hand in hand for diversity

FILMFEST MÜNCHEN, together with the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing, is organizing a conference on "Representation in Film".

From March 25 to 27, the German film industry will meet at Lake Starnberg under the title "Seeing and being seen: Representation in Film" to address the topic of diversity. This is the first time ever that FILMFEST MÜNCHEN is organizing a WEEKEND conference together with the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing. From the latest findings of the MaLisa Foundation, to concrete suggestions and wishes of filmmakers and financial decision-makers, to an international perspective by the British Film Institute, the diverse conference program includes a wide variety of perspectives and aims to provide a platform for post-migrant voices in particular. The goal of the conference is an open dialogue that will form the basis for concrete action to jointly shape the future of the German film landscape. Registration for the conference is now open and can be done directly through the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing.

This satellite event to the annual FILMFEST MUNICH will shed light on a heated discourse in the film industry: Who can shape it and be represented in it? And how can this intensified atmosphere of debate be turned into productive togetherness?

The term diversity encompasses a range of forms of discrimination that affect marginalized groups in our society. Age, gender, sexual orientation, mental and physical abilities, national origin, skin color as well as social background are basic criteria.

For several years, numerous initiatives have been campaigning for more equal rights and more diverse representation in the German film and media landscape, such as Pro Quote Film, Queer Media Society, the MaLisa Foundation and also the Alliance Diversity in Film. The conference aims to use the findings and insights of recent years as a basis for taking action with different representatives of the industry.

Specifically, the conference will focus on post-migrant perspectives and analyze how they will be included in the German film and TV landscape in 2022. What has happened in recent years and what must continue to happen now and in the future?

"We want to create space for dialogue and discussion within and with the German film industry to discuss and jointly shape the future of all of us. We don't need more words, but concrete next steps. The Evangelische Akademie is the perfect place for this broad-minded, open dialogue," say the organizers from FILMFEST MÜNCHEN, Christoph Gröner, Artistic Director, and Julia Weigl, Film Curator.

To kick off the conference, the MaLisa Foundation will present the latest findings from its study on the diversity of German cinema commissioned by the University of Rostock, which will serve as the basis for the discussions that follow. Panel discussions, interviews, keynote speeches and film screenings will provide insight into the different standpoints in the field of post-migrant representation in German film and television. In four workshops, these perspectives will be analyzed in depth and solutions will be developed jointly. The conference will bring together a large number of representatives of the German film industry. In addition, the participation of selected authors and activists will make it possible to include the social background in our country in the discussion.

The weekend conference is being held in cooperation with the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing and is sponsored by the FFF Bayern.

All information on how to register for the conference as an industry representative or filmmaker can be found here.