Speakers & Juries

Barbora Struss

Barbora Struss is the co-founder and CEO of MIDPOINT Institute – an international training and networking platform for film and series professionals, supporting content development and creative collaboration across Europe. In June 2025, she was appointed to the board of the Czech Audiovisual Fund for the support of television works. Prior to founding MIDPOINT, she worked across the European audiovisual sector, including film sales, international PR, as head of the Creative Europe MEDIA Desk Czech Republic, and in various international training initiatives.

Speaking at: International Industry Insights, Monday July 7, 10:30 – 13:30

Nicolás Celis

Mexican producer, a key figure of Latin America’s film industry. He was involved as a producer in the Oscar-winning Roma (Alfonso Cuarón) and he has produced works by renowned Mexican filmmakers Tatiana Huezo, Amat Escalante and Alfonso Cuarón. He has also worked on international co-productions for directors such as Jacques Audiard and Diego Lerman. He is a member of the Mexican and American Academies of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Producers Guild of America. 

Juergen Boos

Juergen Boos apprenticed as a publisher at Herder Verlag (Freiburg) in the early 1980s and obtained degrees in marketing and organisation theory. He has held management positions at Droemer Knaur Verlag (Munich), Carl Hanser Verlag (Munich), as well as Springer Science and Business Media (now Springer Science) and John Wiley & Sons (Weinheim). In 2005 he became director of Frankfurter Buchmesse GmbH (Frankfurt Book Fair) and is president of LITPROM (Society for the Promotion of African, Asian and Latin American Literature) and executive director of LitCam (Literacy Campaign of Frankfurt Buchmesse).
On 20 November 2013 he was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art. In January 2017, Juergen Boos received an honorary degree from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. In February 2018, he was awarded the cultural decoration "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Embassy in Berlin. He is also a member of the scientific committee of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award and a member of the Akademie Deutscher Buchpreis (Academy of German Book Awards).​

Janka Neustupová

Janka Neustupova is a multidisciplinary film and television professional with a background in Civil Protection and Crisis Management, alongside academic degrees in Film Studies and Directing from institutions in the UK. Over the years, she has worked across independent features and broadcast television, combining strong technical skills with managerial oversight. 
Her interest in cast and crew well-being grew out of a personal experience with work-related burnout and hospitalisation. This insight, deepened by the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, led her to focus on improving mental health support in production environments. She has since expanded her qualifications with specialised training as a Well-being Facilitator, certification with the leading Intimacy Professionals Association (IPA), and recognition as a CZ certified Coach under the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC).
Janka now works at the intersection of mental well-being and intimacy coordination, advocating for safer and more respectful creative environments across local and international productions. Through her collaboration with New Era Safety and ARAS she also contributes to research and advocacy centred on mental health, intimacy coordinating and sustainable working practices both on and off set.​

Virginija Vareikyte

Virginija is a certified Intimacy Coordinator for films and TV series, working in both local and international productions. She earned her certification through the exclusive IPA (Intimacy Professionals Association) and Nordic Intimacy Coordinators (NIC) programs. In addition to her role as an Intimacy Coordinator.

Virginija is an experienced educator and frequently participates in panels and conferences on the topic of intimacy coordination. She has spoken at prestigious industry events such as the Sarajevo Film Festival and Series Mania, sharing her knowledge and expertise with international audiences. She is a member of Baltic Intimacy Professionals and Intimacy Coordination Italia.

JUDr. Veronika Macurová Křížová

Veronika Macurová Křížová is an IP lawyer with an international background. She holds a doctorate from Charles University in Prague and a Master of Laws from UC Berkeley. Veronika is a member of the U.S. Department of State & Atlantic Council's AI Connect II program. Specializing in AI, Law & Ethics with a focus on copyright and personality rights, she is a frequent AI speaker and consultant. For APA, she monitors AI trends, analyzes legal risks and opportunities of AI in film production, and studies the impact of generative AI on audiovisual media.​

Eliška Fuchsová Kaplicky

Czech film producer and cultural manager with 20 years of experience. She studied production at FAMU, completed internships in Brussels (Warner Bros. and Narafi), London and Paris. Since 2000 she has been running her own company SIMPLY CINEMA, which has marketed the award-winning films Václav (Shanghai FF) and Eye over Prague (Grand Prix Warsaw). As director of foreign distribution for CME/TV Nova and A.Q.S. she successfully marketed the films A Novel for Women and the series Ordinace v růžové zahradě and Ulice. 
As President of the Kaplicky Centre Foundation, she manages the legacy of architect Jan Kaplicky and has been developing the Kaplicky Creative Centre in Villa Čerych since 2025. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the VIZE 97 Foundation and has served as an evaluator for the National Accreditation Office for the Arts.
In 2014-2018 she was a Prague City Councillor and Chair of the Culture Committee: she pushed for 2% of the city budget for art in public space, the revitalisation of the embankments and the restoration of the Clam-Gallas Palace. She initiated the creation of the Prague Audiovisual Foundation, which she chairs.​

Matěj Drlička

Matej studied clarinet and performed as an orchestral player in prestigious European orchestras. In 2005, he had to end his career as a concert artist due to an injury and began to focus on music management. Since then, he has been working as a manager in the creative industry, dramaturg, producer and organizer of large cultural and social events. In 2005, he founded the Viva Musica! festival, which is currently the largest and most visited summer classical music festival in Slovakia. In 2008, he accepted an offer from Columbia Artists Management International to serve as project manager of the Abu Dhabi Classics festival in Abu Dhabi. In 2010, he put his experience to good use by founding his own artistic agency, Viva Musica! agency, which realizes music productions and projects in Slovakia and abroad. In 2017, he founded the VIVA EVENTS agency and began cooperation with the global digital classical music streaming platform IDAGIO. From January 2021 to August 2024, he was the General Director of the Slovak National Theatre. He was dismissed from this position by the Minister of Culture Martina Šimkovičová. He is currently engaged in civic activism and event entrepreneurship.​

Petar Mitric

Petar Mitric is an Assistant Professor in Film Studies at the University of Copenhagen. His research focuses on European audiovisual policy, co-production, and audience design practices, bridging film studies and creative media industry studies. He has published extensively on European cinema and has collaborated in an advisory capacity with organizations such as Film i Väst and TorinoFilmLab.​

Marek Novák

Marek Novák graduated Prague’s FAMU, is an alumnus of EAVE and a member of ACE Producers. He is the CEO of Xova Film, a Prague-based production company with auteur-driven, eclectic profile, producing audiovisual works with authentic creative vision. Recent productions include the Venice-awarded Ordinary Failures by Cristina Groșan (2022) or After Party by Vojtěch Strakatý, which premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival’s Orizzonti Extra section in 2024.​

Sten-Kristian Saluveer

Sten Saluveer is an expert at the intersection of technology, media, and policy. He directs the Tallinn Digital Summit and leads Cannes Next at the Marché du Film. A strategic advisor to the EU and various governments, he is a PhD candidate at the University of Tokyo and heads the AI MiniMBA at the Danish National Film School. He has led major international film and tech projects, including the award-winning 3D piece MURALS. Active as a producer, curator, educator, and speaker, he is also a film and music enthusiast—and a proud Scottish terrier lover.

Diana Lodderhose

Diana has been working in global film journalism since 2005. Before returning to Deadline in 2021 to focus on features for international film and television, she was previously International Reporter for the site. She is based in London and has frequently covered all the major film festivals and markets including Cannes, Berlin, AFM, Toronto and Sundance. Prior to joining Deadline, Diana was the UK correspondent for Variety and also covered film news and box office at Screen International.

Alessandro Rossi

Alessandro Rossi is a policy officer in the diplomatic service of the European Union, the European External Action Service (EEAS). In the team dealing with the regional affairs in the relations between the EU and the Latina America and Caribbean region, he is in charge among other files of the coordination of the EULAC Cinema campaign. This initiative is promoting audio-visual cooperation between these two regions of the world all along 2025, with special attention to youth, gender and diversity (https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eulac-cinema_en ) in view of the upcoming bi-regional Summit of November in Colombia.

Previously, he has worked on different assignments in the EU institutions in Brussels and outside Europe on Middle East, Balkans, East Africa,  as well as in non-governmental organizations promoting conflict prevention and protection of civilians in South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Kenya, Southern Caucasus. He has a university degree in Political Sciences-International Relations and a post-diploma specialisation in communication and marketing for no-profit, and has also worked as trainer, project coordinator for international partnerships, social researcher.