Speakers & Juries

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Cinematic Focus Speakers Screen Focus Speakers Czech Film Industry Forum Speakers Casting Day Speakers Workshop Stage Speakers Moderators Eurimages Co-production Development Award Jury KVIFF & MIDPOINT Development Award Jury MIDPOINT Feature Launch Script Consultant Trainees

Ben Jackson

Ben Jackson has built his producing career working alongside Jude Law. He has successfully translated his decades of on-set and behind the scenes experience into a unique and advanced skillset for shepherding projects forward. As a collaborative producer with Jude Law in many of his starring projects, Ben Jackson has built significant hands-on experience developing and executing film and TV. Jackson is a co-founder of Riff Raff Entertainment, handling the day-to-day creative work and overseeing all projects from development through to production and on.

Greg Shapiro

Greg Shapiro (b. 1972) is an American film producer whose work spans both independent and mainstream cinema. He is best known as one of the producers of The Hurt Locker (2008), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and earned six Oscars in total. Throughout his career, Shapiro has been associated with a range of acclaimed films, including the Harold & Kumar franchise, The Rules of Attraction (2002), The Silence Before the Storm (2019), Voyagers (2021), Metal Lords (2022), and A House of Dynamite (2025).

Known for championing director-driven projects and compelling narrative storytelling, he has produced and developed more than twenty films, establishing himself as a significant figure in contemporary American film production.

Katie Sinclair

Katie Sinclair is a BAFTA and BIFA-longlisted producer with experience spanning film and television, and Head of Film and TV at Riff Raff Entertainment. In addition to her work at Riff Raff, she co-produces Canned Laughter, a charity comedy initiative that has raised over £100,000 for London food banks.

She is an alum of BAFTA Connect and the prestigious Inside Pictures leadership program, sharpening her expertise in the global film and television business. Prior to Riff Raff, Katie was development executive at Blueprint pictures, where here credits include the multi-BAFTA winning The Banshees of Inisherin (dir. Martin McDonagh) - nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture, All Of Us Strangers (dir. Andrew Haigh), Emma (dir. Autumn de Wilde) and Lady Chatterley's Lover (dir. Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre) amongst many others.

Katie has previously worked in production and development across film and TV for BBC Film, BBC Studios, Sugar Films, Disney and Lionsgate. Katie also volunteers and mentors regularly with organisations such as Creative Access and Arts Emergency - helping unheard voices find their place in the film industry.

Marc Mounier

Marc Mounier is a manager and producer at Entertainment 360, one of Hollywood’s leading management and production companies. He represents writers and directors with a focus on film and TV. His clients have won Oscars, Golden Globes, and WGA Awards for the films and TV shows they’ve created or worked on.

On the producing side, Marc produced the Oscar-nominated short Please Hold, and associate produced the feature Ponyboi, which premiered at Sundance in the US Dramatic Competition. He is also a Co-Executive Producer on Stuffed, an upcoming film.

Born and raised in Switzerland, Marc brings over 15 years of experience in both the US and European entertainment industry. He is passionate about international cinema, genre films, comedies, and stories that move audiences around the world. He has served on festival juries at Sitges, Palm Springs ShortFest, and Austin Film Festival, and was a guest speaker at several film festivals, including the Zurich Film Festival. He resides in Los Angeles.

Tereza Polachová

Tereza has extensive experience in the field of television development and production. Before her engagement at Czech Television, she worked as a producer and a Head of Development and Production at HBO Europe from 2010 to 2022.

At Czech Television, she is responsible for the selection and development of new drama content. In her role, she is also responsible for international coproductions.

Her experience from HBO Europe and previous positions is a valuable asset, allowing her to combine creative leadership with hands-on management.

Tereza plays a key role in shaping the content strategy of Czech Television, and her work has a significant impact on the quality and diversity of television production.

Tereza holds Master's degrees from the Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) and the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University in Prague. She isalso a proud member of the European Film Academy (EFA) and the Czech Film and Television Academy (CFTA).

Mollye Asher

Mollye Asher is an Oscar-winning producer based in New York City, best known for the Searchlight film Nomadland, which earned three Academy Awards including Best Picture. The film was her third collaboration with director Chloé Zhao. Her credits include Catch the Fair One (Tribeca Audience Award, IFC Films), Swallow (Gotham nominee), The Rider (Cannes winner, Sony Pictures Classics), Fort Tilden (SXSW Grand Jury Prize), She’s Lost Control (Spirit Award nominee), and Zhao’s debut Songs My Brothers Taught Me. Recently, she executive produced Andrea Arnold’s Bird and produced On Swift Horses. She won the 2020 Spirit Producers Award and is an NYU film alumna.

Juan de Dios Larraín

Juan de Dios Larraín is co-founder of Pijama, a streaming platform for independent and undistributed films that gives audiences worldwide access to films that haven't found distribution. Born in Santiago, Chile, he is a lawyer, MBA, and founding partner of Fabula alongside his brother Pablo Larraín, an independent production company producing bold feature films, documentaries, and TV series across Chile, Mexico, Spain and the US.

A leading producer in Spanish-speaking cinema, he has produced over 46 films and 13 TV series, including Oscar-nominated No (2012), Oscar-winner A Fantastic Woman (2017), Goya-winner The Eternal Memory (2023), and Oscar-nominated Maria (2024), plus TV credits like HBO's Prófugos and 42 Days of Darkness, and Apple TV's Midnight Family.

Steffen Kottkamp

Steffen Kottkamp is a media executive, curator and producer working across film, music and culture. He has held senior roles at KiKA, Nickelodeon and Paramount, where he was editorially and productionally responsible for numerous major local series. His work focuses on formats and platforms that create visibility, access and meaningful encounters, from public space to digital distribution. His current work focuses on new access models for independent film, cultural projects and reaching new audiences, complemented by talks, workshops and strategic advisory.

Michael Frenschkowski

Michael is an award-winning producer with over 30 years of experience in international film and documentary production. He co-founded MUT Productions in Berlin and just recently Vienna based Atomic Walrus Media/Michael Frenschkowski EU. He held senior producing roles at Terra Mater Studios (Vienna & Munich), overseeing large-scale factual and scripted projects. His credits include acclaimed fiction titles such as Suspiria, Modigliani, and Joyeux Noël, as well as the Oscar-shortlisted The Ivory Game and Sea of Shadows (Sundance Audience Award), both executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. Michael is a co-initiator and Honorary Member of the International Screen Institute in Vienna and acts as mentor, consultant and speaker for various institutions and funding bodies.

Simone Baumann

Simone Baumann is a German producer, expert in international co-productions and Managing Director of German Films. She has extensive experience working with Eastern Europe and has been actively involved in supporting Ukrainian cinema both before and after the full-scale invasion. She is also a board member of the European Solidarity Fund for Ukrainian Films.

Ivanna Khitsinska

Ivanna Khitsinska is a Ukrainian producer. She is the founder of WAYA Production and has worked with Babylon’13 since 2022. Her projects include documentaries, fiction and immersive works presented at international festivals and markets. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, she has also been actively involved in international promotion, fundraising and advocacy for Ukrainian cinema.

Uldis Cekulis

Uldis Cekulis is a Latvian producer and founder of VFS Films. He has worked on numerous creative documentaries and international co-productions, with films presented and awarded at major international festivals. He has long-standing experience in co-producing with Ukraine and low capacity countries.

Hana Blaha Šilarová

Hana Blaha Šilarová is a Czech producer working across documentary, animation and XR projects. Her recent projects include Queens of Joy, Medical Field Guide, Darkening and The Investigator. She is an alumna of the Emerging Producers programme and has experience in international co-productions with Ukraine.

Katarína Krnáčová

Katarína Krnáčová is a Slovak producer and founder of Silverart, EAVE graduate and President of the Slovak Film and Television Academy. She is a voting member of the European Film Academy and has produced award-winning films, including Little Harbour, which received the Crystal Bear at Berlinale.

Mathias Noschis

Mathias Noschis is a film marketing strategist specialised in social media. He is the founder of Alphapanda, a film marketing agency with team members in Berlin, Warsaw and Milan. Alphapanda’s client list includes The Match Factory, Bankside Pictures, Warner Bros, the European Film Market and several independent producers, distributors and sales agents. Alphapanda’s recent projects include Yellow Letters (Berlinale ’26 Golden Bear), Father Mother Sister Brother (Venice ’25 Golden Lion), Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Sundance ’23) and The Quiet Girl (Berlinale ’21). Mathias is also a speaker and tutor for organisations such as ACE Producers, EAVE and Locarno Industry Academy