Feb 07, 2023
“Shift Happens” – EFM Industry Sessions Programme 2023 Provides Impulses for the Future of the Film and Media Business

Under the heading “Shift Happens”, the EFM Industry Sessions – the industry programme of the European Film Market (EFM) – will provide impulses for rethinking and reshaping the future of the film and media industry over seven days from February 16 to 22, 2023.

The EFM is concentrating its conference events in a new location, the Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation, just a short walk away from the Gropius Bau – including, for the first time, those of the Berlinale Series Market.

The EFM will kick off with a discussion on sustainability – a vital theme for a contemporary film industry. An interactive discussion will seek suitable approaches to a holistic view of sustainability – from social, cultural, ecological and economic perspectives. Sustainability in careers is also the focus of a discussion format with inspiring examples of how producers can successfully exploit the full sales and distribution chain for their content both creatively and financially, regardless of genre.

Eleven international start-ups will present solutions and ideas for new tools and innovative technologies. For the first time, there will be an investment forum in addition to the presentation and the numerous matchmaking sessions, where the start-ups will show their ideas and products to selected investors.

Another focus will be on taking a closer look at audiences: shrinking audience numbers are calling previous distribution models into question. A think tank will discuss the challenge of considering audience needs from production to distribution to multi-platform releases. Furthermore, new ways of financing and distribution will be discussed, especially in the field of streaming. The question of how to maintain cinematic diversity for documentaries in this situation will also be explored.

The animation film industry also faces similar challenges. Filmmakers of current Berlinale entries will report on their search for new narratives and provide insight into unusual production and distribution methods for their works.

For several years now, the EFM has foregrounded diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in its programming and initiatives. The “Equity & Inclusion Pathways Seminar” will start with a half-day summit on February 16. This yearly event, taking place between 2023 and 2025 at the EFM, is an industry-wide consultation forum with the aim of setting the film-political agenda regarding equity, inclusion and accessibility. The seminar is aimed at European decision-makers, advocacy groups and stakeholders.

A series of interactive discussion formats will highlight various equity-focused issues of cutting-edge film programming practices – including the role of BIPOC curators and the relevance of their curatorial work based on ethical values, equity and justice; a presentation of various DEI initiatives from the Baltic states, and examining the decolonisation of the film industry in the post-Soviet region.

In addition, the EFM Industry Sessions will address acute issues facing the industry in think tanks and various workshop formats: from dealing with the current shortage of skilled workers to changing audience behaviour, the film markets of tomorrow, virtual production or sustainable leadership.

In order to find a counterbalance to the busy market days, the “Room of Stillness” at the Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation will provide all market visitors with a mobile phone-free and work-free environment. The EFM is thus continuing to address the topic of mental health, which was first introduced in 2020. For the first time, a guided meditation series called “Monday for Mindfulness” is also being offered this year.

In addition, “Industry Insights – The EFM podcast” will delve into and amplify selected topics. The podcast episodes are available throughout the year on the EFM website and on the most popular podcast platforms. The ten-minute EFM Morning Briefs provide daily updates on the latest festival and market news and previews of the day ahead. The “Equity & Inclusion Pathways Seminar”, the EFM podcast and EFM Startups are co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.

All conference formats of the EFM Industry Sessions can be viewed by Market Badge holders via VOD, following the events. Key outcomes of the EFM Industry Sessions will be published in condensed form after the event. Information on the individual EFM Industry Sessions and associated events is shortly available in the EFM Event Schedule.

EFM Industry Sessions 2023 – “Shift Happens”

At Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation – Event Hall

SustainABILITY: Driving Multi-Perspective Solutions to Contemporary Challenges
Friday, February 17, 2.45-4.00 pm

Your European Audience at a Glance
Friday, February 17, 4.30-5.30 pm

Producers Embracing New Horizons
Saturday, February 18, 2.00-2.50 pm

Curating the Future: Towards Programming Equity
Saturday, February 18, 3.15-4.30 pm

Are Documentary Filmmakers (inherently, obviously, automatically) Good People?
Saturday, February 18, 5.00-6.00 pm

Shifting Business Models with an A
Sunday, February 19, 11.30 am -1.00 pm

How the Rise of Animation is Driving Change
Sunday, February 19, 2.00-3.00 pm

EFM Startups: Insight and Tools to Re-Build the Industry
Sunday, February 19, 3.30-4.30 pm

Surfing the Waves: Audience Building in a New Period of Changes
Sunday, February 19, 5.00-6.15 pm

Adapting To the Market (Berlinale Series Market)
Monday, February 20, 9.30 -11.00 am

Entrepreneurial Showrunners: The Future of Creative (Berlinale Series Market)
Monday, February 20, 2.00-2.45 pm

A New Reality: Decolonising the Post-Soviet Screen
Monday, February 20, 3.15-4.30 pm

The X Factor: How to Create Buzz around Your New Film
Monday, February 20, 5.00-6.00 pm

Big Success from a Small Market: Kvodo - A Case Study
Tuesday, February 21, 9.30-10.00 am

Plurality in Non-fiction: What’s at Stake in the Age of Mainstream
Tuesday, February 21, 11:00 am – 12 noon

CRESCINE – Promoting the Competitiveness of the Film Industry in Small European Countries
Tuesday, February 21, 12.30 am-1.15 pm

Quo Vadis Docu-Series? (Berlinale Series Market)
Tuesday, February 21, 3.30-4.15 pm

Inside the White Lotus with David Bernad (Berlinale Series Market)
Wednesday, February 22, 9.00-9.45 am

And…

Monday for Mindfulness
Three Guided Meditations, February 20, 12 noon, 2.00 pm, 3.00 pm at Room of Stillness

Archive Market – Talks

New Impulses for Archival Research in Germany
Tuesday, February 21, 2.00-2.45 pm

The Ins and Outs of Successful Archive Producing for Fiction Series
Tuesday, February 21, 2.45-3.30 pm.

Press Office
February 7, 2023