Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. Hosted by Matthijs Wouter Knol, this episode spotlights an important figure in the history of the EFM through a personal conversation and a journey through time.

This special episode revolves around the former EFM director Beki Probst through a conversation that took place during the Cannes Film Festival between her and Matthijs Wouter Knol, who himself has been in the seat as director of the EFM as a successor. Beki depicts her journey through the film industry with anecdotes from her life in the film industry, from her starting out as a young journalist traveling to Cannes, to suddenly finding herself in Berlin.

She shares stories of people she crossed paths with along the way, how the Berlinale took place right after the fall of the wall and draws a picture of the future industry through her own expectations and lived experiences. This all adds to the portrayal of the woman who came to found the European Film Market as we know it today.

Beki Probst is considered the grande dame of the film world. Under her direction, the European Film Market has developed into one of the largest and most important trade fairs for cinema on the international scene. Beki Probst was born in Istanbul, where she first worked as a journalist after completing her studies in law and journalism. In 1960, Probst moved to Switzerland, where she became the general manager of the Probst-Kinobetriebe, known today as Quinnie Cinemas. From 1981 to 1988, Beki Probst served as the Berlin International Film Festival's official delegate for Turkey and Greece. Up until 1995, she also served as a member of the selection committee for Locarno International Film Festival. From 1988 to 2014, Beki Probst was the director of the Berlinale’s European Film Market – Probst rebranded the former “film fair” as the European Film Market and subsequently transformed the event into one of the most significant industry meet-ups for the international film business. In addition, from 1988 to 1996 Beki Probst was artistic director of the Geneva-based festival “Stars de Démain”. She has served as a jury member on multiple occasions at international film festivals, including appearances in Toronto, Jerusalem and San Sebastián. In 1992 Beki Probst was decorated as “Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres” by the French Ministry of Culture, was honoured with the Berlinale Camera in 2018 and in 2019 with the Honorary Award of the Swiss Film Award. In 2024 she was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Verdienstkreuz am Bande der Bundesrepublik Deutschland).

Since 2021, Dutch-born Matthijs Wouter Knol is the CEO and Director of the European Film Academy. Before reading and graduating with an MA in Contemporary History at Leiden University and the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome, he worked as a magazine editor and journalist. From 2001 onwards, he worked in Amsterdam as creative and associate producer on 30 award-winning documentary films, with renowned directors such as Heddy Honigmann, Maria Ramos, and Mani Kaul. For ARTE, he co-produced a digital edition of 40 re-mastered works of Dutch documentarian Johan van der Keuken, which was awarded the Prix Cahiers du Cinéma (2006). After a short stint at IDFA (2007-2008), he formed for 12 years part of the senior Berlinale team, first as Head of Programming of Berlinale Talents (2008-2014), then as Director of the European Film Market (2014-2020). Apart from launching several new training and industry platforms over the course of his career, Matthijs is an advocate for more Diversity and Inclusion. He initiated D&I schemes at both EFM and the European Film Academy, and was one of the founders of the Anti-Racist Taskforce for European Film (ARTEF). He teaches and coaches at various film schools and is a regular moderator and speaker at international film industry events. Matthijs has been part of the main jury at the festivals of Buenos Aires, Jerusalem, Istanbul and Locarno.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market is the first international film market of the year, where the film industry starts its business. Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast puts a spotlight on highly topical and trendsetting industry issues, thereby creating a compass for the forthcoming film year. The year-round podcast is produced in cooperation with Goethe-Institut and co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. Hosted by Curator and Impact Producer Nadia Denton, it delves deep into the rapidly evolving film industry.

Funded by Creative Europe MEDIA and taking place yearly at the EFM 2023, 2024 and 2025, the Equity & Inclusion Pathways Seminar is an industry-wide consultation forum that brings together European decision-makers, advocacy groups, stakeholders and change-makers with the aim of shifting the needle regarding equity, inclusion and accessibility in terms of policymaking, strategy, measures and actions. The change and advances that this Seminar aims to bring about for the European film industry are resolutely structural, and involve not only integrating marginalised groups into a European film sector that is free of biases, barriers and exclusions but also valuing the hitherto unrealised potential of the contributions of marginalised film professionals to the industry as well as redistributing resources and decision-making power more equitably. Featuring the Seminar’s 3 moderators (Nadia Denton, Yolanda Rother and Sailesh Naidu), one of the Ambassadors, Tina Trapp (EAVE), the leadership of OMNI Inclusion Data, Helge Albers (MOIN Film Fund) and a speaker and representative of an advocacy group, Julian Carrington (REMC - Racial Equity Media Collective), this episode will explore the mission, vision, objectives and challenges to implementing effective, long-lasting and sustainable DEI and accessibility policies at institutional level across the European screen industries.

OMNI Inclusion Data aims to underpin the diversity of the media and culture sector and the people working in it with factual data. At the same time, OMNI Inclusion Data aims to close the blank spots due to a lack of data. OMNI also intends to collect data that is compliant with data protection legislation from cast and crew on a voluntary basis and provide the industry with the most up-to-date analysis on inclusion statistics. With the OMNI project, the initiator MOIN Film Fund, in co-operation with Australia’s The Everyone Project, is taking on this important task for the European film industry and, more importantly, taking a leadership role in promoting diversity in the industry.

The host Nadia Denton (she/her) has worked in the UK film industry for over a decade as an Impact Producer, Curator and Author. She specialises in Nigerian Cinema and coined the term BEYOND NOLLYWOOD. She has worked with the BFI London Film Festival, Berlinale EFM, British Film Institute, British Council, Doc Society, London Film School, Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival and Comic Relief. Her books include The Nigerian Filmmaker’s Guide to Success: Beyond Nollywood and The Black British Filmmaker’s Guide to Success: Finance, Market and Distribute Your Film. She is an Honorary Research Fellow with the University of Exeter.

Yolanda Rother (she/her) is co-founder of "The Impact Company", a diversity, audience and culture consultancy. She moderates and speaks on topics related to digital society, politics and open government, diversity and sustainability. The Berlin native is a graduate (Master of Public Policy) of the Hertie School and has lived in Brazil, France and the United States.

Sailesh Naidu (they/them) is a writer, researcher, and performance artist working in the sphere of migration, gender, and education. Their work interrogates the queer body as territory, ancestral knowledge, and building of queer personal narratives as archive.

Tina or Kristina Trapp (she/her) has worked in the international film industry for over 20 years, amongst others at the German regional film fund MFG-Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg, with the European culture channel ARTE, heading the Film Commission Strasbourg and with the European training programme “Atelier Ludwigsburg Paris”. She joined EAVE in 2004 as Programme Manager. In 2007, she became Deputy Chief CEO and was appointed CEO in 2009. Kristina has been closely working with several European festivals and production companies in her career. She was part of various selection committees and juries for film funds and co-production markets and is member of the European Film Academy and ARTEF (Anti-Racism Taskforce European Film). She was co-director and board member of the umbrella organisation for European training providers, ATC (audiovisual training coalition), as well as member of the advisory board of the CEE Animation Workshop and board member of EWA (European Women’s Audiovisual Network).

Helge Albers (he/him) Helge ...

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. Hosted by Curator and Impact Producer Nadia Denton, it delves deep into the rapidly evolving film industry.

Featuring the insights from film creatives and professionals from Sápmi, Canada and Yakutia, this episode will shine a light on the ground-breaking work of the Witness Program, a film training and mentorship programme for emerging Indigenous filmmakers from the Circumpolar Arctic that is the fruit of a collaboration between Telefilm Canada and the Arctic Indigenous Film Fund (AIFF).

Designed as a professional development opportunity that allows Arctic Indigenous filmmakers to share their authentic perspectives on how climate change is affecting their communities through their own storytelling and in their own filmic and spoken languages, the programme supported a first cohort of 6 filmmakers who produced 5 films and were mentored by 3 Indigenous long-feature film producers and filmmakers, under the guidance of Liisa Holmberg, CEO of the AIFF.

These conversations unpack the way in which these first-hand narratives convey the sense of urgency of climate change which Arctic Indigenous communities have been witnessing for decades and the ways in which their filmmaking practices can embody acts of resistance, resilience and language revitalisation.

Key to understanding these films is the notion of a worldview. The speakers, Liisa Holmberg, filmmakers Sadetło Scott and Svetlana Romanova and mentor Danis Goulet, all share their experiences of how their communities’ worldview, connection and deep relationship to the land are expressed in these and other films, which they made in a context of challenges to the land and Indigenous storytelling through the compounded effects of climate change and colonization.

Film commissioner Liisa Holmberg (she/her) is working in International Sámi Film Institute (ISFI) in Norway. Liisa Holmberg is a Sámi film maker originally from Finnish side of the Saamiland. She has worked in the film business as a producer, production manager and film consultant from the year 1994. Big part of her work as a film commissioner is working internationally with Indigenous film makers in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Sápmi and Russia to establish an Arctic Indigenous Film Fund (AIFF). Holmberg is a member of European Film Academy from the year 2018.

Sadetło Scott (she/her) is a Tłı̨chǫ Dene filmmaker, who grew up and lives in Sǫǫ̀mbak’è, Denendeh (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada). Sadetło has a B.A. in Indigenous Governance and a Certificate in Heritage and Culture from Yukon University, and Certificates in Motion Picture Production and Cinematography from Capilano University. Sadetło's work, such as “Edaxàdets'eetè” aims to educate on the importance of Indigenous language and the Indigenous experience.

Svetlana Romanova (Sakha/Even) is an artist and filmmaker born in Yakutsk, the capital city of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located south of the Arctic Circle. Her practice centers on the importance of Indigenous visual language, particularly in the Arctic regions and gravitates towards critical self historization.

Writer/director Danis Goulet’s films have screened at festivals around the world including Berlinale, Sundance, MoMA and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Her award-winning feature NIGHT RAIDERS premiered in the Panorama section at Berlinale and also screened at TIFF in 2021. For television, Danis has recently directed for the acclaimed FX series RESERVATION DOGS. She is Cree/Metis, originally from northern Saskatchewan.

The host Nadia Denton is a film industry specialist with over a decade of experience as a Curator, Impact Producer and Author. Her focus has been on cinema of the African diaspora, she specialises in Nigerian Cinema and is author of two books The Black British Filmmakers Guide to Success and The Nigerian Filmmaker’s Guide to Success: Beyond Nollywood. Nadia is also an official V&A African Heritage Tour Guide.

As a Partner of Choice, Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation dedicated to the success of Canada’s audiovisual industry, fostering access and excellence by delivering programs that support cultural resonance and audience engagement. With a lens of equity, inclusivity and sustainability, Telefilm bolsters dynamic companies and a range of creative talent at home and around the world. Telefilm also makes recommendations...

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. Hosted by Stewart Clarke it delves deep into the rapidly evolving film industry.

How has the TV industry evolved in the past year? How to attract and retain audiences? And where do we find new audiences in a seemingly saturated market? These questions and more are addressed by our experts Guy Bisson, Marina Williams, Richard O’Meara and Lars Hermann. Join us on this deep dive into the present landscape and macro trends of TV series.

Richard O’Meara graduated from the University of Manchester with a degree in History in 2013, and also has a post-graduate diploma in Journalism. As Head of Drama and Insight, Richard oversees international television research consultancy K7 Media's scripted output. He has worked for close to a decade helping broadcasters, streamers, production companies and distributors build and refine their strategies.

Lars Hermann left DR in 2017 as deputy head of DR Drama with the head of drama, Piv Bernth to start Apple Tree Productions, with ITV Studios as a partner. The company has so far produced multi award winning tv series Blackwater for SVT and ARD, Equinox and Baby Fever for Netflix, One of the Boys for Viaplay and Chorus Girls for TV2 Denmark. Lars graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 1995 and produced a number of films including Danish Olsen Gang – Final Mission, Swedish Gullbagga winner Jan Troell’s As White as in Snow and British Vinnie Jones-starrer Johnny Was. Before joining DR, he also served as head of development at the Danish Film Institute, head of international co-productions for Nordisk Film, and CEO of regional fund FilmFyn, the Copenhagen Film Festivals, and Nordisk Film Post Post Production.

Prior to co-founding Asacha Media Group, Marina Williams was COO of International Operations at Endemol Shine Group (2015-2019), overseeing the company’s international growth across multiple territories . Before the merger with Shine Group, Williams led Endemol’s operations across Central and Eastern Europe and Middle East as regional CEO. (2008-2015). She was previously Executive Vice President and a member of the Management Board of Central European Media Enterprises (CME) managing leading FTA and Pay TV networks across six territories and establishing local production. Before joining CME, Williams played leading roles in launching and overseeing businesses in Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey for Fox International Channels, Fox Kids and Turner International Channels.

Guy Bisson has been a leading entertainment market analyst with a specialisation in the global television business for the past 30 years. He is a regular speaker and moderator at many of the world’s leading entertainment business conferences, a frequent media commentator in print and broadcast and author of numerous reports and research articles on the business and strategy of the global television industry. Guy is co-founder of Ampere Analysis a London-based analyst house focused on the entertainment and content business, which draws on title-level movie and TV analysis, consumer research and market forecasting to create a holistic outlook for the future of the industry. Guy previously led the television research practice at both Screen Digest and IHS.

The host Stewart Clarke is SVP, Content, International at Deadline, representing the brand at Festivals and industry events, and writing news and features for the website. He joined Deadline in late 2023 after a four-year stint as Creative Director at the Edinburgh TV Festival, the largest event of its kind in the UK. Prior to that, Stewart was a London-based International Correspondent for Variety, reporting from events around the world for the trade publication. He started his career in film and TV journalism at Informa, where he was rose to the position of Editorial Director, Television Business International.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market is the first international film market of the year, where the film industry starts its business. Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast puts a spotlight on highly topical and trendsetting industry issues, thereby creating a compass for the forthcoming film year. The year-round podcast is produced in cooperation with Goethe-Institut and co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.

Kick off your EFM day with this short morning coffee companion: our daily EFM Morning Brief. 10 minutes to keep you up to speed with the latest news – today provided by our guest correspondent, German Trade Journalist (former Blickpunkt:Film) Thomas Schultze, followed by our "what's on for today" to help you navigate our EFM Industry Sessions and spot highlights and tips for the day. Make sure to tune into our EFM Morning Brief to stay on top of all the essentials and get the latest EFM buzz, hosted by Wendy Mitchell.

EFM Morning Brief is part of the year-round podcast series Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale - hosted by industry analyst Johanna Koljonen and curator-producer Nadia Denton, it delves deep into the rapidly evolving film industry.