OCT 6, 2023
HAMBURG

Rise or fall? How are new digital tools affecting the film industry? How are film production and storytelling changing in times of radical technological change? The Explorer Konferenz focusses on all things producing for cinema, streaming and TV. This half-day dynamic exchange format for professionals highlights new trends and analyzes challenges and opportunities created by the current disruption in the film industry. International and German speakers give insight into their strategies, share future-oriented knowledge and debate critical aspects of their work with the audience. The Explorer Konferenz addresses producers, film makers, financiers and policy makers.

Explorer Impuls (online Spin off)

Highlight sweden

In the course of the further internationalization and European networking of the Explorer Conference, with Highlight Sweden, a guest country is the focus of the program for the first time. Speakers from Sweden will travel to Hamburg with case studies, trend analyzes and contributions to debates, and a delegation of Swedish conference participants is also expected. Partner of this format and national multiplier is the Swedish Film Institute.

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Moments 2023

Photos: Maximilian Probst

PROGRAM 2023

Programm as PDF

10:00 – 11:00

CHECK-IN & NETWORKING

11:00

Stage 1

Opening of THE Explorer Konferenz: Futures of Media Consumption

Erwin M. Schmidt
Moderator & Co-Curator | Produzentenverband

Helge Albers
CEO | MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein

Albert Wiederspiel
Festival Director | Filmfest Hamburg

Saralisa Volm
Head of Conference | Poison

Fabian Massah
Moderator & Co-Curator | Endorphine Production

Looking into the futures – How and for whom do we want to shape our tomorrow?

Elena Artiles Leyes
Futurist and Co-founder | Futures Probes

Details

Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring, but we all have ideas about what should and shouldn’t be part of a future worth living in. Knowing how to navigate the plurality of futures can help us to prepare for and, more importantly, to shape what lies ahead – without leaving anyone behind.

Streaming is over - Long live linear TV?

Justus Riesenkampff
Executive Chairman | Beta Nordic Studios, Beta Film

Details

The death of linear TV has been predicted for over a decade. But this year seems to be all about the downfall of streaming - with streamers cancelling commissions, the number of green lights shrinking considerably and development periods stretching out, their role in the industry is being put to the test. This keynote will shed light on current developments in the streaming and TV market and explore how the streaming business model is shifting from total buy-outs to co-productions.

Nostradamus Report 2023: Everything Changing All At Once

Johanna Koljonen
Media Analyst and Author | The Nostradamus Report

Details

The annual Nostradamus Report monitors, analyses and predicts the near future of the faster-than-ever evolving audiovisual industries. In this tenth edition (and her talk) Johanna Koljonen of The Nostradamus Report (Gothenburg) explores how new production technologies powered by AI accelerate the restructuring of the traditional film and television industries. With market contraction, inflation, and recession affecting the industry, new business and financing models for production and distribution will be explored and adopted at a rapid pace.

EXploring Diversity:

I. The Benefits of a diverse Team

Dr. Ricarda Schauerte
Co-Founder and Head of Stakeholder Management | Matter of Facts.

Details

Research shows that diversity in the workforce allows teams to be more innovative, resilient, and perform better financially. Yet, many companies fail to leverage the potential of a diverse team. Does this also apply to the film industry? In her talk, Dr. Ricarda Schauerte of Matter of Facts (Münster) explores the impact of diversity behind and in front of the camera. She illustrates why having a diverse workforce is a prerequisite for creating authentic and novel stories that engage underrepresented audiences, how diverse casts perform at the box office and what obstacles teams that are diverse need to overcome.

II. NewMotion: Breaking Barriers & Promoting Diversity

Roshanak “Rosh“ Khodabakhsh
Producer | Port au Prince Film & Kultur Produktion

Jorgo Narjes
Producer | X-Filme Creative Pool

Details

NewMotion aims to promote diversity in the German film and television landscape with a special focus on behind-the-scenes jobs. The recently launched program will offer a variety of services, including a program that allows participants from underrepresented and underengaged communities to shadow a film professional for a few days. The two founders, producers Roshanak “Rosh” Khodabakhsh of Port au Prince (Berlin) and Jorgo Narjes of X Filme (Berlin), will explore how this shadowing approach can lead to a more diverse and inclusive film and television industry in the long term.

III. OMNI: Inclusion and Diversity Insights

Inga Becker
Coordinator Diversity & Inclusion | MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein

Details

There has been no data available to map the diversity (or lack thereof) of the people involved in the German film and television industry - until now. Inga Becker of MOIN Filmförderung (Hamburg), will explore how OMNI, an initiative on inclusion data, launched by MOIN in collaboration with the Australian platform The Everyone Project, gathers, processes and publishes crowd-sourced data, and analyses the relevance and impact of detailed diversity and inclusion insights.

13:10 – 14:10

Communal Lunch / Networking

The lunch is included in the ticket fee.

14:10

Stage 1

Bubbleversum - Deep Diving into Filter Bubbles

Robert Andersen
Managing Creative Director | Jung von Matt CREATORS

Details

With the rise of social media platforms, marketers ditched the fascination with the average consumer and instead focused on the individual. The Hamburg based Bubbleversum, developed by Jung von Matt, one of Germany’s top advertising agencies, is an immersive installation that allows creative story developers and marketers to deep dive into the personal digital filter bubbles of individuals. Robert Andersen of Jung von Matt (Hamburg) will explore the transition (in advertisement) from the audience to multiple audiences and from mass to micro-segmentation. He will illustrate how the Bubbleversum visualises the potential digital reality of specific individuals, using real-time data and cutting edge technology in a physical space. He will also reflect on how this tool could be used in the development and marketing of films.

Getting a Deeper Connection to a Broader Audience

Koen van Bockstal
CEO | Flanders Audiovisual Fund

Ivy Vanhaecke
Managing Executive Producer | De Mensen

This session is brought to you by Creative Europe Desks Germany

Details

In most cases, decisions to develop and greenlight film and TV projects are based on past experience, assumptions and gut feelings. Using hard data in decision making is still looked at with suspicion by creatives and producers. Producer Ivy Vanhaecke of De Mensen (Brussels) and financier Koen Van Bockstal of the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (Brussels) will share their experience working with Publikum (Copenhagen). Their audience research techniques make data more usable for creative processes in the film industry, by combining AI-analysis and anthropological insights in the early stages of script development. In their talk, Ivy and Koen will explore how film funds can incentivize the use of these technologies as support for decision-making, and how production companies can benefit from such support and tools.

14:10

Stage 2

Audience-Driven Development and Production

Paolo Vacirca
Head of Development | Scandinavian Content Group

Details

There is often a gap between the aims of public funding and the wants and needs of the audience. In his talk, Swedish producer Paolo Vacirca of the Scandinavian Content Group (Stockholm) will share his audience-driven approach to development and production. He will explore how his company built a pipeline to finance successful (genre) projects for the big screen through private equity, without the restraints of public funding. He will show why market research and strategic marketing play key roles in truly understanding and reaching the audience and how he accelerates the next generation of storytellers.

Documentary (and Drawing) Power driving Social Change

Hanne Phlypo
Producer of documentary | Clin d'oeil films

This session is brought to you by
EAVE

Details

Draw for Change! is a six-part documentary series about female cartoonists in Mexico, USA, Russia, India, Syria, and Egypt. The series blends documentary and animation in exploration of themes such as female representation, femicide, censorship, and democracy. Producer Hanne Phlypo of Clin d’Oeil Films (Brussels) will explore how documentary film can drive social change and share her experience on packaging, financing, producing and releasing this project. Draw for Change! is produced in collaboration with European broadcasters and is being released as a TV-series, one-offs, a VR experience, an exhibition and a book.

15:10 – 15:40

coffee Break / Networking

15:40

Stage 1

Unleashing the power of the podcast

Maria Lorenz-Bokelberg
Founder & CEO | POOL ARTISTS

Nilz Bokelberg
Author & Moderator

Details

The podcast boom continues, with ever-growing audiences tuning in. The medium has long reached creative maturity and has become a source of inspiration and a playing field for audiovisual storytellers. In her talk, podcast veteran Maria Lorenz-Bokelberg of Pool Artists (Berlin) will dive into the intersections between podcasts and audiovisual media. She will explore how podcasts can function as an additional format for existing films and series to reach audiences. Together with author Nilz Bokelberg she will also explore how podcasts can be used to test stories intended for the screen.

A producer's attitude in times of crisis

Fabian Gasmia
Producer, CEO | Zentropa Berlin / Seven Elephants

Details

The Bastard (The Promised Land), directed by Nikolaj Arcel, starring Mads Mikkelsen, produced by Zentropa, in co-production with Zentropa Berlin and Zentropa Sweden, with sales handled by TrustNordisk, just world premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival. The film tells the true story of an impoverished captain, Ludvig Kahlen, who set out to conquer the harsh, uninhabitable Danish heath with a seemingly impossible goal: to build a colony in the name of the King. The film was financed before the war in Ukraine transformed the world and the film industry was turned upside down by the streamer boom, Covid-19, the energy crisis, inflation and a shortage of team and crew members. Due to these reasons the film was 25% over budget when shooting started and strong action was necessary by the producers to prevent the project jeopardizing their companies. The film was pre-sold to more than 50 territories. Producer Fabian Gasmia of Zentropa Berlin / Seven Elephants will explore the ups and downs of a production caught in earth-shattering changes, the mind-set necessary to stay on top of things in an epic production and the relevance of trust among co-producers.

15:40

Stage 2

AI in Visual Creation

Timor Kardum
Co-Founder, Managing Director and Chief Creative Technologist | MAGIG

Details

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) can produce high quality text, images, sound, software...The breakthroughs in the field since last November (when GPT-3 was released) have the potential to drastically change content creation. In his talk, creative technologist Timor Kardum of MAGIG (Hamburg, Berlin) will share his insights in the latest technological developments in this field. Using some of the newest tools, he will demonstrate how Generative AI can be used in the development and production of films and series.

From Podcast to Screen: ZEIT Verbrechen Anthology

Jorgo Narjes
Producer | X-Filme Creative Pool GmbH

Details

The podcast ZEIT Verbrechen features real criminal cases from Germany and takes a look at the people and motives behind the crimes. Since its release in 2018, it has been one of the most listened to podcasts in the German-speaking territory. Producer Jorgo Narjes of X Filme (Berlin) will share his experience producing a four-part anthology series for Paramount+ inspired by four of the podcast episodes, directed by four of Germany’s most exciting and distinguished filmmakers: Jan Bonny, Helene Hegemann, Mariko Minoguchi and Faraz Shariat.

16:40 – 17:10

coffee Break / Networking

17:10

Stage 1

FilmChain - Reporting Software for Producers

Maria Tânjală
Co-Founder | FilmChain

Details

In light of the amended German Copyright Act (Urheberrechtsgesetz) from 2021 and the obligation for producers to pro-actively report to copyright holders coming into effect earlier this year, media-tech company FilmChain has partnered with Produzentenverband to create a tailored reporting platform. Maria Tanjala of FilmChain (London) will present this easy-to-use reporting tool which reduces the administrative burden of film and TV producers, allows producers to report on audience and revenue data to copyright holders, and ultimately increases transparency along the value chain.

New Work: 4-day-Week

Laura Bull
Producer | readymade films

Alica Gruia
Producer, director, writer, actor | Darling Point

Kilian Grauel
Line Producer

Details

The 4-day work week movement has grown considerably in recent years, with increasing numbers of companies and organisations worldwide experimenting with or adapting this model. Research indicates that it leads to lower stress-levels and increased productivity. Is this also the case for the film industry? Producer Laura Bull of readymade films (Berlin), actress, director and producer Alice Gruia (Cologne) and line producer Kilian Grauel (Berlin) will share their experience producing with a 4-day week and explore how this model might apply to producing series and feature films on a larger scale.

Social Impact Entertainment and impact-driven decision making

Mariana Oliva
Co-CEO and Partner | Maria Farinha Films

Luana Lobo
Co-CEO and Partner | Maria Farinha Films

This session is brought to you by EAVE

Details

Stories have the power to change the world. But it is not only about the stories themselves, it is also about how works – films and series in particular – are having an impact based on the ways they are produced and marketed. Luana Lobo and Mariana Oliva from Maria Farinha Filmes (Sao Paulo) will dive into the particular business model and collective intelligence of their production company, that is fully dedicated to social impact entertainment, diversity and sustainability, and explore how they have implemented work principles based on these values, with an innovative form of leadership, and a focus on audience development.

19:00