Team

What would the festival be without the team behind it, which is fully committed to ensuring that the best new student films are screened in Munich every November? During the summer, while we’re busily organizing FILMFEST MÜNCHEN, our main festival for the general public, important initial preparations for FILMSCHOOLFEST MUNICH are already underway. In early September, when the selection committee has met and decided which of the hundreds of films submitted will be in the program, the team really gets going.

Festival director Diana Iljine and our commercial manager Thorsten Grieser coordinate all aspects of planning.

Program Management is responsible for ensuring that the films are also shown in theaters and that our international film guests find their way to Munich: Sandra Knösel, Sandra Engler and Stefanie Dietz are in constant exchange with the film schools and their students who present their films with us.

The most important thing, of course, is the guests and their films. But a festival also includes the cinema, the festival center, the award ceremonies, excellent food and drink, and of course - the parties. The Event Management team, consisting of Jessica Weishaupt and Dario Albrecht, together with our technical manager Florian Schneeweiß, organizes the running of the events as well as the set-up and dismantling and the design of the festival locations.

To ensure that everything runs smoothly in the background, Andrea Rudert organizes and curates a multitude of processes around the festival, which also includes a varied supporting program. As in 2021, all events will take place at the HFF Munich. This requires good and close cooperation. As head of the International Office at the HFF, Elena Diesbach is working with us and the HFF Convention to design the supporting program, consisting of workshops, master classes, lectures and encounter formats for students. This year, for the first time, students of the LMU Munich in the master's program Film and Media Culture Research are also guests of the festival - an exchange between theory and practice is the goal of this cooperation.

Organizing a festival also means making an investment. Markus Höroldt, Julia Blechl, and Marina Bungert take care of the accounting and payroll so that our partners, service providers, and employees get their money on time. For matters of internal administration or staffing, Daniela Schink and Carolyn Schiroky are on hand. They also recruit additional team members who are needed during the festival. Marlene Henninger along with Stephanie Zeller, is in contact with our benefactors and award sponsors, without whose generosity we would not be able to award so many prizes each year.

Communication is vital. Under the direction of Evelyn Voigt-Müller, the communications department ensures that all of Munich and the whole world hear about what’s on offer at the festival. In the editorial department, Fabio Kühnemuth, Tobi Obermeier, Mike Pilewski, and Barbara Oswald write the texts for the magazine and the website. As webmaster, Barbara maintains the website. As press officer, Annika Eidam is in regular contact with our partners in the media and handles all incoming press inquiries. And because social media makes the world go round, Fabio Kühnemuth is given a hand by Cansu Demirezer and Philipp Weinbrecht, who supply our channels with all kinds of information before and during the festival. Furthermore, Sara Förtsch helps out in the communication department as our new intern.

FILMSCHOOLFEST MUNICH is first and foremost a festival for the general public, aimed at all moviegoers and film enthusiasts. Nicole Schumacher and Mara Meckelburg organize all of the processes necessary for our guests to be able to get their tickets to the screenings as well as their festival accreditation. As Audience Development Manager, Leo Alexander Müller not only inspires new target groups for the festival, but also provides everyone with important information about the Filmschoolfest via newsletter.

During the festival we’ll be able to count on the help of further team members. Christina Wolf and Malte Borgmann will be our hosts on stage. Ronny Heine and his camera will be everywhere that photos are to be taken. Sara Le will give us a hand at the ticket office. Marc Steck will capture moving images and edit them into festival clips. Robert Hölzel is our projectionist and makes sure, among other things, that all the images shine bright and sharp on the screen and that the sound is rich.

And if you’re wondering who designed the cool posters and the magazine, that’s our design agency, Abc&D, where this year Lukas Schimpfhauser in particular worked his magic with a computer mouse.