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Mike Downey, producer, and CEO of Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME), launched his independent UK production company on the Frankfurt DAX in 2009. Since then, he has produced more than 40 feature films, with producing partner Sam Taylor and company chairman Stephen Daldry.

F&ME’s catalogue includes UKFC funded WHITE LIGHTNIN’, Saul Metzstein’s GUY X, DEATHWATCH (with Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis), U.S. Academy Award nominated and Venice Golden Lion winning BEFORE THE RAIN and a slew of international co-productions written by Günter Grass, Thomas Keneally, James Ellroy and Clifford (HOAX) Irving. His award-winning South African production SON OF MAN premiered at Sundance, as did WHITE LIGHTNIN’. The film GLANCES opened the Venice Film Festival. Downey’s books The Film Finance Handbooks – A Guide for European Producers are published by the MEDIA Business School.

Educated in theatre at the University of Warwick, with postgraduate studies at the University of Paris III (Sorbonne) and Paris X (Nanterre), he has long taught at the MEGA European Masters programme. Being a Quondam Thomas Ewing Professor of Film (Ohio University) and a member of the Film Board of Oklahoma University, he is also President of the Motovun Film Festival in Croatia and Artistic Advisor to the Zagreb Film Festival. He works closely with Amnesty International establishing Amnesty Human Rights Awards at several international film festivals and is a consultant for USAID, the American government programme rebuilding infrastructure (film) in the Balkans. Downey has served three terms as member of the Council of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts as well as one term on the BAFTA Film Committee. He is a member of the board of the Berlin Golden Bear winning (U-CARMEN) South African Theatre Company Isango along with Sir Ian McKellan and Sir Simon Rattle. Mike is particularly proud to be a trustee of the White Ribbon Foundation – an international charity which works to eradicate women dying in childbirth in the developing world.

Mike Downey produced Agnieszka Holland’s CHARLATAN (2020) which was in the Berlinale competition. He joined the EFA Board in 2004, was elected deputy chairman in 2014, and chairman in 2020. In 2021, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Mike Downey as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services to European film.

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The Polish producer, development executive and industry activist is a graduate of Film Studies and Law. Joanna took part in numerous international workshops, including EAVE, ACE and Torino Script Lab (Story Editing). She is the owner of the production company SHIPSBOY. In her 15+ years career she produced numerous shorts, feature-length fiction films and international co-productions.

Her recent credits include: OPERATION HYACINTH (dir. Piotr Domalewski; Netflix Original) critically acclaimed crime drama; winner of Best Polish Film Award at Camerimage 2021 as well as Best Polish Script at Gdynia FF; DETECTIVE BRUNO (dir. Magdalena Nieć, Mariusz Palej) family adventure comedy, Best Polish Film for Young Audiences (2022); MISSION ULJA FUNK (dir. Barbara Kronenberg, GER-LUX-POL) and ADVENTURES OF A MATHEMATICIAN (dir. Thor Klein, GER-UK-POL).

She is a founding member of the Polish Producers Guild. With guest lectures at film schools in Warsaw, Kraków and Łódź, Joanna is currently working on her PhD at Łódź Film School. Since 2023 she is also the Head of Studies of Erich Pommer Institut’s workshop – „European Co-production – Legal and Financial Aspects”.

She joined the European Film Academy Board in 2017

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Born in Romania, Ada Solomon has worked in the film business for the last 20 years. She has served as a line producer for foreign international projects such as Franco Zeffirelli’s CALLAS FOREVER, Didi Danquart’s OFFSET and, more recently, Hermine Huntgeburth’s TOM SAWYER & HUCK FINN.

Establishing her own company HiFilm in 2004, Ada has produced award-winning shorts by Cristian Nemescu (MARILENA FROM P7) and Radu Jude (THE TUBE WITH A HAT), debut features by Radu Jude (THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD), Razvan Radulescu (FIRST OF ALL, FELICIA), Paul Negoescu (A MONTH IN THAILAND), and documentaries by Alexandru Solomon (KAPITALISM – OUR IMPROVED FORMULA, TARZAN’S TESTICLES), among others. In the past decade, she has been attached to the award-winning Radu Jude films EVERYBODY IN OUR FAMILY (Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Film, Bayard d’Or for Best Film & Best Actor, Namur), AFERIM! (Silver Bear for Best Director), I DO NOT CARE IF WE GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS BARBARIANS (Crystal Globe for Best Feature Film, Karlovy Vary) and BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN (Golden Bear Berlinale, 2021).

The films produced by Ada Solomon were presented and awarded at the most prestigious festivals such as Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Venice and Sundance — to name just a few.

Ada Solomon has co-produced with France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Croatia, Bulgaria and Hungary and her films have been released in over 40 territories around the world.

Apart from her producing job Ada Solomon is also Head of Distribution in Parada Film and manages (together with Tudor Giurgiu) Cityplex, 3 miniplex cinemas in Romania. She is a member of Europa Cinemas, founder and executive director of NexT International Film Festival Bucharest and teaches at the National Film School in Bucharest.

With CHILD’S POSE by Călin Peter Netzer, Ada Solomon produced the Berlinale FIPRESCI & Golden Bear Winner of 2013.

Ada Solomon is national co-ordinator of EAVE, ACE graduate, president of the Board of the European Women’s Audiovisual Network and the recipient of the European Co-Production Award – Prix EURIMAGES at the 26th European Film Awards in 2013. She was elected onto the European Film Academy Board in 2014 and deputy chairwoman in 2020.

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Bettina Brokemper is producer and owner of Heimatfilm, a Cologne-based feature film production founded in 2003. Thanks to her passion for international co-productions, she managed to develop Heimatfilm into one of the leading independent European production companies. Throughout her career she has produced and co-produced over 50 feature films; which premiered at the most prestigious festivals worldwide and earned more than 100 international awards and prizes. Her films have been released in countries all around the world.

Bettina’s producer credits — among many others — include DOGVILLE and ANTICHRIST by Lars von Trier, THE SYRIAN BRIDE by Eran Riklis, the 2010 Berlinale Golden Bear winner BAL – HONEY by Semih Kaplanoglu, HANNAH ARENDT by Margarethe von Trotta (German Film Award in Silver) and WILD by Nicolette Krebitz (German Film Award in Bronze).

Besides her duties as a producer, Bettina Brokemper works as academic lecturer at several film schools. From 2017 to 2019, she was a visiting professor at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne for film dramaturgy. Jury and committee activities for various film funding institutions and festivals enrich her work. In 2020 Bettina Brokemper was part of the International Jury of the Berlinale.

In 2006, European Film Promotion nominated Bettina Brokemper as “Producer on the Move” and she was awarded with the ‘Prix Eurimages’ for Outstanding European Co-production in 2008. She is a longtime member of the European Film Academy, “Les rendezvous franco-allemands du cinéma” and of the German Film Academy. She takes part in the EWA Mentoring program and participated in EAVE+. In 2014 the Cologne Culture Council named her „Cultural Manager of the Year 2013“.

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Başak Emre is a producer and festival director. She served on the executive board of the Ankara Film Festival from 1992 to 1995. She worked as the world cinema coordinator of the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival from 2006 to 2016 and as the artistic director of the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival between 2019 and 2023. She has been the director of Festival On Wheels since 2000, a travelling film festival, visiting three to four cities in Turkey and abroad yearly. She has acted as the coordinator of numerous Turkish film weeks in the framework of film festivals in 26 countries and has served on the juries of international festivals.

In 2001, she was the production coordinator for The Confession, directed by Zeki Demirkubuz. In 2008, she produced the feature film Tales from Kars, which premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival. She produced the feature Black and White (2010), directed by Ahmet Boyacioglu. She is the executive producer of Inside (2012), the producer of Nausea (2015) and the production coordinator of Ember (2016), all directed by Zeki Demirkubuz. She produced the feature The Smell of Money in 2018.

She is a member of the European Film Academy since 2021 and became Board Member in 2024.

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Film producer and CEO of Vertigo, a Ljubljana (Slovenia)-based production company with a distinctive track record and extensive working experience on international co-productions incl. the award-wining feature films such as Pero by Damjan Kozole (doc, 2023; IFF Rotterdam), The Happiest Man in the World by Teona Mitevska (2022; Venice FF – Orizzonti, Grand Jury Prize at Les Arcs EFF), Wake Me by Marko Šantić (2022; Black Nights FF – Critic’s Pick Competition), Small Body by Laura Samani (2021; Cannes FF Critic’s Week 2021; European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI at European Film Awards), Reconciliation by Marija Zidar (doc, 2021; CPH:DOX, IDFA), Otac – Father by Srdan Golubović (2020; Berlinale Panorama Audience Award), An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker by Danis Tanović (2013, Silver Bear: Grand Jury Prize at Berlinale 2013), Alexandrians by Metod Pevec (doc, 2011; Best Documentary at Trieste FF), Bread and Milk by Jan Cvitković (2001; Lion of the Future at Venice FF), and Nightlife (2016; Best Director Award at Karlovy Vary IFF), Slovenian Girl (2009; Toronto IFF), and Spare Parts (2003, Berlinale Competition) all by Damjan Kozole.

Danijel has been selected among Variety’s Ten Producers to Watch in 2001. He is a voting member of the European Film Academy and was the president of the Association of Slovenian Film Producers. Since 2005, he is actively involved as a tutor with several European training initiatives such as MIDPOINT, EAVE, Nipkow Program, and Maia Workshops (2015-2018). He is also a member of the selection team of the When East Meets West co-production project market in Trieste.

I’ve been back in Sardinia, my homeland, since ten years: I returned to Europe from Los Angeles in 2012 to create the Sardegna Film Commission Foundation. Now I serve as General Secretary of EUFCN, the network of the European film commissions. For several years, I served as Vice-President of the Italian Film Commission Association (IFC) and Board Member of Cineregio, the network of EU regional funds. I got my philosophy degree and cultural-media studies and visual anthropology PhD in Milan, where I began my career as a filmmaker and producer.

Until 2012, I was based in Los Angeles, developing and producing narrative features and documentaries. Professor of film producing and directing in various EU universities, I also worked as consultant of international film festivals and as architect of various training initiatives (including Locarno Film Fest Summer School for 20+ years, African Asian Latin American Film Festival, etc). I founded with my husband the Unicef-endorsed NGO TravelingFilmSchool. My focus is on sustainability in the creative industries and animation and audiovisuals for under-represented communities. I love developing new institutions, create unique opportunities within the audiovisual industry, funds and governance entities.

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Denis Ivanov, Ukraine (b. 1978) is a co-founder of Odesa International Film Festival, Children Kinofest, and Kyiv Critics Week; head of ARTHOUSE TRAFFIC film company; distributor and producer.

As a producer, he made 8 feature films and over 40 shorts. His film THE TRIBE by Myroslav Slaboshpitsiy won Grand-Prix Of Cannes’ Critics week 2014 and was released in more than 40 countries. DONBAS by Sergei Loznitsa has the Best Director prize of Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2018. His recent works RHINO by Oleh Sentsov (2021) and 107 MOTHERS by Peter Kerekes were premiered in the official selection of Venice IFF.

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Nina Hoss started acting in radio plays at the age of seven and appeared on stage for the first time at the age of fourteen. In 1997 she graduated from the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin. While pursuing an extensive and celebrated theatre career, at the Deutsches Theater Berlin, Berliner Ensemble and Schaubühne Berlin, she developed a close working relationship with the director Christian Petzold with whom she has collaborated on six occasions.

After having had her first big success with Bernd Eichinger’s A GIRL CALLED ROSEMARY in 1996, Petzold’s and her collaboration began. It won her, amongst others, the German Film Award and the Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear for Best Actress for YELLA. Also, with the films JERICHOW, BARBARA and PHOENIX she has been invited to several international film festivals such as Venice, Berlin, Toronto, and Telluride.

Alongside her work with Petzold she has worked with directors such as Anton Corbijn in A MOST WANTED MAN starring Philip Seymour Hoffmann; Volker Schlöndorff in RETURN TO MONTAUK; Henk Handloegten in FENSTER ZUM SOMMER; Ina Weisse in THE AUDITION which won her the Best Actress award in San Sebastian; Katrin Gebbe in PELICAN BLOOD which had its opening in Venice; as well as Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique Reymond in LITTLE SISTER which had its opening at the Berlinale 2020 and earned Nina Hoss a nomination at the European Film Awards.

She has also been a member of the main competition juries at the festivals in Venice, Berlin, Locarno, and the Les Arcs film festival.

Her more recent TV work includes roles in the Showtime series HOMELAND and in the Bron Studios’ series SHADOWPLAY, directed by Måns Marlind.

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Paz Lázaro is the Head of Content and Acquisitions at EXILE, a Studio dedicated to acquiring and developing premium original content for audiences across the U.S. and Latin America with base in LA, Mexico and Spain. In her role, she oversees content, acquisitions, development processes, relationships with talent and buyers, intellectual property searches, and packaging. She has coproduced Laura Mora’s LOS REYES DEL MUNDO, winner of San Sebastian 2022, Lucía Puenzo’s LOS IMPACTADOS and Luis Ortega’s upcoming EL JOCKEY among others.

She both directed and curated the Official Programme section Panorama. Further, in her eighteen years curating for the Berlinale, she has served as a Selection Committee Member of the Berlinale Official Programme as well as delegate for Spain and Latin America. She was also part of the “Berlinale Series” selection committee since its founding.

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Managing Director of the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors’ Fortnight) in Cannes and Director of Cinemed — Mediterranean Film Festival of Montpellier, Christophe Leparc has been working in the film industry since 1990. From the start, he specialised in the organisation and programming of film festivals. Notably, he has worked 10 years for the Créteil International Women Directors’ Films Festival as one of the pre-selectors of films. He began working for the Mediterranean Film Festival of Montpellier in 1994 as pre-selector, member of the selection committee and he also developed retrospectives for the festival.

Christophe has worked for the International Critics’ Week in Cannes from the year 2000 to 2007 as program manager. Since 2007, he is the Managing Director of the Directors’ Fortnight, the other sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival, and was appointed Director of Cinemed in 2016.

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Leontine Petit is founder and CEO/Producer of Lemming Film, with offices in Amsterdam and Berlin. Since 1995, Lemming Film has successfully co-produced 54 feature films and 14 high end drama series in Europe and beyond. Their projects are sold to many countries around the world and have won various national and international awards.

Before working in film production, Leontine studied at the University of Amsterdam where she earned her Master’s degree in Philosophy. She graduated from EAVE and is a member of the ACE Network. She was named “Producer on the Move” by European Film Promotion (2006). In 2014 she participated at EAVE+. She first participated in the Inside Pictures workshop in 2017. Today she teaches at various media programs and until 2020 she was also the President of ‘Bridging the Dragon’, an association that is connecting European and Chinese filmmakers.

Leontine is a passionate advocate of helping independent films cross boundaries and connect with international audiences. She won the prestigious Eurimages Co-production Award during the European Film Awards in 2016.

Amongst others, her most recent (co-)productions include PLEASURE by Ninja Thyberg (Sweden, 2020), DO NOT HESITATE by Shariff Korver (Netherlands, 2020), HOME by Franka Potente (Germany, 2020), DEAD AND BEAUTIFUL by David Verbeek (Netherlands, 2020), BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ by Burhan Qurbani (Germany, 2020), THE HEIRS OF THE NIGHT by Diederik van Rooijen (drama series, Netherlands, 2020), MONOS by Alejandro Landes (Colombia, 2019), FENIX by Shariff Korver (drama series, Netherlands, 2018), ZAMA by Lucrecia Martel (Argentina, 2017), MY GIRAFFE by Barbara Bredero (Netherlands, 2017) and THE LOBSTER by Yorgos Lanthimos (Greece, 2015).

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Giorgos Karnavas was born in 1973 in Athens, studied Political Sciences while taking courses on scriptwriting.  He is the founder and producer of Synch Festival (2006 Best European Electronic Music Festival) and during his career as music promoter, he has promoted shows by artists such as Pet Shop Boys, Antony and the Johnsons, Nine Inch Nails, Happy Mondays and Róisin Murphy to name a few.

Entered film production in 2011 and is a member of A.C.E, alumni of Inside Pictures, and member of the European and Greek Film Academies. He was a “Producer on the Move” in 2013 Cannes Film Festival when he joined forces with Konstantinos Kontovrakis in order to establish Heretic, a boutique film house producing and selling films on a global scale. In 2018 he was awarded the prestigious Prix Eurimages at the European Film Academy Awards.

His credits include Palm d’Or, EFA’s winner and Oscar nominated TRIANGLE OF SADNESS by Ruben Östlund, Vasilis Katsoupis Berlinale Panorama debut INSIDE currently in global release by Focus Features, Angela Schanelec’s Silber Bear winner MUSIC, Semaine de la Critique winner FEATHERS by Omar El Zohairy, and Molly Manning Walker’s 2023 UCR winner title HOW TO HAVE SEX.

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Hanka Kastelicová earned a Master of Arts degree from the Faculty of Film and TV Documentary Department at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. She continued her professional career in Slovenia, where she worked for over 25 years as a documentary director and producer, with a portfolio of more than 100 documentaries.

She joined HBO in 2012. She co-produced films that resonated with HBO viewers, achieved recognition at festivals, and garnered nominations and awards from local Film Academies, the European Film Academy, and the Oscars.

As an experienced and dedicated documentary filmmaker, she has lectured on documentary filmmaking and participated in the organization of master classes, industry seminars, and courses.

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Tine Klint, CEO and Founder of LevelK (2009), dedicated the majority of her professional life to independent cinema with 20+ years’ experience across international sales, finance and aggregation.

With a passionate team LevelK is specialised in rights optimization that are reflected through innovative approach to cross-platform/cross-country distribution combining theatrical and traditional means – alongside digital distribution and marketing.

LevelK is handling traditional world-sales for independent films that will resonate with international audiences. The profile includes high quality cinematic productions across all genres, and working with established and emerging international talents in both English and foreign language. Films must have strong theatrical and festival potential, international marketability and digital possibilities as we work across all areas.

Aggregation has been a strong part of the LevelK business since 2011, where the company now delivers films to all major world VOD platforms and local important platforms and/or telecompanies.

Tine Klint is an active panellist and jury member at international seminars, events and festivals, sharing expertise on international sales, aggregation, and the digital shift. Tine Klint is a member of the European Film Academy, Selection Expert for the European Film Awards and LevelK a member of Europa International.

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Marija Razgutė, a Lithuanian film producer, has held her BA in Business Management from Vilnius University since 2008 and her MA in Cultural Policies from Vilnius Academy of Arts since 2010.

From 2008 onward, Marija has been running M-Films, which has become one of the most active production companies in Lithuania, focusing on international co-productions. Razgutė works with prominent Lithuanian talents such as Marija Kavtaradze (Slow, Summer Survivors), Karolis Kaupinis (Hunger Strike Breakfast, Nova Lituania), Andrius Blaževičius (Runner, The Saint), and Vytautas Katkus (The Visitor, Cherries).

Marija is a member of networks such as EAVE Producers Workshop, Producer on the Move, ACE Producers, ACE Leadership, European Film Academy, and the EWA Network. She also serves as the host of Pop Up Film Residency Vilnius.

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Following a distinguished career in the theatre between the 1960s and the 1980s, Jim Sheridan wrote and directed his first critically acclaimed feature MY LEFT FOOT in 1989. The film was nominated for two European Film Awards.

He followed this in 1990 with THE FIELD which he also wrote and directed.  In the same year he wrote the screenplay INTO THE WEST which was directed in 1992 by Mike Newell. In 1993 he wrote, produced and directed IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, which again was nominated for a European Film Award, and in 1995 he wrote and produced SOME MOTHER’S SON, which was directed by Terry George. In 1997 he wrote, produced and directed THE BOXER and in 1999 he produced AGNES BROWNE, directed by and starring Anjelica Huston.  He was also executive producer of BORSTAL BOY, ON THE EDGE and BLOODY SUNDAY. IN AMERICA, which he produced, directed and wrote, was released in 2003.  In 2005 he directed and produced GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN’. BROTHERS was released in 2009 and DREAM HOUSE in 2011. His most recent feature film is THE SECRET SCRIPTURE. He directed the short film 11th HOUR at the end of 2016 and also the documentary SHELTER ME.

Jim Sheridan’s films have achieved popular and critical acclaim throughout the world. His films have garnered sixteen Oscar nominations and have won two Academy Awards as well as numerous prestigious international awards. Jim Sheridan lives in Dublin and is married with three children.

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Mira is a festival and market programmer, producer and distributor. She is the managing director of Sofia International Film Festival, Bulgaria’s biggest film festival, and of Sofia Meetings, a thriving co-production market with a focus on the projects of upcoming directors.

She also works in consulting, development, production, distribution and exhibition of audiovisual content.

Mira has co-produced films such as BRIGHTON 4 by Levan Koguashvili, THE KING OF THE BELGIANS and THE BAREFOOT EMPEROR, both by Jessica Woodworth and Peter Brosens, to name but a few.

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Anne Lajla Utsi, CEO of the International Sami Film Institute (ISFI) since 2009, has been a driving force for the rise of Sámi cinema. Utsi has guided ISFI from a modest film output to a substantial portfolio, soon reaching 30 million euros. Notably, 70% of directors and producers during this period were women, underscoring her dedication to gender diversity.

She belongs to the Indigenous Sámi people, and is based in the village Guovdageaidnu, above the Arctic Circle in Norway.

As ISFI CEO, Utsi, a member of The Academy, forged an extensive film network, partnering with Sundance Film Institute, Netflix, European Film Academy, and others. She champions excellence in motion pictures, including the establishment of the Arctic Indigenous Film Fund. With 25 years in the industry, she advised Walt Disney Animation Studios on the Frozen 2 production. She also holds distinguished membership in the European Film Academy, and actively contributes to international film initiatives.

“Storytelling has been a survival tool for Sámi people in the harsh Arctic landscapes for centuries, and the power of telling our own stories is relevant and urgent. We can create exciting job opportunities for generations to come with our own stories,” says Utsi.

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