What's at Stake in Ukraine - a Filmmakers’ Conversation

03/11/22 • 43 min

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale.

This podcast episode is a special edition dedicated to the current invasion of Ukraine. Tamara Tatishvili (Head of Training - MEDICI the Film Funding Journey) is moderating this episode and speaks with Julia Sinkevych (Producer, Ukraine), Tanja Georgieva-Waldhauer (Producer, Germany), and Keti Machavariani (Producer/ Director, Georgia). They talk about the fact that the war in Ukraine did not start on 24 February, but eight years ago with the annexation of Crimea. We hear four women and their fear on the one hand and their will to stand up for peace on the other. Film and cinema have enormous power; those have to be used and supported in the right way. Because the misuse for propaganda purposes is a real danger. In this time more than ever the film industry needs to stand together. Filmmakers have the tools to reach a big audience. The industry should endorse Ukrainian film projects from the past to achieve awareness and gather financial resources to support the fight for freedom in Ukraine.

Our moderator for this episode is Tamara Tatishvili. She combines solid experience of international film funding & promotion strategies with strong passion for talent curation and programming. She worked for several years as Director of the Georgian National Film Center. Prior to that, Tamara co-founded and was an Executive Director of the Independent Filmmakers’ Association - South Caucasus. Since 2020 Tamara heads an exclusive training platform for public film financiers MEDICI - The Film Funding Journey organized by FOCAL. Among different industry collaborations, Tamara acts as strategy consultant to the European Women’s Audiovisual Network as well as programming consultant to Bridges: East of West Film Days organized by Bozar.

Julia Sinkevych Ukrainian film producer, co-founder and member of the supervisory board of the Ukrainian Film Academy. Julia has been the general producer of the Odesa International Film Festival from 2010-2020. Besides general management, programming and curating tasks, her prior work at distribution and production company Arthouse Traffic allowed her to promote and support Ukrainian artists and filmmakers on an international level.

Georgian filmmaker and producer, Keti Machavariani known for her debut feature film Salt White which premiered at the International Film Festival Karlovy Vary in 2011. Her documentary, titled Sunny, premiered 2021 at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. Currently Keti is working on the feature film project Ia that won first place at Georgian-Baltic Bridge Pitching Forum at the Tbilisi International Film Festival.

Tanja Georgieva-Waldhauer is a German film producer at Elemag Pictures. Since 2012 she works with the Ukrainian director Roman Bondarchuk known for Volcano and his team in Ukraine. At the moment Tanja co-produces together with Darya Bassel Roman Bondarchuk’s upcoming film The Editorial Office. In the last days, she initiated with colleagues from the German Producers Association and Documentary Association a support programme to provide technical equipment as well as safety jackets and helmets for Ukrainian filmmakers. This should follow the call of their Ukrainian colleagues to cinematically document the current situation.

This podcast episode has been co-developed and produced in cooperation with Goethe-Institut.

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale.

This podcast episode has been co-developed and produced in cooperation with Goethe-Institut.

Previous Episode

New Native Cinema: Indigenous Film Criticism in Focus

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. Hosted by curator-producer Nadia Denton and industry analyst Johanna Koljonen, it delves deep into the rapidly evolving film industry.

This episode deals with the dearth of Indigenous film critics worldwide, and how this gap in the critical landscape impacts the way in which Indigenous-led films or films with casts from these communities are commented on, scored, critiqued, released and ultimately perform at the box office.

Leo Koziol is Founder and Director of the Wairoa Māori Film Festival in Aotearoa New Zealand. Leo Koziol is also the Indigenous Editor of Letterboxd where he compiled the 100 Native Directors, 100 Native Films to celebrate the new wave of Indigenous films and uncover the cinematic history of films by Indigenous directors. Leo is also a curator for NZIFF Whānau Mārama, producer at Nūhaka Film and former host of Kōrero Kiriata on Radio Waatea NZ. Writer, thinker, curator, creator. Ngāti Rakaipaaka, Ngāti Kahungunu hard.

Leena Minifie is a Gitxaala/British (Tsimshian) artist, writer, curator and based in Vancouver, BC. She is the CEO of Stories First Productions. Leena specialized in Indigenous Studies and New Media at the Institute of American Indian Arts. Her experience producing media projects includes series, documentaries, webinars, radio broadcast, culture retention projects and news sites. She has worked as a journalist and is a co-founder of Ricochet.Media. Leena has deep experience in film, television, but focuses primarily on online digital campaigns and digital media strategy for social impact.

David Hernández Palmar, Wayuu, IIPUANA, is a journalist, photographer, filmmaker, curator of Latin American and Caribbean film specializing in Indigenous film. A member of the Wayuu People Communications Network, David is also Director of the Indigenous Audiovisual Foundation Wayaakua, Curator and Programmer of the Wayuu Film and Video Showcase, Curator and Programmer of the International Indigenous Film Showcase of Venezuela MICIV, Political Advisor for Latin American Coordinator of Cinema and Communication of Indigenous Peoples CLACPI, Guest Curator for Daupará - Indigenous Film and Video Showcase in Colombia. David is former Advisor for special selection NATIVe of the Berlinale International Film Festival and a member of The Indigenous Media and Communication Caucus, a member of #ImaginacciónIndígena as well as a member of the Programmers of Colour Collective.

This podcast episode has been developed in partnership with imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.

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 second season of this year-round podcast is produced in cooperation with Goethe-Institut, and co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.

Next Episode

Accessibility Beyond and Behind the Screen

Featuring the insights of thought leaders, policymakers and activists, this episode will explore the multitude of barriers faced by Disabled professionals in the film industry as well as the numerous organisations, initiatives and movements created to attain universal accessibility and to highlight the invaluable contributions of Disabled creatives to film culture. In an industry that does not generally value Disabled talent nor employ them to tell or embody Disabled stories, this episode will beg the important question of which moral, mental and organisational shifts need to take place in order to address these issues meaningfully.

Andrew Miller MBE is a cultural consultant and broadcaster, recognized as one of the most influential Disability advocates in the UK who has transformed perceptions throughout his 30 year career. He belongs to the first generation of Disabled presenters of British television, becoming the first wheelchair user to run a major UK arts venue.

Amanda Upson is an independent producer who focuses on the advocacy of the underrepresented in front of and behind the camera via producing and consulting. She is interim director and a contributing member of Filmmakers With Disabilities: FWD-Doc. Within this episode Amanda mentions a private Facebook Group: Deaf & Disabled People in TV.

Kyla Harris is a filmmaker, writer and activist who applies an intersectional approach to all of her work. She is a member of the Disability Screen Advisory Group for the British Film Institute (BFI). Kyla advocates for people who share her own identities as a queer, Disabled, woman of color. Along with Filmmakers With Disabilities (FWD-Doc) she co-wrote a Toolkit for Inclusion & Accessibility: Changing the Narrative of Disability in Documentary Film in association with Doc Society and Netflix as well as The FWD-Doc Engagement Pack in association with Doc Society and the BFI. Towards the end of this podcast episode, Kyla quotes her favorite statement by Mia Mungus, which for her sums up everything discussed in this episode and can be applied not only to filmmaking but to life in general.

Dr Grishma Shah is an artist and psychologist who consults with filmmakers, film festivals and production companies at various stages of the creative process. Her objective is to champion stories of diversity in inaccessible spaces to introduce new narratives of beauty and worth into the global market. As a visual artist, Grishma infuses heritage and components of mixed media into her artistry to create 3D paintings. She furthermore published Dissertations told through podcast miniseries. Currently, she works as a consultant for the 1in4coalition and as mass media consultant for the ReelAbilities Film Festival Chicago

During the conversation the Jack Thorne’s James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture from summer 2021 at The Edinburgh International Television Festival is mentioned.

This podcast episode has been developed in partnership with the British Film Institute in connection with their Press Reset campaign to inspire authority figures in film and TV to reset practices involving Disabled people and establish a new, more inclusive normal. The BFI also recently presented a series of screenings, talks and presentations showcasing Disabled practitioners’ work with their