BeRliNAle TAleNTS:
fostering film careers interview by Zsuzsanna Deák 300 young talents from 79 countries will gather in Berlin during the film festival this February, bringing their projects with them to develop and discuss. among them are directors, actors, producers, journalists, editors - what they have in common is that they are all passionate about film and eager to learn, improve, network and collaborate. The hub where they do all this is Berlinale Talents. Project manager Christine Tröstrum and programme manager Matthijs Wouter Knol talked to us about its 2014 edition.
is year has seen quite a few changes at Berlinale Talents. e name has changed too: why did you decide to drop the word “campus”? Does this mean that an era has come to an end? Matthijs Wouter Knol: When the Campus began in 2003, it was a unique initiative, a meeting point for up-and-coming filmmakers, and it developed consistently in the following years. e Studios and Project Labs grew organically from the primarily lecturelike structure as we responded to the changing needs of the filmmakers. Our programme became more professional without the name reflecting that change. e term "campus" is usually associated with students, but our programme doesn't represent anything decidedly academic or classroom-oriented anymore. Instead it is increasingly concentrated on the practical needs of ambitious professionals. e core of our Berlinale initiative is that we invite 300 promising filmmakers from around the world to Berlin to discuss and develop their projects and ideas. e Talents of the Berlinale meet here, so why not call the whole thing exactly that: Berlinale Talents!
Christine Tröstrum: What clearly sets us apart from the programme sections of the Berlinale is that instead of selecting single films, we select filmographies, people who have realised promising projects and who are at a point in their career where we think they will profit from participation. We want to encourage them to meet each other, to collaborate on projects, to network among themselves and with other Berlinale guests. We foster film careers, if you like, and the new name, Berlinale Talents, is meant to make that more clear than was previously the case. Could you tell me a little more of the other changes? CT: Together with the European Film Market, we started a new initiative under the title “Berlinale Talents Market Hub”. The hub is powered by Canon and will enable the coming generation to present itself with a booth at the film market. Primarily selected Talents from the area of distribution will be there, but the Project Labs participants and their projects will also have a platform. WOSH by Daazo.com 29