Alive and Kicking: Company Strategies Today

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. Hosted by media analyst, broadcaster and experience designer Johanna Koljonen, it delves deep into the rapidly evolving film industry.

In this episode, the Berlinale Co-Production Market invites two experienced producers to share their innovative strategies as part of a film industry in flux and how they address the changes of their own roles. Didar Domehri, producer and founder of Maneki Film and Maneki Stories, and Roman Paul, producer and co-founder of Razor Film Produktion, join forces to discuss the need for both, flexibility and collaboration while maintaining one’s own outstanding focus as an independent producer.

Cooperating with other producers in the creative collectives Athena Collective and The Creatives, respectively, is giving them a chance to work with creatives across borders with a high level of solidarity, and allows them to put together each independent producer’s strengths. Developing and sustaining successful business strategies and slates in disruptive and difficult times also means that the role of the producer is changing in the lifecycle of a film, and their relationship to audiences takes on new forms. Being original and thinking differently is key when connecting with today’s audiences, so the appeal to staying curious, teaching and learning at the same time is something they agree on. Being involved with training young producers, they also deliver a tip or two on how to stay sane in the industry while maintaining the passion for the work.

Roman Paul began his film career in acquisitions for German distributors and Celluloid Dreams in Paris. In 2002, he co-founded Razor Film Produktion with Gerhard Meixner. Razor’s work has earned two Golden Globes, three Oscar nominations, and recognition at major festivals. In 2019 was named professor at the Filmakademie Ludwigsburg, and received the “Chevalier des Arts et Lettres” by the Republic of France. Razor joined "The Creatives" in 2021, a global alliance developing high-end drama series and films.

Didar Domehri, founder of Maneki Films, has produced more than 20 features including Eva Husson’s Bang Gang & Girls of the Sun in Cannes Competition, Santiago Mitre’s Paulina, Cannes Critics’ Week Grand Prix, La cordillera, Cannes UCR, & Petite fleur, Laurent Cantet’s Return to Itaca, Venice days Grand Prix, Erige Sehiri’s Under the fig trees,15 aine des réalisateurs Cannes, Godland by Hlynur Pálmason, Cannes UCR, and recently Une nuit by Alex Lutz, Cannes UCR, Me Too by Judith Godrèche, and MOTEL DESTINO by Karim Aïnouz, Cannes Competition.

The host Johanna Koljonen is a media analyst, broadcaster, and experience designer. She is the author of the Göteborg Film Festival’s annual Nostradamus Report on the near future of the screen industries, which is in its 11th year. She lectures internationally on changes in the media sector, and on participation and narrative design. Her background is in public service broadcasting; in 2011, she received the Swedish Grand Journalism Award in the Innovator category.

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. This episode has been developed in collaboration with the Berlinale Co-Production Market.