin (1971-1999), president of the Europa-Universität Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) (1999-2008), two-time candidate for the office of president of Germany (2004 and 2009), 2004-2009 German Federal Government Commissioner for Poland, co-founder and president of the "Berlin Governance Platform", since 2014 chairwoman of the Basic Values Commission of the SPD.

Panel and Key note:
The Art of Arguing &
The Art of the Dialogue

Klaus Walter lives in Frankfurt am Main and has been working as an author and DJ since the late 1970s, covering a wide range of topics from pop music to football and politics. In the 1980s, he was an editor at the magazine *Pflasterstrand*, and has been a radio DJ at Hessischer Rundfunk since 1984. Since 2008, Walter has worked as an editor and presenter at the internet radio station ByteFM. In 2009, ByteFM won the Grimme Online Award. In 2005, “Plattenspieler” was published, a book of conversations with Frank Witzel and Thomas Meinecke, followed in 2009 by a sequel entitled “Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland.”

As an author, he contributes regularly to various print media and radio stations, including the Süddeutsche Zeitung, TAZ, FR, WOZ, Jungle World, ByteFM, DLF, Deutschlandfunk Kultur and HR. Since 2022, he has been producing and presenting the programme “Ex & Pop” on WDR 3 Open alongside Diviam Hoffmann.

Panel:
Less and less Art, less and less Democracy?

Program advisor at Cinemateca de Bogotá and IDFA. Programmer at Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt International and Alternativa Film Festival. He holds a MA in Preservation and Presentation of the Moving Image from the University of Amsterdam, a MA in Anthropology from Universidad de los Andes (Colombia), and has led and participated in curating and preservation projects at Museo Reina Sofía (Spain), Eye Filmmuseum and LI-MA Institute for Media Art (Netherlands), the Spanish Film Showcase (Colombia), among others. Formerly program coordinator at the Bogota International Film Festival (BIFF). He has been a jury at festivals like FICCI and MIDBO, awards like the Golden Globes and Premios Gabo, and various open calls in Colombia.

Panel:
DIY Audiences – Cinema, Criticism and Audience

Paris Marx is a Canadian tech critic. He hosts the award-winning Tech Won’t Save Us podcast and speaks around the world about the politics of technology. Paris is the author of Road to Nowhere and his next book Hyperscale comes out later this year.

Panel:
AI – Authoritarian Intelligence

Tim League is the founder and former longtime CEO of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, the theater chain that helped redefine the exhibition industry through its mission-driven, community-focused approach—pairing repertory programming and special events with in-theater dining, bars, and from-scratch kitchens.

He is currently the founder and CEO of Metro Cinema, a private cinema concept that debuted in Manhattan in fall 2025.

League has also co-founded several influential film and entertainment ventures, including Mondo (2004) and Mutant (2024), both known for artist-driven movie collectibles; Fantastic Fest (2005); and the American Genre Film Archive (2009), a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting genre cinema. He is also a co-founder of the independent distribution company NEON, alongside Tom Quinn. NEON’s releases include acclaimed titles such as ANORA, PARASITE, I, TONYA, and LONGLEGS.

Panel:
DIY Audiences – Cinema, Criticism and Audience

Joined La Clef Revival Collective in 2025.
Member of the Technical Committee.
I am a post-production specialist based in Paris.
In my professional life, I work as a Principal Expert at Avid.

Panel:
DIY Audiences – Cinema, Criticism and Audience

RP Kahl (filmmaker) studied at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin, Rostock branch, and has been working as an actor in film and theatre since 1990. In 1995, he moved behind the camera, producing the award-winning feature film ‘Silvester Countdown’ by Oskar Roehler in 1997. Together with Luggi Waldleitner’s Roxy-Film, he produced his feature film directorial debut ‘Angel Express’ in 1998. He has also directed music videos and theatre productions. He has been a member of the board of the German Film Academy since 2013 and has served as one of the three executive chairmen since 2017.

Panel:
The Art of the Dialogue

The filmmaker and producer Pauline Roenneberg was born in 1984 in Munich. She studied Directing at the HFF München and was a scholarship recipient of the Studienstiftung. With her diploma-series "Früher oder später" she won numerous awards. In 2023, her documentary series "Farm Rebellion" was released on Disney+, a collaboration with Dorris Dörrie, where she directed two episodes. Also in 2023, she initiated the appeal "Angst essen Kino" with her colleagues Eileen Byrne & Franziska Hoenisch, first presented at the Kongress Zukunft Deutscher Film in Frankfurt, with which they demanded more courage and risk-taking for young cinema from the German film landscape. Currently, Pauline is working, as a director and producer, on the completion of her cinema debut "Kalter Hund" - starring Corinna Harfouch & Lea Drinda amongst others.

Panels:
Die Kunst und ich &
Die Kunst des Dialogs

Born in Bregenz/Austria

Directing studies at the Max-Reinhardt-Seminar in Vienna and at the Hochschule Mozarteum in Salzburg.

Theater work as an actor and director at the Schauspielhaus Wiien; Theater am Turm in Frankfurt and the Hamburger Kammerspiele (Collaboration with Hans Gratzer, Elke Lang and Ulrich Waller).

SINCE 1990 Author and director for documentary films

1995/96 Jury member at «Prix Europa – Europäisches Fernsehprogramm des Jahres»

1997-1999 Work as author, moderator and editor with Hessischer Rundfunk for the political magazine «Dienstag – das starke Stück der Woche»

1999 Visiting professorship at the Institut für angewandte Theaterwissenschaften der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen («Dokumentarisch arbeiten»)

1999 Founding of the karisma Filmproduktion in Frankfurt/Main

from 2001 Author for the 3sat-Kulturmagazin «Kulturzeit»

2003 Visiting professorship at the Institut für angewandte Theaterwissenschaften der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen («authentisch/dokumentarisch»)

2004 Teaching assignment at the Institut für Kommunikationswissenschaften der Universität Münster

2007-2022 Editor at SRF Kultur, Author for «Kulturplatz» und «Sternstunde Kunst»

2022 Founding of the karisma Filmproduktion in Zürich

Panel:
Can Art save the World?

Saralisa Volm (*1985) is a filmmaker, writer, actress and producer. As an art historian, her work consistently explores the boundaries between film, text and the visual arts. Through her company POISON, she has produced, among other projects, the film FIKKEFUCHS, starring Jan Henrik Stahlberg and Franz Rogowski. She has published several books and a radio play. As a director, she works on television and cinema productions. Her feature film debut, SCHWEIGEND STEHT DER WALD, premiered at the Berlinale in 2022. Volm’s first television film, BIS ZUR WAHRHEIT, premiered at the Munich Film Festival in 2024 and won the German Television Award for Best Actress in 2025. Her Tatort episode NACHTSCHATTEN was broadcast on television on 1 January 2026.

Panels:
Is German Film Capable of Art? &
Dialogue of the Arts

Hans Block (born 1985, Berlin) is a documentary and theatre director and writer. He studied directing at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin. His debut film ‘The Cleaners’ (starring Moritz Riesewieck) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018, screened at over 70 festivals and won international awards, including the Prix Europa and the Grimme Audience Award, and received an Emmy nomination. Their TED Talk on freedom of expression reached an audience of millions. In 2020, their essay “Die digitale Seele” was published by Goldmann Verlag. His current film “Eternal You” (2024) also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and has won numerous awards, including the Bavarian Film Prize 2024. Block has also directed at venues including the Burgtheater in Vienna and the Münchner Kammerspiele.

Panel:
Less and less Art, less and less Democracy? &
Art and Me

Carla Reemtsma, 27, was born and raised in Berlin. She completed her studies in politics and economics in Münster with a thesis on intergenerational justice and resources. Inspired by experiences at a climate camp near the opencast mines in the Rhenish lignite mining area and Greta Thunberg's speech at the climate conference in Katowice, Carla organised the first climate strike in Münster. The following week, she protested with ten thousand people in front of the Ministry of Economics at the meeting of the coal commission. This was followed by dozens of climate strikes, some of them worldwide, with several million participants in Germany alone. As a climate activist, Carla represents the interests of young, climate-minded people in talk shows, confronts politicians with the inadequacy of their own measures and campaigns for a 1.5-degree-compliant policy. For Carla, it is clear that the climate crisis cannot be solved by more growth and new technologies, but requires a fundamentally different way of doing business.

Panel:
The Art of the Dialogue

Dennis Vetter works as a festival director, film critic and editor, moderator, film mediator, curator, and video editor. Texts have appeared in Film Comment, taz, Kolik Film, Filmbulletin, epd film, Der Tagesspiegel, Fluter, Jungle World, Senses of Cinema, Filmexplorer, cléo, among others. Moderations at Viennale, Diagonale, Intl. Short Film Festival Winterthur, Cinemathèque Leipzig, HARD:LINE. From 2013-2023 he served as a board member of the German Film Critics Association, from 2023-2025 as an advisory board member. Co-founder of the Berlin Critics’ Week (2015), Artistic Director since 2020 (collectively since 2021). Dennis was a co-founder of the Hungry Eyes Festival (film/performance/installation, Institute for Applied Theater Studies Giessen). He programmed at various film festivals, like the Kasseler Dokfest, La Fête du Slip, or Nippon Connection. He screened video essays at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and La Cinémathèque québécoise. As a film mediator he worked for Sinema Transtopia, Filmfest Dresden, BFMAF, among others.

Eileen studies feature film directing at the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München. In 2012/13, she spent an additional year at the ESAV in Toulouse, where she got a master's degree. Her graduation film WAS BLEIBT (engl. TOUCH ME) was nominated for the student Oscar and the First Steps Award and ran at the Camerimage Int. Film Festival, Max Ophüls Preis and in Palm Springs among others. In June 2022, her episode of the documentary series BROTREBELLEN "Nicolas Supiot und die Alchemie des Backens" was televised on ARTE. In the fall of 2024, her first feature film "Marianengraben," for which she also wrote the screenplay based on Jasmin Schreiber's Spiegel-bestseller of the same name, had its premiere at the Filmfest Hamburg and won the price for the "Best International Breakthrough" at the San Diego International Film Festival.

Alex Wissel studied experimental sculpture at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts Lyon. Wissel has a broad-based approach to his work, which includes drawing, installation and film, as well as the work as set designer, actor and screenwriter, next to working in sculpture. Oftentimes collaborative and interdisciplinary connections are important and different work processes are implemented in parallel and in relation to each other. Wissel is the initiator of numerous community projects, such as the Oktoberbar  or the Single-Clubs. In the latter, for example, artists staged experimental parties and performances for a year, that developed under the participation of the audience. The club was also a stage for an experimental essay film, which arose in collaboration with the director Jan Bonny and had its premiere in 2015 in the Mumok in Vienna. As a result various cinematic and theatrical projects emerged together with Bonny, in which Wissel designed the sets, co-wrote the screenplays and participated as an actor. This way, they realized the satirical web series "Rheingold" at the Volksbühne Berlin in 2018 or, in 2021, the theater piece "Philoktet" by Heiner Müller at the Theater Basel. In 2024, they realized „Man muss sich Mephisto als glücklichen Menschen vorstellen“ together at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus. In 2025, "Eisenfaust" at the Schauspielhaus Köln. Often, theatrical space with image/color space and exhibition space, in which sculptures become set design and image motif inside of flowing transmedia processes, interlace in these collaborations.

Panel:
The Absence of a Lemon

Maxi Buck, born 1994, is a freelance filmmaker and director, focusing on documentary film. His background lies in the independent theatre scene and is self-taught, marked by stance.

In 2021, he follows the protests against the construction of the A49 highway with the camera and thus develops his unapologetic debut: 49 problems (and my future is one). Released in cinemas in 2023 and screened nationwide at festivals - Kasseler Dokfest, Lichter Filmfest amongst others - and awarded by the Filmfestival Ökofilmtour in Brandenburg.

Currently Buck is working on his new documentary film FAT YEARS OF FATMULL: A coming-of-age story about the friendship and break-up of a metal band at their limit.

Film:
Fat Years of Fatmull

Marie Marxmeier, born in 1996, graduated in 2020 with a degree in Motion Pictures from Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, where she produced her graduation film “A Day in the Life of a Boy”. In 2018, she completed an internship at Tempomedia (Berlin). She then joined Fourmat Film as a producer, where she continues to work full-time to this day.

In addition, Marie independently produced the short film “Text Me When You Get Home xx” (2022). Since 2022, she has been a spokesperson for the Young Generation of Hessian Film and is involved in various projects (Film & Media Meetup, Film Fiesta). She also takes on roles such as location manager and production manager on feature film productions.

“Sorry Momo” is her first feature film as an independent producer.

Film:
Sorry Momo

Currently based in Frankfurt, Sweta Chhabria has been a banker for over 20 years, along with being a film producer for the past 10 years, working across Asia and now Europe. She has helmed 6 feature films and 1 documentary as a producer along with her partner Aditya Kripalani.

Always deeply moved by the unfair conditions of women in her own country, she began this journey with her partner to help tell stories of women. And she helps tell stories of mental health and injustice against minority communities with equal gusto.

She brings her cool headed, practical approach to enable films to be made within an allotted budget and in such a manner that they still firmly say things but also end up reaching the right audience. She also has her voice and world view firmly entrenched in the films she backs.

Film:
I'm Not an Actor

After her studies at the Max-Reinhardt-Seminar in Vienna and at the Conservatoire National Superieure in Paris, she acted in award-winning productions such as Maren Ade's "Alle Anderen", Franz Müller's "Kein Science Fiction", Kilian Riedhof's "Homevideo", Antonia Uhl's "Auster" as well as Nicolas Wackerbarth's "Casting".

Aside from her motion picture work, she was active in the free Berlin theater scene and as a chanson singer. Since 2021 she has been connecting her 35 years of stage experience with personality development. In her company, she leads coachings and seminars, in which she uses techniques of acting direction for private and professional presence.

Film:
Ein Abend im Dezember

Leona Grundig was born in Munich. After completing her A-levels, she initially studied graphic design for two years at the Munich University of Design. This was followed by a degree in acting from 2015 to 2019 at the University of Music, Drama and Media in Hanover, where she received a scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation and the CULT Foundation’s Solo Acting Award. During her studies, she was already performing at the Göttingen Theatre. From 2019 to 2022, Leona Grundig was a permanent member of the ensemble at the Bielefeld Theatre. Here, she was nominated for the Dr Otto Kasten Prize for emerging talent in German theatre and the NRW Emerging Artist Award. Alongside her theatre work, she also appeared in front of the camera for film and television productions. Most recently, she appeared in the new ZDF crime series “Frankfurter Files” as Inspector Milli Schneider.

Film:
Sorry Momo

For over thirty years, documentary filmmaker Thorsten Schütte has been working as a writer, director and producer. His work explores musical themes, artistic processes, social documentary and postcolonial perspectives, and has been screened at festivals around the world, including Sundance, IDFA, the Berlinale and the San Sebastián Film Festival.

Film:
Ensemble Modern – Why We Play

Yvonne Lachmann lives in Saarbrücken, where she works as a freelance writer (poetry and short prose), actress and documentary filmmaker. She studied at the HBKsaar, graduating with a diploma in Media Art and Design, specialising in documentary film under Prof. Sung-Hyung Cho.

Film:
"The Female Fool" – Ulrike Rosenbach

Felicitas Korn is a film director, screenwriter, author and producer who has received numerous awards for her work, which is described as “highly precise and compelling” (FAZ), “vibrant with energy” (Der Spiegel) and a source of “courage and hope” (Süddeutsche Zeitung). Among other accolades, Korn’s films “Auftauchen” won the Best New Director Award at the Brooklyn Film Festival, whilst “Wir haben einen Deal” received the Bernd Burgemeister Television Prize, the Robert Geisendörfer Prize and a nomination for the 60th Grimme Prize in 2024.

Film:
Drei Leben lang

Dennis Baumann is a director, author and editor based in Hessen. For over eight years, he has been carrying out fictional and commercial projects. He has received awards for several short films. He focuses on evocative material with a strong visual concept, especially in the horror and thriller genres. In addition to his work in film and marketing, he is currently developing his second feature film “Wake Me Up”. He is also co-host of the film podcast “Schaun wir mal”, where he regularly analyses filmic storytelling devices and contexts.

Film:
Sorry Momo

Born in 1985 in Frankfurt on the Main. Upon completion of his bachelor’s degree, he strengthened his experience in the master’s program of the Hamburg Media School with a focus on camera and under the direction of Judith Kaufmann and Achim Poulheim. His graduation film, filmed in Istanbul, wins the Student Academy Award 2015. Since then, he has been working as director of photography for various projects and formats, always with great curiosity and a passion to tell exciting stories.

Film:
Trial of Hein

Sung-Hyung Cho is a filmmaker and professor of film at the Saar College of Fine Arts. Born in South Korea, she lives and works in Germany. In her documentary work, she combines personal storytelling with socio-political themes, alongside a subtle sense of humour and keen observational skills. Her films have been screened at numerous international festivals and have won awards. Alongside her artistic work, she is deeply committed to teaching and supports young filmmakers in developing their own cinematic styles. She is currently developing projects at the intersection of political change and personal life stories.

Film:
"The Female Fool" – Ulrike Rosenbach

2025 4 BLOCKS : ZERO, Directing: Hüseyin Tabak & Özgür Yildirim, W&B TV, HBOmax

2024 Euphorie, Directing: Antonia Leyla Schmidt & André Szardenings, Zeitsprung / RTL+

2024 Die Pfefferkörner, Directing: Janko Christiansen, Letterbox / NDR

2023 Deutscher Schauspielpreis, category: NACHWUCHS (nominated)

2023 Ein Abend im Dezember, Directing: Matthias Kreter, fourmat film / SWR

2023 TATORT ''Es grünt so grün...'' , Directing: Till Endemann, HR / ARD

2023 DER GUTE BULLE ''Straße macht Ärger'', Directing: Lars Becker, Network Movie / ZDF

2022 HYPE, Directing: Esra & Patrick Phul, eitelsonnenschein / picturemerollin / ARD Mediathek

Film:
Ein Abend im Dezember

Andrea Roggon works as a freelance director, producer and lecturer dedicates herself primarily to artistic documentary film in these areas. 

After stays abroad and internships in the film industry, she studied documentary directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg as well as at the international film school EICTV in Cuba. Her evening-filling documentary films were shown worldwide at festivals, awarded, and brought into the German and Austrian cinema.

In 2011, she founded the AMA Film GmbH and has since also dedicated herself to the stories of other directors as a producer.

Since 2022, she teaches documentary directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.

Andrea Roggon is a member of the AG DOK and the Deutsche Filmakademie.

Film:
Why We Play

Ulla Lehmann is a producer and co-owner of AMA FILM in Stuttgart and Berlin. Our main focus lies on creative documentary films as well as films of artistic and social relevance, like for example DAS INNERE LEUCHTEN by Stefan Sick (Berlinale), MIDWIVES by Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing (Sundance Film Festival) and GABIN (Cannes).

Kai Stänicke studied film production, completed an internship in production management at X Filme Creative Pool in Berlin, and subsequently worked as an assistant director before turning his attention to making his own short films. He developed his feature film debut, 'Trial of Hein', as part of the Berlinale Talents Script Station. He also received support from the Wolfgang Kohlhaase Scholarship.

Film:
Trial of Hein

Volker Janovsky has been working for Hessischer Rundfunk and SWR as a editor, film author and video journalist since 1998. He is a one-stop shop for conception and planning as well as shooting and editing of a film. Mainly reports and documentaries. “Das Knistern der Regenwürmer” is his first excursion to the cinema.

Film:
Das Knistern der Regenwürmer

Matthias Kreter has gained some initial experience in directing in London, Munich and Frankfurt where he has completed several courses and internships. Following that he attended Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences for a Bachelor in Motion Pictures. Following numerous award-winning short and advertising films, he studied Fiction Film Directing at Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg until 2024. „Ein Abend im Dezember“ is his debut film.

Film:
Ein Abend im Dezember

Jule Kracht is a director and actress. After training at the HMT Hannover, she was a permanent member of the ensemble at the Junges NTM Nationaltheater Mannheim for 10 years, where she worked as a resident director alongside her acting role. 

Since 2013, she has been working as a freelance director at various theatres throughout Germany, including the TJG Dresden, Münster City Theatre, Mainz State Theatre, Darmstadt and Augsburg, the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern, Regensburg and Ingolstadt City Theatres, and Baden-Baden City Theatre. In her own productions, she almost always works across genres. She develops plays based on picture books and relevant themes, and writes her own theatrical adaptations of children’s literature. 
‘Das Knistern der Regenwürmer’ is her film debut.

Film:
Das Knistern der Regenwürmer

PHILIPP KREUZER is an internationally active film producer, lawyer and managing director of maze pictures & Supernix. He produced a multitude of cross-genre feature films & TV-series, many of which were international co-productions. In 2015 he founded maze pictures, situated in Munich and Berlin, as an independent production company for film, TV and digital content. In 2016, he also founded Supernix together with producer Joe Neurauter, with a focus on international co-productions and production services - often in partnership with Penzing Studios. He is a member of the European and German film academy (production section), is active in film politics and is currently chairman of the supervisory board at German Films.  In 2018, he was lauded as the best producer of the free state of Bavaria for "The Happy Prince" (director Rupert Everett).

Film:
Drei Leben lang

Lukas Miko, born in Vienna, became internationally known through his leading role in Michael Hanekes "71 Fragmente" (Cannes 1994). His work shines with great versatility and emotional depth. He played at the Residenztheater and at the Wiener Burgtheater. For his role as a heroin-addict in Adrian Goiginger's "Die Beste aller Welten" he received the Austrian Filmpreis in 2018. In 2024 he was lauded with the GROSSER SCHAUSPIELPREIS for special merits for the Austrian film. He played prominent roles in Markus Schleinzer's "Angelo", Barbara Albert's "Licht", David Clay Diaz' "Me We" or recently in Radu Jude's "Dracula". He also left a big impression with series hits such as "Charite" (ARD), "Freud" (Netflix) or "Der Pass" (Sky). Additionally, his directorial debut "Das gefrorene Meer" was awarded the LOLA for the best German short film.

Film:
Ein Abend im Dezember

Allapopp is a Berlin-based interdisciplinary digital media- andperformance artist. Originally from Tatarstan in Russia. Allapopp's workfuses mixed Tatar, post soviet, queer & migrant exploration with tech-inclusive envisioning and formally operates within the domains of digital art, performance and sound, interactive live formats andexperiences in XR and web. Allapopp was trained and practised art in Germany, across the EU, China, Rwanda and the USA and is the co-founderof the TATAR KYZ:LAR and BBB_musicprojects_, is part of the datlfmnsm collective and the Dreaming Beyond AI platform.

Event:
Altering Altars (Pre-EP Release Show)

For over two decades, Franksen has been a key figure on the electronic music scene in the Rhine-Main region – as a DJ, producer, radio presenter and music journalist. For twelve years, he was the host and resident DJ of “hr CLUBNIGHT”, arguably the region’s best-known DJ radio show. Until the turn of the year 2021, Franksen was on air on Sundays: his electronic radio magazine “Night Voyage” (hr2 Kultur / YOU FM) presented electronica with a listening focus – sonic journeys between driving beats, evocative ambient sounds and organic grooves.

Levan Okropiridze, known as Denivarlevy, is a DJ, Sound engineer and musician, with a hip-hop background. Over time, his music expanded into electronic, Rn&b and soul. He has released 8 albums and 8 beat tapes.

In recent years, he has been working with Mariam Meme Zhordania, forming the duo Junkmail. In 2025, they performed live at Bassiani, Tbilisi Open Air, and other venues across Georgia.

As a DJ, he mainly plays hip-hop, but also includes funk, jazz fusion, soul/R&B, house, and downtempo. He has hosted events in Georgia called Denivarlevy & Friends, where local artists performed live while he was DJing.

Since September 2025, he is based in Frankfurt, studying sound engineering and audio production, works as a private music production tutor, and has hosted several workshops in both Frankfurt and Georgia.

Listen to his latest EP: https://open.spotify.com/album/1b7EBq8CUHBH9hJYbJibrG?si=aARgMEdTQx2nxyiRpAjNgg

Linktree- https://linktr.ee/denivarlevyy?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=bbf45b99-5f81-4044-9139-f5c38e18cdc5

Dax Werner broadcasts with much love from Cologne. He is the singer and guitarist of the band “The Screenshots” and a twitter legend. Always stayed down to earth though. Besides coffee, he also engages with 3D printing and Sim Racing.

Event:
Live-Podcast Der Bohnige Wachmacher

Like almost no one else, Frank Spilker has shaped the local (underground) pop scene over the past few decades with his band ‘Die Sterne’. In the early 1990s, his lyrics revolutionised songwriting and the way song lyrics are perceived in this country. Each of the now more than a dozen Sterne albums captivates not only through the music, but equally through Spilker’s lyrics, appealing (and still appealing) to music fans, hermeneutics scholars, MTV viewers and arts critics alike.

Events:
Concert &
Dialogue of Arts

Bert Rebhandl, born in 1964 in Upper Austria, lives in Berlin as a freelance journalist and author. He writes film reviews for the FAZ/FAS, tipBerlin and Der Standard (Vienna). Books on Orson Welles, Jean-Luc Godard, The Third Man, Westerns and television series. Co-editor of the magazine CARGO Film Medien Kultur (www.cargo-film.de). Website: www.BRO198.net

Moritz Hürtgen broadcasts from Munich. Back in the day, he was the chief editor of the satire magazine Titanic. Currently, he is a man of independent means (freelance authour), host of a show in the Volkstheater Munich and columnist for the two most important pieces of media in the country (Titanic and ‘Apotheken Umschau’).

Event:
Live-Podcast Der Bohnige Wachmacher

Lars Eidinger, born in 1976 in Berlin, is a renowned German actor and theater artist. Known for his intense roles in film and on stage, he excites with his versatility and charismatic presence. In 2026, he stars in Ulrike Ottingers new film "Die Blutgräfin".

Carolin Weidner (born 1989) studied film studies and journalism and communication studies in Berlin. Whilst studying, she began writing film reviews for magazines such as tip Berlin and kulturSPIEGEL, as well as for the daily newspapers taz and FAZ. She currently works as a freelance writer for the taz and Perlentaucher. She occasionally teaches film journalism at the University of Hildesheim and sits on the selection committees for DOK Leipzig and the Berlinale Forum.

Gina Henkel grew up in Frankfurt and studied acting at the HMT in Leipzig until 2005. She played amongst others in productions from Lucia Bihler, Rebekka David, Robert Borgmann and Dieter Dorn, at the Maxim Gorki, the Braunschweig and Stuttgart Staatstheater as well as the Residenztheater in Munich. She has worked in independent projects, amongst others for the Ballhaus Ost, the Sophiensäle and the HAU and was part of the performances from Paul McCarthy and Mike Bouchet at the Portikus in Frankfurt. Since 2019, she works regularly in film and TV, for example in films by Fabian Stumm, Hanna Doose, Oona v. Maydell, Anna Sofie Hartmann, Kolja Malik and Vanessa Jopp. Her collaboration with Eva Trobisch (Home Stories) premiered at the 76th Berlinale. Gina Henkel lives in Berlin.

Anna Roller was born in Munich in 1993. During her studies in Film Directing at the HFF Munich she made five short films. Two of them, PAN and DIE LETZTEN KINDER IM PARADIES, were shown at over sixty international festivals, such as Palm Springs, Max Ophüls and Camerimage. Another, GÖR, received a “Lola” - the German Best Short Film Award - in 2021. In 2019, Anna Rolle was part of the Future Frames programme at the Karlovy Vary Festival and took part in the Talent Village at the Les Arcs Festival. During the lockdown of 2020, she developed and produced the IGTV series CURFEW CALLS in partnership with kalekone film. Anna’s feature film debut, DEAD GIRLS DANCING, had a shared world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and at the Filmfest München, with a theatrical distribution by Mubi. She received the New Faces Award for this film debut.

After studying English, German Literature, and Theatre at FU Berlin, Neumann worked as a freelance film journalist. In 1994, he co-founded the Oldenburg International Film Festival, celebrated by Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Screen International as "The European Sundance." In 2001, he produced "99euro-films," premiering at Berlinale 2002. His collaboration with filmmaker RP Kahl yielded "Bedways" (2010), rated by Der Spiegel among the top 10 films internationally. In 2017, he received Best Script and Best Film nominations at Munich and Tallinn Black Nights for "A Thought of Ecstasy." Recent credits include "When Susan Sontag sat in the Audience" (2021), "One-Way Ticket to the Other Side" (2024), and co-producer on Jan Cvitkovic's "Hotel Alcohol," due 2026.

Jasper Wiedhöft was born 1992 in Lingen. After his master thesis in film science at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, he worked at Hessen Film and Media. Since 2020, he has been a producer within the production company Reynard Films in Leipzig. There he produced among others the stop motion short film REST IN PIECE, which was screened at over 90 international festivals. In 2024, Jasper Wiedhöft returned to his domicile of choice, Offenbach. Last he produced the feature film A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD by Cyril Aris, which was awarded with the People’s Choice Award at the Giornate degli Autori in Venice and the Producers Award International Cinema Co-Production. Beside his job as producer, he also works on his own film projects. In 2024, his mockumentary MAGIC MUSIC MAKING was screened at the Lichter Filmfest.

Sabrina Amali is an actress and filmmaker working in both cinema and television. She has been involved in numerous productions of a wide range of genres spanning from arthouse films to television series.

She has won multiple awards for Best Actress for her leading role in the feature film “Maysoon”.

In addition to her work in front of the camera, she produces her own film projects.

As a jury member, she is particularly interested in films with unique creative styles and a distinctive inner world.

Behrooz Karamizade was born in Iran in 1978 and emigrated to West Germany via the GDR with his family in 1984. He studied Film Directing at the Kunsthochschule Kassel from 2007 to 2013. His short films have won multiple awards and have been shows at over 200 international film festivals, including Rotterdam, Oberhausen and Montreal.

His debut film “Leere Netze” won over 13 awards, including a Lola for Best Screenplay, the Special Jury Prize at Karlovy Vary and the Best Production awards at the Munich Film Festival.

In collaboration with other filmmakers, he founded the production company Living Pictures Production in Kassel, which produces international documentaries and feature films of high artistic value.

Leonie Chima Emeka is an art historian, curator and author with a focus on postcolonial theory and histories.

In 2025 she curated exhibitions and performances at Parfümerie, Frankfurt and at Kunsthaus Kaufbeuren. She is currently working for the Art Collection at the Crespo Foundation where she assisted Mario Kramer for the curation of the show "Die Zeit hat Keine Zentrum" (2024-2026). She has undertaken provenance research on the Chokwe-Collection of Hermann Baumann at the Anthropological Museum Berlin. Her texts and essays have appeared in magazines, catalogues and magazines such as African Arts and Positionen. Texte zur zeitgenössischen Musik.

Sita Scherer is a cultural scholar and filmmaker with a focus on documentary film, essay film, and contemporary moving image, and works in curatorial selection processes in the context of film. She studied cultural studies in Hildesheim, Caldas da Rainha (Portugal) and Leipzig, as well as visual communication in the film and moving image class of Prof. Jan Peters at the Kunsthochschule Kassel, where she graduated with honours. She has been working as a freelance filmmaker since 2018. Her works have been shown internationally and have received multiple awards, including the 2015 Open Frame Award at the goEast Festival for the video installation Essen vom Boden der Geschichte. Since 2022, she has been a member of the selection committee for feature-length documentaries at the Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival, and since 2024 she has held a coordinating role. She is currently developing the documentary film Ruf das Schweigen, bis es antwortet.

Saul Judd is an independent curator based in Frankfurt, Germany. Since 2010 he has been responsible for the video art section of the LICHTER Filmfest Frankfurt International. He conceived exhibitions with artists such as Keren Cytter and Mike Bouchet in the context of the festival until he created the LICHTER Art Award in 2011.

He started to curate the LICHTER Short Films International program in 2015. Among his projects is dont-miss.net, a multidisciplinary exhibition series in Frankfurt, 2000-2001; BLANK SLATE a publication about art, architecture and design and in 2016, SCHAUT! - a series of exhibitions of contemporary art film and video art at the MAL SEH’N movie theater in Frankfurt. In 2017 he presented the artist John Skoog and 2024 Florencia Levy as a guest curator for the Double Feature at Schirn Kunsthalle. In 2024, took part in the jury for the international RhineMain short film at the 24th goEast Film Festival.