BPF 2023 - Lectures and panels

IMPORTANT

Venue: National Gallery of Art (Konstitucijos ave. 22, Vilnius).

All events are open to everyone and free of charge.
Pre-registration for public events is here.

 

10 OCTOBER | TUESDAY
14:00 - 15:30 Go Out and Pitch! 

The better you know your project, the better you can present it. The lecture will focus on the central elements of creating a convincing pitch by showing how to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the project within the preparation period as well as how to give a presentation that resonates with the right partners.

 

Speaker | Gabriele Brunnenmeyer (Germany)

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 Con – nection Clermont-Ferrand, Berlinale Talents and Sarajevo Talents among others.

11 OCTOBER | WEDNESDAY
14:30 - 15:30 Greece: Everything You Wanted to Know About Co-production Possibilities

Greece has become a thriving hub for short films, boasting a multitude of success stories in recent years. This presentation will provide an overview of the most important co-production opportunities both within Greece and involving Greece.  

Speaker | Anna Kasimati (Greece)

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.

 

Speaker | Elias Demetriou

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 at pre-production for his third feature film. He worked as a screenwriter, and film editor in more than fifty shorts and documentaries. He teached ‘Film making techniques’ at the Department of Film Studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2009-10). From 2012-2019 he was teaching Cinema for young actors at the New Greek Theatre. Since 2016 he works for ERT (Greek National Television) and he is the Curator of the Microfilm Program financing fifteen short films per year. The last five years (2018-2023) he works for MFI (Mediterranean Film Institute) as the assistant trainer of Jan Fleischer and since 2023 he works as a script consultant for the same organization. Μember of the European and the Greek Film Academy.

15:30 - 16:00 Creative Europe MEDIA: Opportunities for Short Filmmakers  

MEDIA strand of Creative Europe programme provides European filmmakers and other audiovisual industry professionals with a variety of opportunities ranging from direct funding of their projects to training initiatives and more. Austėja Milvydaitė, Head of MEDIA Office at Creative Europe Desk Lithuania, will give a short overview of what is relevant for the short film community and emerging filmmakers: how to get their first commercial film funded, which markets and festivals they should attend and what kind of training opportunities would be beneficial to them now and in the future.

Speaker | Austėja Milvydaitė (Lithuania)

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.

16:15 - 17:45 In the Director's Vision: The Harmonious Collaboration of Directors and Intimacy Coordinators

An intimacy coordinator is one of the newest roles in film production, and it is swiftly becoming an integral component of the filmmaking process. Intimacy coordinators ensure that scenes of an intimate nature are carefully choreographed, fostering a safe working environment. Join this presentation ‘In the Director’s Vision’ to explore the vital partnership between film directors and intimacy coordinators. But what exactly are their responsibilities?  How do they align with the director’s artistic vision while respecting the actors’ personal boundaries? Discover how this collaboration enhances artistic expression while ensuring ethical responsibility in intimate scenes. Gain insights, engage in practical exercises, and learn about creating safe, inclusive film sets.

In partnership with Creative Europe MEDIA Desk Lithuania.

 

Speaker | Irma Pužauskaitė (Lithuania)

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. 

13 OCTOBER | FRIDAY
10:00 - 11:30 Talent Agency Ecosystem and Practices

The lecture will focus on the central elements of a cooperation between talent and agent / manager. It will also present who the agents work with on a daily basis, and what they actually do. The presentation will also give an insight into an emerging talent agencies ecosystem in CEE, as well as European market. Based on Match and Spark’s practises, also with Lithuanian filmmakers, it will show the possibilities that come with cooperation with the agency.

In partnership with Audiovisual works copyright association AVAKA.

Speaker | Aleksandra Aleksander (Poland)

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.

Match and Spark is a talent management representing the new generation of audiovisual Talent from Central and Eastern Europe. The company is actively involved in projects from the stage of early development focusing on promoting its Clients internationally and bringing their boundless creativity to media across the world.
11:45 - 12:30 Crew United: Connecting Talents to Make Great Films Together!

Are you a producer or a film director losing hope of finding a crew for the new film? Or are you a freelancer willing to introduce himself to Europe’s largest network of filmmakers? If so, Crew United has something to offer. Crew United is the largest European online network for all people and companies involved in the audiovisual industry and their works. With comprehensive, up-to-date and transparent information and innovative tools, Crew United enables the networking of all industry players. This presentation will showcase the platform’s most important and crucial functions, as well as its unique selling points.

Speaker | Romanas Matulis (Lithuania)

Senior professional with extensive expertise across the Baltic and EU audiovisual industries.

12:30 - 13:15 All You Need Is … A Sales Agent, Distributor, or TV Buyer

‘Sales Agent’, ‘Distributor’, ‘TV Buyer’ – these terms are well known within the short film industry, but sometimes they are not totally understood. While these roles share many similarities, there are also some crucial differences.

This panel with key players will explore the elements of what these roles entail and help advise filmmakers how to benefit from these essential parts of the film industry and will prove invaluable for those wanting to know more about how to get their films out to as wide an audience as possible.

Speakers:
Antoine Guillemot (oriGine Films, France)

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.

Origine Films has produced 50 short films from ten different countries, some of which have received several awards. Among these, we can mention 37°4S, Adriano Valerio, Special Mention Official Competition Cannes 2013 – David di Donatello 2014 | Sali, Ziya Demirel, Official Competition Cannes 2015 | Kapitalistis, Pablo Munoz Gomez, awarded at Locarno and nominated for Magritte and César 2019 | The Van, Erenik Beqiri, Official Competition Cannes 2019 and shortlisted for the Oscars 2021 | and Abada, Jean-Benoit Ugeux, selected for the César 2022 | and A Short Trip, Orizzonti Awarded for Best Short Film in Venice International Film Festival 2023.

Elise Notseck (Shortcuts, France)

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). 

Sari Volanen (YLE TV, Finland)

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.

Yle – the Finnish Broadcasting Company is Finland’s national public service media company, founded in 1926.