Industry Days
29. September 2023
The FILMFEST HAMBURG INDUSTRY DAYS for accredited professional visitors start on 2 October. The five-day supporting programme ends on 6 October with the 4th EXPLORER CONFERENCE and the festive presentation of the Hamburg Producer Awards.
The programme kicks off with a new recurring format titled ART-FREEDOM-RESPONSIBILITY (2 October, 10:30, CinemaxX 3), aiming to foster long-term and interdisciplinary discussions on the interplay between art, freedom, and responsibility. FILMFEST HAMBURG and Hessen Film & Medien will explore the roles of individuals in the film and cultural sectors who must make decisions regarding how to handle specific artistic expressions and content. This discussion will delve into the challenges of making (curatorial) decisions within this context. Marion Schmidt (ARTEF, Documentary Association of Europe – Co-Director), Rabih El-Khoury (Curator), Oliver Hardt (Screenwriter, Director), and Hanna Reifgerst (Nordic Film Days Lübeck – Curator of Children and Youth Programs) will participate, with moderation by Maike Mia Höhne (Kurz Film Festival Hamburg). Additional events on this topic with professionals from theater, music, literature, and visual arts will follow.
On the same day, FILMFEST HAMBURG will be dedicating an event lasting several hours to the important topic of GERMAN CINEMA AND ITS YOUNG TALENT
(2 October, 13:10 – 15:30, CinemaxX 3) and will be inviting filmmakers and representatives of various initiatives, festivals and programmes, including the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film, Forum Talentfilm Deutschland, First Steps, Berlinale Talents, MOIN Filmförderung, Hessen Film & Medien, Produzentenverband, Max Ophüls Filmpreis, as well as initiators of the appeal “Angst essen Kino auf” (Fear Eats Up Cinema) to the Hanseatic city in order to strengthen the exchange among themselves and to jointly point out perspectives for young German film.
ProQuote Film, WIFT, and the online magazine Palais F*luxx, co-initiator of the campaign “Let’s Change The Picture,” invite attendees to the “Day of Feminist Unity” (3 October, 12:30 – 16:45, CinemaxX 3; starting at 17:00, Reception, MOIN Filmfest Café). Whether it’s about the portrayal of violence against women or creating a contemporary image of women’s aging, film and television often fail to adequately reflect reality or perpetuate outdated and stereotypical gender roles. It’s high time for a change! Silke Burmester, co-founder of Palais F*luxx and co-initiator of the “Let’s Change The Picture” campaign, will discuss with actress and co-initiator of “Let’s Change The Picture,” Gesine Cukrowski, casting director Marion Haack, and ARD Degeto CEO Thomas Schreiber the necessary steps, possibilities, and limits of bringing a women’s image aged 47+ into the cinematic present (3 October, 12:30, CinemaxX 3).
Under the title PITCHING SESSION FOR CONTEMPORARY IMAGES OF WOMEN 67+ (3 October, 13:45, CinemaxX 3), ProQuote Film and Palais F*luxx/”Let’s Change The Picture” have called for pitches. The challenge was to place one or more female characters aged 67+ at the center of the story and consider aspects of intersectionality. Out of over 50 submissions, Laura Schuhrk and Gesine Cukrowski have selected ten finalist pitches, each given four minutes to present their film idea. Jurors Eleonore Weisgerber, Renan Demirkan, and Sophie Molitoris will award the top three of the “Diversity 67+ – Pitching Prize for Contemporary Women’s Images” on-site. The pitching prize, totaling 2000 euros, is sponsored by ARD Degeto, a 100% subsidiary of ARD responsible for editorial content in approximately 100 fictional films and series annually for all ARD broadcasters and the ARD Mediathek.
The WIFT panel REPRESENTATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN FILM
(3 October, 15:15, CinemaxX 3) aims to initiate a dialogue with the audience on this important issue. Director Catherine Breillart, cinematographer Zamarin Sadat, and director Tamara Denić will lead the discussion, moderated by
Siri Keil.
In the panel GREEN STORIES – SAVING THE CLIMATE WITH SCREENPLAYS
(4 October, 15:00, CinemaxX 3), MOIN Filmförderung and the Deutsche Filmakademie (DFA) will focus on Green Storytelling. After keynote speeches by Dr. Nicole Zabel-Wasmuth (Climate Fiction Consultant) and Silke Zertz (Screenwriter), a discussion on green messages in film and series will take place with actor Charly Hübner and producer Andrea Schütte (Tamtam Film). The panel will be moderated by Lars Jessen.
Hermine Huntgeburth and Arne Feldhusen will be guests at the Bundesverband Regie (BVR) (4 October, 15:00, FILMFEST BAR/Kasematte20), discussing their careers, changes in the film industry, and their personal artistic styles in conversation with Michael Chauvistré and Bettina Schoeller Bouju.
The panel ALL YOU NEED IS LAW – RESERVATION OF RIGHTS: FAIR CONDITIONS IN STREAMING PRODUCTIONS? (5 October, 14:00, CinemaxX 3) asks how a fair economic balance can be achieved between those who create content and those who exploit it. After a keynote by Alexandra Lebret (Managing Director of the European Producers Club), Bettina Brokemper (Heimatfilm), Sascha Gottschalck (Director Business Affairs & Film Politics, Seven.One Entertainment Group), and Jan Ole Püschel (Ministerial Director, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media) will discuss the topic. Lisa Giehl (Executive Vice President Subsidies & Public Policy, Leonine Studios) will moderate.
The panel BETWEEN PATINA AND PIXELS – INTERNATIONAL FILM HISTORY IN CINEMA PRACTICE (5 October, 16:00, CinemaxX 3) will explore the role of film history in everyday cinema operations and how it can be presented in a future Center for Audiovisual Cultures in Hamburg. A project team from Metropolis Kino aims to create a cinematheque of the future in Hamburg, which, in addition to the existing venue, will become a significant, open third place for the city’s community. It will be a cinema where more than just screenings happen, celebrating the presentation, exploration, communication, and preservation of moving images and innovative new media. Guests include Johannes Thomsen (Kino im Künstlerhaus Hannover / Lodderbast Kino), Gary Vanisian (Filmkollektiv Frankfurt – Projektionsraum für unterrepräsentierte Filmkultur e.V.), and Manja Malz (Metropolis Kino Hamburg), with moderation by Sarah Adams.
At the 4th EXPLORER CONFERENCE (6 October, 11:00 – 13:00, Katholische Akademie), German and international speakers will provide insights into their work and strategies on two stages and in more than twelve program slots, imparting forward-looking knowledge. The experts will shed light on current phenomena and developments in an industry undergoing transformation. Keynotes and case studies will cover topics such as the use of artificial intelligence in creative work, the impact of diversity, New Work, the 4-day workweek, and podcasts as a testing ground and cross-promotion tool.
The 4th EXPLORER CONFERENCE is held in partnership with the Produzentenverband and with the support of MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein as part of the FILMFEST HAMBURG INDUSTRY DAYS and organized by FILMFEST HAMBURG. The conference production is handled by POISON. Other partners include Letterbox Filmproduktion, UFA, EAVE, Future of Film, and MTH Conference.
The day concludes with the awarding of the HAMBURG PRODUCER AWARDS
(6 October, 19:30, Patriotische Gesellschaft). The prize money for the Hamburg Producer Awards for International Cinema Co-Production and German Cinema Production, each amounting to 25,000 euros, is provided by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, while the prize money for the Hamburg Producer Award for German Television Production (25,000 euros) and the Special Award “Serial Formats” (10,000 euros) is sponsored by the Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film- und Fernsehproduzenten (VFF).
Two other multi-day closed events focus on emerging filmmakers and international networking: The FILMFEST HAMBURG #ATELIER23 provides a creative workspace and dialogue platform for film students from Germany and international debut filmmakers for the second time. Exclusive screenings of Àma Gloria, Power Alley, and The Radical, followed by moderated discussions with directors Lillah Halla and Marie Amachoukeli, and producer Thierry de Clermont-Tonnere, will take place over three days as part of the FILMFEST HAMBURG INDUSTRY DAYS, including at the Mischkino of Studio Funk. Film students will also meet Olivier Péllisson, Delegate of the “Semaine de la Critique” from Cannes, to discuss their work and demands, as well as the challenges and opportunities of transitioning from film school to the A-festival world.
Sixteen producers from the NORDIC PRODUCERS CLUB PLUS in Scandinavia will meet with German producers and decision-makers at FILMFEST HAMBURG. The three-day program offers practical case studies and workshops addressing the most important legal and financial issues that producers face in their daily work.
The specialized events are open to accredited industry visitors. Interested professionals can inquire about participation by emailing industry@filmfesthamburg.de or contacting the relevant contacts listed on the website for each event.
For updated information, visit www.filmfesthamburg.de/en/industry
The FILMFEST HAMBURG #ATELIER 23 is supported by Studio Funk, Institut Français, The Post Republic/Electric Sheep, and MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein.
The FILMFEST HAMBURG INDUSTRY DAYS are supported by the Studio Hamburg Group and Chaussee SoundVision GmbH.
