22.04. ‐ 27.04.2025
filmmaking and politics

Panel: Filmmaking & Politics: a 21st Century Mismatch?

With: 

Costa-Gavras (Filmemacher, Präsident der Cinémathèque française, Frankreich, Griechenland), Susan Newman - Baudais (Exekutivdirektorin des Eurimages-Fonds, Frankreich), Mathieu Fournet (Leiter der Abteilung Internationale Politik CNC, Frankreich), David Bernet (Producer at Atmosfilm, Dozent Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf,Co-chair of the German association for documentary filmmakers AG DOK), Tomas Eskilsson (Cine Regio, Film I Väst, Sweden) via Zoom, Maria Silvia Gatta (European Commission Policy Officer) via Zoom


Host: Pauline Durand-Vialle (FERA, Geschäftsführerin)Martijn Winkler (Dutch Directors Guild - FERA Executive Committee Member)

At a time in which Ukraine fights for its right of self-determination, we are reminded that culture is an essential part of any well-functioning democracy. Filmmakers with singular voices hold a much-needed mirror up to society, while the artistic and creative freedom they need is eroding across Europe. Yet, policy makers are approaching our sector’s recovery from Covid-19 by focusing mostly on making it greener as well as globalizing, and digitizing it further. Is that enough? How can we put artistic, creative, and cultural diversity back at the heart of political agendas across Europe?

This panel will also be broadcast online:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/YbuilWBG4Sk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/681928409763822/

13 May 2022

13:00 h,

More information Lichter FilmfestLichter Filmfest

Duration 120 min
Language Englisch

Panel Participants:


Costa-Gavras, born February 10, 1933 in Greece, is a filmmaker and president of the Cinémathèque française. He moved to Paris at the age of 19 after being forced to leave his native country because of his father's anti-royalist stance. After graduating in literature from the Sorbonne University, he went on to study at the French film school Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques (IDHEC). In 1969, he achieved his international breakthrough with his film "Z" (Jury Prize in Cannes, Oscar for Best International Film). Since the beginning of his career, the director, now 89, has been considered a leading figure in political cinema. "Adults in the Room" will run in the International Program at this year's LICHTER Film Festival.


Susan Newman-Baudais is executive director of Eurimages, the Council of Europe's cultural fund for the promotion of independent film co-productions. She first worked as a producer and director at the British ITV channel Granada and as an editor at Channel 4, later moving to the European Audiovisual Observatory. Since 2012, Newman-Baudais has been employed by Eurimages in various roles, first as project manager and, since 2020, as head of the co-production support program. She was finally appointed Executive Director in March 2022. Susan Newman Baudais holds both Irish and French citizenship.


Mathieu Fournet has been working for eighteen years serving creative and cultural industries on an international level. He started his career for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Embassy of France in Doha, Qatar and the National Radio and Television of Qatar, and was posted as Project Manager in Johannesburg for the French Embassy in South Africa. In 2006, he was appointed as cultural attaché, Head of Film, TV, Music and Media Department in Buenos Aires, Argentina. From 2009 until 2011 he was Executive Director of the French Film & TV Office in Los Angeles, California. From 2011 to 2014, he coordinated the international strategy and operations of the French National Institute of Audiovisual (INA) as Head of international and European Affairs. From 2014 until early 2019, he was posted in New York, N.Y as Cultural Attaché of the French Embassy in the United States of America, Head of cinema, audiovisual, new media and digital department. Since April 2019, Mathieu Fournet is Head of International Policy Unit of the CNC, the French national center for cinema, France.


David Bernet is a German-Swiss documentary director, writer and producer. David Bernet is an award-winning documentary director filmmaker known for his immersive method when discovering complex social realities. His documentary DEMOCRACY - Im Rausch der Daten (“Democracy - in the Data Frenzy”) uncovers the inner mechanisms of European lawmaking in the context of data capitalism versus privacy in the digital age. Democracy has been shot over two and a half years within the European institutions in Brussels and was awarded with the German Film Award 2017. Bernet studied general and comparative literature and philosophy in Vienna and Berlin. As of 1995, he worked as a print and radio journalist and later as a researcher and writer for documentary films, before he startet directing his own projects. David Bernet is founder of the production company Atmosfilm, teaches as a lecturer currently at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf. Since 2020, Bernet is Co-chair of the German association for documentary filmmakers AG DOK.


Thomas Eskilsson is the Chair-Person of the board of Cine-Regio. was CEO of Film i Väst (1992 – 2016) He is Film i Väst’s Head of Strategy since 2017. After working as a researcher Tomas Eskilsson started Film i Väst 1992. Film i Väst is Scandinavia’s major regional film fund and one of the bigger regional film funds in Europe. During the last 25 years Film i Väst has co-produced close to 775 feature films. Some examples are: “Dancer in the Dark” (Lars von Trier); “Melancholia” (Lars von Trier), “In A Better World” (Susanne Bier), “The Hunt” (Thomas Vinterberg), “A man called Ove” (Hannes Holm), “Fucking Åmål” (Lukas Moodysson), “A Royal Affair” (Nicolai Arcel), “Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” (Niels Arden Oplev), “Their Square” (Ruben Östlund) and most recently four time EFA-award and Oscar winner “Another Round” (Thomas Vinterberg) and “The Worst Person in The World” (Joachim Trier). Four co-produced feature films have been chosen for Competition in the 2022 edition of Cannes Filmfestival (and two for Un Certain Regard).


Pauline Durand-Vialle Originally from Paris, France, Pauline has worked in film distribution and international sales. She joined FERA from her previous position as Deputy Manager in charge of European Affairs at La Société des réalisateurs de films (SRF), where she worked for five years. She is the Chief Executive of FERA since February 2014, and took over the European Audiovisual Observatory’s Advisory Committee Chair in December 2020.


Martijn Winkler (1978) is a writer, director, and digital creative, working at the intersection of online, cross media, and linear audiovisual storytelling since 2003. International and prize-winning productions (including a Rose d’Or, Webby Award, and EMEA SABRE Award), often with an innovative and/or online component. Shorts, web series, drama series, documentaries and features. Former chairman for 7 years and current board member of the Dutch Directors Guild, currently a board member of FERA, member of ADCN, EFA, and on the Advisory Board of the VU University Amsterdam, Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences.




(in Kooperation mit FERA)

Congress Future German Cinema

© Costa-Gavras
© Susan Newman-Baudais
© Mathieu Fournet
© David Bernet
© Tomas Eskilsson
© Pauline Durand Vialle
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