Kickoff of the Cutting Edge Talent Camp

The Cutting Edge Talent Camp started today, with the first part of the event taking place online. The event runs online from 11-16 November and will continue physically in Mannheim from 17-21 November, in parallel to the Festival. The 12 talents are made up of producers and directors who studied in one of Germany’s film or art schools. They have all been selected for the program with a feature film project at any stage of development, financing, or post-production.

In addition to familiarizing the talents with each other’s projects through feedback sessions with their mentors, the online part of the event will offer them an overview of the basics of the international film industry and market.

The mentors are Titus Kreyenberg, German producer at the Cologne and Berlin-based company Unafilm, as well as group leader of EAVE; Anna Ciennik, script consultant, occasional producer, and until 2021 the manager of the European Industry at Les Arcs; and Gabriele Brunnenmeyer, project, script and pitching advisor, as well as consultant for several events including the Berlinale and Sarajevo Talents, Baltic Pitching Forum, and MIDPOINT Feature Launch.

The online workshops will be led by Ido Abram, deputy head of the Eye Film Institute in Amsterdam; Wendy Mitchell, journalist and consultant on festival strategies; Agathe Valentin, who has worked with established sales companies (Pyramide, Les Films du Losange, Totem) and has a deep understanding of recent market changes; Alessandro Gropplero, head of the When East Meets West co-production market and programmer for the Venice Critics’ Week; and Anika Kruse, who is a manager of sustainability, sustainable culture and consultant on green shooting.

In Mannheim, 16 further experts will meet the talents during round table discussions, masterclasses, and screenings. In his masterclass, Paolo Bertolin (programmer, Venice IFF) will discuss the correct choice of festivals for the talents’ films and when to start thinking about this strategy, while also integrating a sales perspective into these discussions.

All the experts have extensive experience in different fields of the film industry and the exchange with the talents can have an invaluable impact at this stage of their careers.

Participating in the Cutting Edge Talent Camp are experts from festivals, markets and labs including Locarno, San Sebastian, Rotterdam, Connecting Cottbus, and Talents Sarajevo; sales companies such as Films Boutique, Nine Film and The Match Factory; as well as several established producers.

The full list of guests:

• Ido Abram (deputy director, Eye Filmmuseum; director, SEE NL)
• Maialen Beloki (deputy director, San Sebastian Film Festival)
• Marjorie Bendeck (head of CoCo, Connecting Cottbus)
• Paolo Bertolin (programmer, Venice IFF)
• Bettina Brokemper (producer, Heimatfilm)
• Gabriele Brunnenmeyer (consultant, pitching coach)
• Anna Ciennik (script consultant)
• Nelleke Driessen (head of sales, Nine Film)
• Alessandro Gropplero (managing director, WEMW; programmer, Venice Critics’ Week)
• Wouter Jansen (managing director, Square Eyes)
• Nebojša Jovanovic (project manager, Talents Sarajevo)
• Zsuzsanna Király (producer, Flaneur Films)
• Titus Kreyenberg (producer, Unafilm)
• Vito Marchiano (sales manager, Rushlake Media)
• Wendy Mitchell (consultant and journalist, Screen International)
• Nikolas Montaldi (Pro Hub manager, IFF Rotterdam)
• Daniela Persico (programmer, Locarno IFF, IFFMH)
• Cécile Tollu-Polonowski (producer, The Match Factory)
• Malika Rabahallah (head of funding, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg-Schlewsig Holstein)
• Julien Razafindranaly (head of sales, Films Boutique)
• Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska (producer, Madants)
• Agathe Valentin (sales consultant)
• Meinholf Zurhorst (consultant)