Gabriele Brunnenmeyer is a script mentor, project consultant and pitching coach. Gabriele was running the MEDIA Antenna Berlin-Brandenburg, has been an artistic advisor for the Maia Workshops, developing events including Connecting Cottbus, IDM Film Conference Incontri and currently MDM’s Meet Your Neighbour in Leipzig. Alongside consulting on script development, packaging, and pitching for individual projects, she works on a regular basis with various international training programs, markets and industry events as First Films First, HerArts FilmLab, Midpoint Feature Launch, Baltic Pitching Forum, Cannes Court Métrage, Euro Connection Clermont- Ferrand, Berlinale Talents and Sarajevo Talents among others.
Anna Bielak is a Head of Development at Aurum Film (“Leave No Traces”, “The King of Warsaw”). She graduated in Film Studies from Jagiellonian University in Krakow and has participated in a number of workshops for script consultants and writers, including Midpoint Training the Trainers as well as Feature Launch programs and Script Circle and Six Days of Practice led by Francoise von Roy and Franz Rodenkirchen and finally LIM – Less is More under the supervision of Séverine Cornamusaz. She is also a co-founder of Script Atelier – Polish-language development workshops and develops projects as a writer. Together with Łukasz Światowiec, she co-wrote debut feature comedy “If I Were You” directed by Antonio Galdamez and short animated heist-movie “Crush” by Michał Socha and Jakub Socha.
Laurence Boyce has been working in the film industry for almost 25 years with a focus on short film. He began at the Leeds International Film Festival (UK) as a programmer and still works there to this day as an advisor. He currently works as the Head of Programme (Live Action for PÖFF Shorts (Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival) in Tallinn, Estonia. Aside from his festival duties, Laurence works as a journalist for outlets such as Screen International, Sight & Sound and Cineuropa. He is a member of BAFTA, the European Film Academy, the London Critics’ Circle and FIPRESCI (the International Federation of Film Critics). He is also the chairman of the board of the Short Film Conference, an international network of organisations focused on short film
Klementina Remeikaite (b.1988, Lithuania) is a film producer. In 2014 she graduated film production studies from Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. After her studies, she and director – Laurynas Bareisa established a film production company called “afterschool”. Since then, the company has created and produced over 10 short films, 2 feature films. In 2015 she attended MAIA workshop for emerging producers, in 2019 APost Lab workshop, in 2019 Torino Feature Lab, where she and director Laurynas Bareisa developed first feature film ”Pilgrims”, which won best film award in Venice film festival, Orizzonti competition 2021. At the moment she is working on 4 new feature films.
Guntis Trekteris has produced and co-produced more than 20 feature films and 40 documentaries. Among them are many internationally successful and award winning films. The recent selected titles include the local box office hit, a fiction by Viestur Kairish City on the River (LV-LT-CZ), teenage comedy Lame-os by Marta Elīna Martinsone and animated documentary My Favorite War by Ilze Burkovska-Jakobsen (NO-LV) – the winner of Annecy Contrechamp award in 2020.
Anu Veermäe-Kaldra is head of production in Menufilmid, she has a master in European Audiovisual Management and a degree in advertising and media, additionally she has also studied psychology. Anu has been the sales manager, executive producer and co-producer of various films. She has produced music videos, TV serials and more than a thousand commercials with various creative teams for Baltic, Swedish and Finnish TV channels. Some of her works as producer and co-producer: A is for Love (2023, short documentary), The Boss (2018 featurefilm), Love Express (2017, documentary), Hell in India (2017, documentary), Black Diamonds (2013, full-length feature), Rat-trap (2011, full-length feature), Revolution of Pigs (2004, full-length feature), Happy Birthday! (2004, doc), The Beauty of the Fatherland 2001, doc), The Human Camera (1999, short).
Ph.D. in film history at the University of Turin. Alessandro studied Danish silent cinema. For several years he collaborated in film research and in the retrospectives of Cinemambiente, of which he is still a programming consultant today. He subsequently held various roles in cultural, sporting, and touring events in Europe and North America. Alessandro was general secretary of the Torino Short Film Market from the first edition until 2021. Today he is the programmer of the Italian Short Film Center, distributor, and executive producer for Withstand, an independent production company based in Milan.
Antoine Guillemot graduated from Sorbonne Nouvelle University in 2019 with a Bachelor’s degree in Cinema & Audiovisual, followed by the completion of his Master’s degree in Cinema and Visual Didactics in 2022. After a period working in the Luxury commerce sector, he transitioned to a role at Origine Films, where he currently serves as the Head of Sales, overseeing a vast catalogue of 500 films. In addition to his primary role, he passionately pursues his artistic inclinations as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator, specializing in Cinema Posters and Motion Design.
Basel Mawlawi received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Middlesex University in the UK and a Professional Diploma in Film Production from SAE Institute, cementing his love for the craft. Starting out as a production manager and line producer, Basel quickly moved on to produce several documentaries and over ten short fiction films, all the while honing his skills in nonfiction storytelling and short narratives. His dedication to collaborating with filmmakers and writers to create powerful stories that make a difference is evident in his work. Through his participation in several prestigious producer-specific labs, such as DFI’s Producers Lab and EAVE 2021, Basel has continued pushing the boundaries of nonfiction storytelling and narrative cinema. He remains committed to seeking out opportunities for growth and development as a producer, always striving to bring meaningful stories to the screen.
After an experience in the field of feature films distribution and international sales, Elise Notseck arrived at Shortcuts in the beginning of 2020. Since then, she has been working as a short film distributor and sales agent for many French and international films, such as Sukar by Ilias El Faris (France/Morocco), The Last Ferry From Grass Island by Linhan Zhang (USA/Hong Kong), The Departure by Saïd Hamich Benlarbi (France/Morocco), Interfon 15 by Andrei Epure (Romania), A Summer Place by Alexandra Matheou (Cyprus/France), Fire at the Lake by Pierre Menahem (France) and more recently La Perra by Carla Melo Gampert (Cannes FF & Toronto IFF 2023) as well as A Study of Empathy by Hilke Rönnfeldt (Golden Leopard at Locarno IFF 2023).
Julie Rousson holds a Masters degree in cultural project production, with a master’s thesis about the impact of Internet and numeric revolution on the short film industry. She permanently joins Sauve Qui Peut le Court Métrage, the association behind the Clermont-Ferrand Int’ Short Film Festival, in 2015 after several years working on punctual missions. She is a member of the International competition selection committee. She coordinates the Pop-Up section dedicated to new fiction models, the industry events at the Short Film Market (including coproduction forum Euro Connection) and the relation with administrative institutions. She is a board member of the Short Film Conference.
Sari Volanen is a commissioning editor at Yle (Finnish Broadcasting company). She works at Yle’s Film Team producing short films mainly with Finnish independent filmmakers and producers. She is in charge of a strand called “New Cinema” on Yle Teema channel. The main focus of New Cinema is on cinematic, surprising, original and quirky short films. The films in the strand are acquired through co-productions (main producer Finnish), prebuys (international) and acquisitions.
Versatile producer, sales agent and distributor. He’s based in Brussels where he studied film editing at the Rits School of Arts. He is the founder of two companies: the production company Bekke Films and Radiator IP Sales with which he represents, distributes and sells a total of 200 short films and several feature films to date. The films have been selected and awarded at multiple international film festivals, including Berlinale, Cannes, Clermont-Ferrand, Sundance, SXSW, Locarno, Venice, … Berlinale Talents alumni, member of European Film Academy.
Austėja Milvydaitė is Head of MEDIA Office at Creative Europe Desk Lithuania and has been consulting audiovisual industry professionals on all things funding for over 5 years. The MEDIA strand of the Creative Europe programme supports the European film and audiovisual industries to develop, distribute and promote European works. The MEDIA Office at Creative Europe Desk Lithuania promotes Creative Europe programme at national level, assists the audiovisual sector regarding participation in MEDIA and stimulates cross-border cooperation between professionals, institutions and networks.
Irma Pužauskaitė is a certified professional in the field of intimacy coordination, having received her certification from the Intimacy Professionals Association (US). Under the mentorship of intimacy coordinator Amanda Blumenthal, known for her work on productions such as “Euphoria” and “How to Get Away with Murder,” Irma honed her skills in managing and facilitating intimate scenes within filming environments. With a strong commitment to establishing trust-based relationships with performers, Irma approaches each project with a dedicated understanding of the director’s creative vision. Her professional credits include from historical movies as Queen Cleopatra (Netflix), Hilma by L. Hallstrom (Viaplay), Sisi (RTL+) to sci-fi Paradise (Netflix) to drama Slow by M. Kavtaradze (Sundance Best Directing award) and many more.
Aleksandra Aleksander is a Polish talent manager. She is head of the film and TV department at Match and Spark, a talent agency representing over 75 audiovisual creators from CEE region, including filmmakers Monika Lenczewska, Łukasz Żal, Anna Jadowska, Łukasz Ronduda, Kuba Czekaj, Mela Melak, Małgorzata Fudala, Saulius Baradinskas, Greta Griniūtė and Justas Ramanauskas.
Aleksandra is a graduate of the Film School in Katowice (PL) and the Wajda School in Warsaw (PL). She has participated in international workshops, including MFI Script 2 Film as a trainee in script development and team coaching, Midpoint Feature Launch, and Rotterdam Lab. She’s also a graduate of Gender Studies at the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Senior professional with extensive expertise across the Baltic and EU audiovisual industries.
Anna Kasimati currently serves as the Head of the Creative Europe MEDIA Desk in Greece, positioned within the Greek Film Center. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies and a Master of Arts degree in Communication Policy. With 15 years of expertise in research, decision-making, and analysis within the domains of culture and audiovisual policy, she is a member of both EFAD (European Film Agency Directors association) and EFARN (European Film Agencies Research Network). Furthermore, she holds the role of Executive Secretary within the SEE Cinema Network.
Elias Demetriou was born in Cyprus and studied Cinema in Athens. He directed one theatre play, seven short films, about thirty documentaries, and two feature films (“Fish n’ chips”, 2012 and “Smac” 2015). Most of his films have been participated and awarded in various international film festivals. At this moment he is in pre-production for his third feature film. He worked as a screenwriter, and film editor in more than fifty shorts and documentaries. He taught ‘Film making techniques at the Department of Film Studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2009-10). From 2012-2019 he taught Cinema for young actors at the New Greek Theatre. Since 2016 he has worked for ERT (Greek National Television) and he is the Curator of the Microfilm Program financing fifteen short films per year. For the last five years (2018-2023) he has worked for MFI (Mediterranean Film Institute) as the assistant trainer of Jan Fleischer and since 2023 he has worked as a script consultant for the same organization. Μember of the European and the Greek Film Academy.
