european
film market
The European Film Market (EFM) at Berlinale, the Berlin International Film Festival, is not only one of the top three major annual industry gatherings and an agile marketplace for trading film and audiovisual content, it’s also a platform for innovation and change — a conference and networking program for the future of media, entertainment and the film business.
©EFM2024/ Angela Regenbrecht
A compass for new strategies and sustainable models, driven by new technology.
We have been co-curating sessions with the European Film Market, from EFM Horizon which took place up to 2021, to the Industry Sessions since then.
In 2025, we co-curated and moderated:
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“Level Up: Bridging the Worlds of Gaming and Filmmaking” with Igor Simic, CEO, Demagog Studio, Christina Caspers-Roemer, CEO, TRIXTER, Maite Woköck, CEO & Producer, Telescope Animation GmbH and Telescope Game Studios and Mafalda Duarte, Studio Director and Producer at Telescope Game Studios.
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“Marketing the Movies: Trends, Strategies and Tools for Success” with Joanna Solecka, Film Marketing Expert & Awards Consulant / Head of Alphapanda. Marina Kosten, Senior Fellow, USC Annenberg Center For The Digital Future, USA and Adriana Trautman, President, Adriana Trautman Consulting, USA
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“The Big Picture: Decoding newest Industry Trends and Shifts” with Manuel Fioroni, Film Analyst, European Audiovisual Observatory, Guy Bisson, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Ampere Analysis, Karin Chien, Producer & Distribution, Art & Action Productions , dGenerate Films and Sofie Hvitved, Futurist & Head of Media, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies.
©EFM2024/ Angela Regenbrecht
In 2024, we co-Curated and moderated:
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Being a producer requires wearing multiple hats, including that of a creative, a business-savvy manager, a coach, and most importantly: a leader. The session started with a keynote by founder of THE CATALYSTS, AC Coppens on the shifts in the industry and challenges producers have to face. How multifaceted leadership can help implement a vision for success?In an intimate and honest fireside, producers Damon D’Oliveira from Conquering Lion Pictures and Maria Stocchi from Rosamont shared insights into their struggles and best practices, while philosopher and coach Martin Ebeling from The School of Life Berlin brought perspectives beyond the film world, looking at the future of leadership and work in society.
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What impact do innovations in AI have on human life and the media we produce and consume? In this session, we discussed the hopes and fears that we put into AI, looking at “the human factor” in a world increasingly enraptured with and by AI. Dr. William Charles Uricchio, professor emeritus of Comparative Media Studies at MIT looked at AI from the perspective of media history, exploring the god-like attributes we project on technology. Amir Baradaran, founder and CEO of ABXR Engine, shared an overview of the AI landscape, alongside thoughts on decolonializing AI, while Souki Mansoor, director and founder of Bell & Whistle gave an overview of the skills that filmmakers need to embrace AI. She stressed the role of flexibility and reskilling, and the potential of human - machine collaborations.
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Creating worlds that have never been seen before? During this session Simon Weisse (prop maker, set designer and model maker for the likes of Wes Anderson), Christina Caspar-Roemer (Managing Director at TRIXTER, and formerly at Dark Bay), & AI-storyteller Dave Clark showcased how we can leverage AI to create immersive stories and universes. They discussed how AI and world-building can unlock new ways of visual storytelling and opportunities for growth in production. The exploration led to uncovering how AI and world-building can influence visual storytelling and provide chances for expansion in the production industry.
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Introduced by AI filmmaking pioneers Curious Refuge, this twofold session featured Vova Ovsiienko from ReSpeecher who premiered a sneak peak into the voice tool of the feature-length film “Edith”, the Edith Piaf AI-Generated animated Biopic produced by Seriously Happy and Warner Music Group. Then, CreamAI Founder Jacques Alomo guided us through the AI workflow from a production perspective, illustrating by custom-made visuals the impact of this new technology in terms of flexibility, roles, assets, IP, time and money. This session provides a practice-based perspective on how AI can amplify creative expression within the production process, while being mindful of and respectful towards the original data and source material.
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The usage of AI in the film and series industry has been rapidly increasing, from pre-production and conceptualization to distribution. However, the range of effects of the new technology are still somewhat intangible, undiscussed or ignored, as demonstrated by the strikes held by the WGA and SAG. The Think Tank session with Gerhard Maier, who is the artistic director of Seriencamp, provided a platform for discussion for 40 participants from different parts of the film and TV industry. Focused on open discussion and sharing of experiences to contribute to the ongoing discourse surrounding, this session focused on the implications and applications of AI on creative processes, training, animation, and legal aspects.
©EFM2023/ Angela Regenbrecht
In 2023, we co-curated and moderated:
In 2023, we co-curated and moderated:
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(invite-only, interactive session co-hosted by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media)
Sustainability in its various dimensions has been addressed in many sessions at the European Film Market in the last years. In 2023, our focus was Social Sustainability.
The international film industry is facing an unprecedented shortage of skilled workers. From demanding and often unpredictable schedule, to challenges spanning from mental health to #metoo abuse, is the film industry not a “glamorous” environment to work in, but just a challenging space?
In a dedicated format at hosted by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the European Market, on 17.02.2023, we discussed together with selected experts recruiting, maintaining and developing a well-skilled workforce. How to offer equitable access, fair working conditions or promotion opportunities and make sure to include diverse voices allowing to reflect the reality of society? The Fish Bowl was led by 4 experts, each bringing a different perspective and focusing on a different topic: attracting new talent, working conditions, skills shortage, and diversity and inclusion.
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What kind of films, series and documentaries do Europeans watch, and what would they like to watch? Understanding audience behavior and preferences beyond national markets is crucial for making and marketing films, series and documentaries, which will sell across Europe. The session will give participants the opportunity to learn about audience tastes and preferences in Europe thereby helping them to reach wider audiences across Europe. The European Commission made a presentation providing a first preview of some results of a multi-country consumer/audience research carried out over the past year for the preparation of the “Media Outlook”, a comprehensive media market report which the Commission plans to publish in spring 2023. A panel of industry professionals with substantial experience in producing and marketing films, series and documentaries across Europe will provide further insights into these results. Participants will have the chance to ask questions to the panel.
Read more here, or the Cineuropa article The EFM Industry Sessions explored the European audience
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(Invite-only session supported by Creative Europe MEDIA)
The goal of the session was to bring together leading industry experts for a better understanding of the needs of the European ecosystem. What can be done to build and support a competitive European Virtual Production landscape? In a circle of peers, participants will discuss the possibilities and challenges that Virtual Production can bring - from new financing arrangements and opportunities to digital asset monetization, and have a broader look at how this technical shift impacts the skills needed to navigate the new film production landscape.
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The key shifts we explored in this session all start with an A - from Audiences to Advertising through the emergence of ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) and free ad-supported TV (FAST) up to Artificial Intelligence. What opportunities does it open up from the independent producers perspective? How does this impact creative content? Which parameters of the business model could shift? Where are new, direct opportunities on the monetizing side by connecting the dots between audiences, producers and distributors?
We shared insights on audience shifts in terms of content types and demographics, looked at the growth of AvoD and FAST as drivers for new content trends, showcasing how small niche content owners may launch a FAST channel, and finally interviewed AI Film Festival Co-Founder Cristóbal Valenzuela to discuss the future of AI-enabled or generated content in the film and the entertainment industry at large.
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Animation is on the rise, and we are seeing animation go into spaces that it’s not been in before. With producers as well as distributors in mind, we want to explore opportunities and challenges to surf on this wave. How to stay creatively bold, would it be by doubling down on proven box-office hits, or by taking commercial risks with fresh content? How can animation make even more artistic - and possibly technological strides? Which collaborations are necessary to bring stories immersing the audience in the experience, whether fully animated or simply making use of animation technology? And most of all, how to develop these new narratives the entertainment industry needs, becoming less Hollywood centric, less child-oriented and more international? What place has sustainability - economically, ecologically and socially - in all this? After all, there is no universe such as animation where the power of creation for a bigger cause is possible - and when people can see possible futures, they might just believe them.
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Think Tank 1: WEAVING THE MARKET FABRIC
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(invite-only, interactive session co-hosted by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media)
Sustainability in its various dimensions has been addressed in many sessions at the European Film Market in the last years. In 2023, our focus was Social Sustainability.
The international film industry is facing an unprecedented shortage of skilled workers. From demanding and often unpredictable schedule, to challenges spanning from mental health to #metoo abuse, is the film industry not a “glamorous” environment to work in, but just a challenging space?
In a dedicated format at hosted by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the European Market, on 17.02.2023, we discussed together with selected experts recruiting, maintaining and developing a well-skilled workforce. How to offer equitable access, fair working conditions or promotion opportunities and make sure to include diverse voices allowing to reflect the reality of society? The Fish Bowl was led by 4 experts, each bringing a different perspective and focusing on a different topic: attracting new talent, working conditions, skills shortage, and diversity and inclusion.
-
What kind of films, series and documentaries do Europeans watch, and what would they like to watch? Understanding audience behavior and preferences beyond national markets is crucial for making and marketing films, series and documentaries, which will sell across Europe. The session will give participants the opportunity to learn about audience tastes and preferences in Europe thereby helping them to reach wider audiences across Europe. The European Commission made a presentation providing a first preview of some results of a multi-country consumer/audience research carried out over the past year for the preparation of the “Media Outlook”, a comprehensive media market report which the Commission plans to publish in spring 2023. A panel of industry professionals with substantial experience in producing and marketing films, series and documentaries across Europe will provide further insights into these results. Participants will have the chance to ask questions to the panel.
Read more here, or the Cineuropa article The EFM Industry Sessions explored the European audience
-
(Invite-only session supported by Creative Europe MEDIA)
The goal of the session was to bring together leading industry experts for a better understanding of the needs of the European ecosystem. What can be done to build and support a competitive European Virtual Production landscape? In a circle of peers, participants will discuss the possibilities and challenges that Virtual Production can bring - from new financing arrangements and opportunities to digital asset monetization, and have a broader look at how this technical shift impacts the skills needed to navigate the new film production landscape.
-
The key shifts we explored in this session all start with an A - from Audiences to Advertising through the emergence of ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) and free ad-supported TV (FAST) up to Artificial Intelligence. What opportunities does it open up from the independent producers perspective? How does this impact creative content? Which parameters of the business model could shift? Where are new, direct opportunities on the monetizing side by connecting the dots between audiences, producers and distributors?
We shared insights on audience shifts in terms of content types and demographics, looked at the growth of AvoD and FAST as drivers for new content trends, showcasing how small niche content owners may launch a FAST channel, and finally interviewed AI Film Festival Co-Founder Cristóbal Valenzuela to discuss the future of AI-enabled or generated content in the film and the entertainment industry at large.
-
Animation is on the rise, and we are seeing animation go into spaces that it’s not been in before. With producers as well as distributors in mind, we want to explore opportunities and challenges to surf on this wave. How to stay creatively bold, would it be by doubling down on proven box-office hits, or by taking commercial risks with fresh content? How can animation make even more artistic - and possibly technological strides? Which collaborations are necessary to bring stories immersing the audience in the experience, whether fully animated or simply making use of animation technology? And most of all, how to develop these new narratives the entertainment industry needs, becoming less Hollywood centric, less child-oriented and more international? What place has sustainability - economically, ecologically and socially - in all this? After all, there is no universe such as animation where the power of creation for a bigger cause is possible - and when people can see possible futures, they might just believe them.
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Think Tank 1: WEAVING THE MARKET FABRIC
©EFM / Juliane Eirich
In 2022, alongside co-hosting the EFM, we co-curated, moderated and hosted:
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As the lines between industries blur and the need for synthetic images is exploding, animation - at the intersection of virtual production, AR/VR/XR and gaming - is the perfect field for the cross-pollination. We explore the tech behind the scenes, and ask which collaborations are necessary to bring stories immersing the audience in the experience, whether fully animated or simply making use of animation technology. How does tech boost the animation sector - and how does animation tech itself boost film production altogether? Is all of this sustainable?
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Throughout festival circuits, everyone in the industry has been made aware of key trends such as AI, Blockchain, Streaming, Virtual Production through to XR. Starting as buzzwords, some fields and applications became solid realities and are now part of industry vernacular. All these trends are keeping strong and intersecting into immersive real-time production, games (engines) and films, screenlife, or metaverses. How are production companies actually benefiting from these technological developments? What will they mean concretely for upcoming productions, also in terms of sustainability?
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For the third year in a row, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media together with the European Film Market invited experts to actively exchange and participate in high level discussions about the most important aspects of sustainability in the audio-visual industry. The focus this year was on green production and green distribution. These topics were explored around five roundtables: Green Production: the Imperative of a Systemic Change, Carbon Calculation at the Core, Green Cinemas: Using the Pandemic Reset Beyond Digitization, Green Streaming: Ecological Data Hosting in Focus, Green Broadcasting: from Single Experiments to Unified Efforts?
In 2021, we co-curated, moderated and hosted:
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As COVID-19 hit the entertainment industry, virtual production went from innovation to necessity. Now, cutting-edge technologies are accelerating and converging to make virtual production ever more scalable and accessible. No longer just a tool for high-profile blockbusters, the democratization of virtual production can unlock competitive advantages for a wider range of content creators.
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One of the biggest challenges of any producer is to raise (and keep) awareness, and to get commercially viable with a better rate of return. While technology changes film production, it also massively impacts film distribution and marketing. We asked five experts to share their marketing hacks.
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As part of the “Re:thinking the Future of Film Business” series, EFM’s think tank invites industry experts, stakeholders and professionals from around the globe to reflect and brainstorm about three key topics facing the international film industry.
In an intimate, closed-doors series of round-tables, film industry experts shared their collective insights on topics spanning from tech in film production, to audience-back marketing, through social sustainability and new ways of working.
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Titled “Prototypen, Pioniere, Praxis: Nachhaltigkeit in der deutschen audiovisuellen Industrie gestalten” the workshop held by the office of the Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) was focused on ways to support sustainability in the German film industries. Halina Ehlers from BKM shared insights on the ministry’s pilot program helping to put sustainability in practice; sustainability consultant Korina Gutsche focused on creativity in times of crisis, while diversity expert Canan Turan held a third group with an angle on how social justice can be an integral part of sustainability.
In 2020, we co-curated and moderated:
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Artificial intelligence is becoming part of everyday reality for professionals working across the entire film ecosystem. From idea generation and scriptwriting, to shooting and post-production, and all the way through to distribution and marketing, AI is enabling new levels of efficiency, profitability, strategic decision-making and perhaps even creativity. This AI session took a deep dive into the evolving capacities of this technology, with a pragmatic focus on the factors that matter most for film and entertainment business.
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If we are serious about climate mitigation, the entertainment industry (like every industry) must be ready to make radical changes. This series of talks and discussions brought together sustainability pioneers in film and creative sectors with researchers and technologists to chart progress made so far, and develop industry calls to action: From the major milestones already achieved in sustainable production and necessary next steps, to the mammoth but not impossible task of greening the festival circuit, to confronting the shocking environmental impact of audiovisual streaming platforms, and beginning to imagine an entirely new creative ecosystem, whose environmental, social, financial and cultural sustainability could be supported by blockchain technologies
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What is at stake for the EU in the 2020s? Which strategies for industry positioning are actually viable in a global context? Where will European content be? How is it going to be accessed? What are the intermediate steps that are required to allow media and entertainment professionals to work towards an EU streaming vision on a daily basis?
To answer these questions, this interactive workshop will pool on-the-ground industry knowledge from a hand-picked group of media and entertainment professionals. After gathering the facts about the real-world impact of streaming on storytelling, production, distribution, mediatech innovation and media policy inside and outside the EU, an open group discussion will consider emerging market trends and policy developments and how these might interface with a pragmatic action plan for the next decade of European streaming strategy.
In 2019, we co-curated and moderated:
The transforming force of AI: hype or high potential? From Content Creation to Audience Analytics.
In collaboration with Fraunhofer Institute Berlin.
This block mapped the status quo of AI in film and entertainment sectors by bringing developers, artists and practitioners together for a series of talks, interviews and debates to think through future scenarios and what they mean for the industry today in practical terms.
From scriptwriting to marketing, which creative functions can also benefit from AI to start working smarter, not harder and let their imaginations run free? How much closer are we to leveraging AI to automating all the headaches out of production, post-production and VFX workflows in 2019? Will the adoption of new systems create new challenges in itself, from grappling with stubborn resistance to automating colleagues out of jobs ? For audiences, will the increasing ubiquity of AI tighten personalization’s stranglehold on their entertainment platform experiences? Or will they be won over not only by improved algorithms, but also the promise of new levels of interactivity and immersion, as AI-enhanced virtual humans and non-linear storyworlds become as rich and surprising as real life and real people can be?