Germany: Intensive workshop during the Berlinale film festival

For five weeks the twelve participants of DW-AKADEMIE’s “Film Festival and Event Marketing” workshop in Berlin will be focusing on festival marketing, funding, organization and film selection. They’ll also be peering over the shoulders of Berlinale organizers during the film festival itself, getting a close-up look at one of the largest international film festivals. Close collaboration between DW-AKADEMIE and the Berlin International Film Festival assures an intense combination of theory and practice.

“I’ll be getting as much as I can out of this workshop and my time here,” says Halima Oyelade, director of the Nigerian Zuma Film Festival. “We held our festival for the fifth time last year but I’d like to make our planning and organizing more effective,” she says. Sokunthearith Tol Phun works for Cambofest, the first independent Cambodian film festival. “We’re a small festival with a very small budget. We’d like to grow, so I’m primarily interested in how to attract sponsors, filmmakers and audiences.”

During the workshop the participating festival managers can discuss their experiences and skills. “While the Berlinale is on they’ll also have the opportunity to expand their networks,” says DW-AKADEMIE project manager, Pamela Schobeß. “The fact that it’s often very hectic during the festival is something we’ll be discussing ahead of time. We’ll be looking at how to present oneself, one’s festival and concerns in a brief but convincing way.”

This is the eighth DW-AKADEMIE “Film Festival and Event Management” workshop, meaning the participants – this year from Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines – also have access to a vibrant network of alumni. Next year DW-AKADEMIE is planning to extend this successful workshop for managers and organizers of film festivals in Latin America.

The “Film Festival and Event Management” workshop is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).