Berlin

Closing the Gap: A seminar with creatives and financiers

on how to take action towards 50/50 by 2020. 

WIFT Germany, WIFT Nordic and the Swedish Film Institute

host a seminar on elevating quality through gender equality

with the support of the 68^th Berlinale.

The Swedish Film Institute (SFI) was the first public film financing body to achieve its stated intent of gender parity in public film funding. This seminar combines the forces of WIFT Germany and WIFT Nordic in partnership with the Swedish Film Institute to discuss how inclusivity and equality contribute to elevating filmmaking and producing extraordinary work. The panel Creative Choices includes directors with films premiering in competition and at special screenings at the 68^th Berlinale, while the panel Generating quality by securing equality will hear from public film funds as well as leading producers, sharing their innovative strategies for finding and supporting international talent.  

The seminar will also launch Speak Up!, a European initiative against sexual harassment in the film industry. It highlights the importance of guidelines for behavior during the process of filmmaking and in the film business. Speak Up will present its support services for women, including a phone hotline, at the seminar.

Creative choices

World class filmmakers discuss art and creativity.

Emily Atef, director, 3 Days in Quiberon, (In Competition, Germany/Austria/France)

Pernille Fischer Christensen, director, Becoming Astrid (Berlinale Special Gala, Sweden/Germany/Denmark)

Fanni Metelius, director, The Heart (Rotterdam Film Festival’s 2018 Bright Future, Sweden)

Moderator: Anna Serner, CEO of the Swedish Film Institute. 

Generating quality by securing equality

A panel on how to ensure quality by promoting gender equality and diversity through funding.

Anna Serner,CEO of the Swedish Film Institute

Christine Berg,deputy CEO of the German Federal Film Board

Laurence Lascary, producer, The Climb

Rena Ronson,Partner and Head of the Independent Film Group at United Talent Agency (UTA). Rena is one of the industry’s pre-eminent packaging and finance executives, with a focus on global film finance, distribution and marketing strategies for independent and co-financed features.

Joyce Pierpoline, award-wining producer, and a co-chair of the Women’s Impact Network at the Producers Guild of America (PGA). 

Moderator: Andrea Reuter, journalist.

The panels will be followed by a networking reception.

Time: Saturday, February 17, 10:00 -13:00.

Venue: Meistersaal in Köthener Straße 38, 10963 Berlin.

- Swedish film has had an immense increase of successes on internationally the last years. I’d say this is the result of higher competition, and the knowledge that nothing passes the eye of the financer if the film idea isn’t ambitious and good enough. Gender equality is a strategy to reach higher quality, says Anna Serner, CEO of the Swedish Film Institute.

- WIFT’s annual event is one of the highlights of the festival for our members and the wider film community. This year we’re partnering with the Swedish Film Institute and our Nordic colleagues to produce an event that will further the conversation on creative filmmaking at the highest level, in the context of gender equality, says Nicole Ackermann, Chair of WIFT Germany.