Trainers & lecturers

NEXTDOOR NETWORKING PITCHING TRAINING

Faisal has worked in the UK and US on various features and short productions. He was Associate Producer on the BAFTA winning feature film, FOUR LIONS and the BAFTA/Emmy award winning documentary LEAVING NEVERLAND. As a screenwriter, Faisal has worked with companies such as Bazelev, Benaroya Pictures, DNA Films and BBC Dramas. He has worked on a number of high end TV-dramas and factuals such as LOCKERBIE: A SEARCH FOR TRUTH, starring the Oscar winning actor Colin Firth, for Sky TV and THE KILLER CLOWN: MURDER ON THE DOORSTEP for Sundance TV. He has previously taught at Leeds University, the Northern Film School and the EICTV in Cuba.

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION, FESTIVAL STRATEGY AND AUDIENCE TARGETING in collaboration with EAVE Producers

Júnia Matsuura is a Brazilian producer, distributor and consultant based in Germany since 2013. She graduated in Film and Audiovisual from the Universidade Federal Fluminense (BA) and in Film Studies from the Free University of Berlin (MA). She gained experience in production and distribution at the World Cinema Fund (Berlinale) and at leading German companies such as One Two Films, Niko Films, The Match Factory and Pluto Film. Since 2022, she has been a member of the EAVE - European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs network. She is currently working on the alternative distribution initiative WE ARE HERE, with Lediona Kasapi, focusing on screening-events of overlooked films in cinemas engaging audiences. 

COLLECTABLE STORIES: FILM CRITICS TRAINING

Martin Kudláč is a freelance film journalist covering audiovisual industry as an industry correspondent for Cineuropa and writing about world cinema as a contributing writer for ScreenAnarchy. His writings have appeared across a variety of international outlets including MUBI´s Notebook, Eastern European Film Bulletin, Film International, China Film Insider, Filmatique, Offscreen, De Filmkrant, Senses of Cinema among others. He led cinema-related courses as a lecturer at a university and served as a member of the editorial board for the scholarly peer-reviewed journal Art Communication & Popculture. He is a co-author of the book Images of Hero in the Cultural Memory (University of Constantine the Philosopher, 2017) and a contributing author to Body and Text: Cultural Transformations in New Media Environments (Springer, 2019). 

INTERNATIONAL CO-PRODUCING WORKSHOP in collaboration with EAVE Producers

Radu Stancu graduated in film production, editing, and sound design at UNATC ‘I.L. Caragiale’ in Bucharest. He is a member of the ACE Producers Network, an alumnus of the EAVE Producers Workshop, Puentes, Ties That Bind, and EAVE Marketing Workshop, and was selected for Producers on the Move at Cannes 2023. With his company, deFilm, founded in 2009, he has produced a wide range of cinematic works, including short and feature-length films across fiction, animation, and documentary. These projects have been presented and awarded at major international festivals and markets, fostering collaborations with partners from Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Radu has also participated in various policy-making groups affiliated with the Romanian Ministry of Culture, representing the audiovisual sector. He played a pivotal role in initiating and leading a group of film professionals that successfully revised Romania's National Cinema Law.

FILMER FORGE PITCHING TRAINING in collaboration with EAVE Producers

Sarah Schlüssel from Germany will lead a specialized pitching training. She is a cultural manager and film programmer, head of the Short Form Station platform at Berlinale Talents, part of the Berlinale Film Festival, and a member of its selection committee. Schlüssel’s workshop will provide knowledge, skills, and guidance for delivering stronger and more effective pitches - essential tools for any producer in today’s film industry aiming for a successful career.