Thinking Inclusion Policy—Funding and the Industry Shift
Presented by MEDICI Training – The Film Funding Journey proposed by FOCAL
TIME
Wednesday, August 17th, 2022.
14:30 – 15:30 (CET)
The past decade witnessed the rise of the various iterations of the 50/50 by 2020 movements which have intersectionally coincided with calls for greater ethnic participation in these movements and the industry at large. During the last couple of years the film industry has questioned its position, responsibility and actions in a paradigm that remains the status quo. In the context of the proliferation of statements, industry debates, and some concrete actions, this panel will explore the most elaborate national policy on inclusion in some of the selected countries. Speakers will offer funders’ view of diversity and inclusion measures proposed on national/regional levels: highlighting selected mechanisms which prove to be effective and addressing challenges yet to be overcome.
Speakers
- Kristina Börjeson - Head of Production, Film i Väst / SE
- Neil Peplow - Director of Industry and International, British Film Institute / UK
- Nataša Bučar - Managing Director, Slovenia Film Centre / SLO
- Caterina Bolognese - Head of Gender Equality, Council of Europe / IT/AU/USA
- Fatih Abay - Diversity & Inclusion Officer, European Film Academy / DE
Moderated by
- Tamara Tatishvili - MEDICI – The Film Funding Journey, Focal / CH
NEIL PEPLOW
NEIL PEPLOW has been helping major international organisations balance social and commercial sustainability for over 30 years. As Director of International and Industry Affairs at the BFI, he’s led growth and investment in the sector, increasing global awareness and distribution of UK content and talent. As CEO of Australia’s national film school, he established the Screen Diversity and Inclusion Network, helping investors, broadcasters and industry bodies realise the value of cultivating diversity. Bringing together his experience in commercial strategy, funding, public policy, innovation and education, Neil led the UK Skills Review commissioned by the UK Government in 2022. Neil’s passions are developing talent, education and generally making the world an easier place for everyone to navigate.
KRISTINA BÖRJESON
KRISTINA BÖRJESON has been working in the film industry since 1991, when she started off her career at the Göteborg Film Festival. She then spent ten years at the art house distribution company Triangelfilm and joined the Swedish Film Institute in 2011, where she worked for eight years in different positions: commissioner of marketing, head of distribution and screening and finally, head of film funding. She also spent one year at the national broadcaster TV4/CMore as head of production within the drama department and was the Swedish Eurimages representative for four years. As of January 2021, Kristina has taken up the position of head of production at Film i Väst.
FATIH ABAY
FATIH ABAY was born and raised in Berlin to Turkish parents and after graduating from school he finished his studies in BA European Studies at University Maastricht and his MA in Political Science at the Central European University. He then returned to Berlin and started his PhD in Cultural Anthropology at European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) with a focus on migration, diversity, racism, gender, critical theory and post-colonial studies. Fatih taught on these topics various courses at several universities in and around Berlin, Germany. Since 2021, Fatih is also working as a researcher and advocacy officer for a civil society organisation based in Berlin, fighting against racism and Islamophobia. He joined the European Film Academy in 2022 as Diversity and Inclusion Officer and he is happy to combine his private passion for European film with his professional passion for diversity and inclusion.
NATAŠA BUČAR
NATAŠA BUČAR is a Managing Director of Slovenian Film Center since 2016. For many years she has been managing LIFFe, the largest International Film Festival in Slovenia. At the same time, she was running distribution activities inside Cankarjev dom, the oldest independent arthouse in Slovenia. She obtained a license for Young Film Theater Managers from CICAE in 2008. She gained management experiences as the Director of the Festival of Slovenian Films, as Assistant Director of the Slovenian Film Fund and as the General Director of the Media Directorate at the Slovenian Ministry of Culture in the year 2014. In 2016 she was advising as cinema Marketing Expert in the arthouse cinema Kinodvor in Ljubljana and at the end of the same year she was appointed as the Managing Director of Slovenian Film Center, the only national institution for film financing.
TAMARA TATISHVILI
In her work strategy, TAMARA TATISHVILI combines a solid experience of international film funding and promotion strategies with a strong passion for talent curation and programming. She acted for several years as director of the Georgian National Film Center, instigating full reform of the institution that saw the emergence of a new wave of talented filmmakers. Prior to her appointment at GNFC, Tamara co-founded and was executive director of the Independent Filmmakers’ Association - South Caucasus. She managed three offices of the association, leading local teams and ensuring joint activities. She worked for the international training initiative School of Film Advancement and curated high-level conference CINEMA BACKSTAGE for Odessa International Film Festival. Since February 2020, Tamara heads MEDICI – The Film Funding Journey – annual exchange destination designed exclusively for public film financiers. She additionally consults festivals as a programmer and networks as a strategy manager.
CATERINA BOLOGNESE
CATERINA BOLOGNESE was educated in Italy, Australia and Germany, specialising in languages and law, including feminist legal theory. After working in comparative criminal law research in Germany, she joined the Council of Europe, where she has worked on constitutional and criminal law issues and monitored trafficking for sexual exploitation. She worked for many years with the Organisation’s anti-torture monitoring, where she focused on various topics including push-backs in the high sea and women in prison. From 2011 to 2015 she directed the Office in Georgia. Since 2018 Caterina manages the Council of Europe’s team working on gender equality. She supports the Gender Equality Commission, the pan-European intergovernmental forum on gender equality policies, which has developed many instruments on gender equality, including the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy and, most recently, recommendations on preventing and combating sexism, and on protecting the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls.