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

David Chase

David Chase is an American writer, director, and producer best known as the creator of The Sopranos. Widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time, the show won a Peabody Award, 21 Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globes. Chase began his career as a writer and producer on The Rockford Files, earning his first Emmy Award.

He later won another Emmy for the television film Off the Minnesota Strip and went on to work on acclaimed series such as Northern Exposure and I’ll Fly Away. In 2012, he made his feature directorial debut with Not Fade Away. In 2021, he released The Many Saints of Newark, the feature-film prequel to The Sopranos. In 2023, he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, and the documentary Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos, chronicling his career, premiered at the Tribeca Festival.

He is currently developing the HBO limited series Project: MKUltra, his first television project since The Sopranos.

Sharon Horgan

Sharon is a writer, actor, producer and director best known for her BAFTA award-winning, critically acclaimed shows Bad Sisters and Catastrophe, which she co-created, wrote, executive produced and starred in. Bad Sisters (Apple TV) received multiple BAFTA Awards (including Best Drama Series) and four Primetime Emmy nominations. The second series was released in November 2024 and was met with similar critical acclaim, including a Best Actress nomination for Sharon at the 2025 Emmys. Further accolades include the BAFTA for Best Writing in a Comedy Series for Catastrophe in 2016, which gained her three BAFTA nominations for her extraordinary performance in the show, alongside a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

Most recently, Sharon has wrapped filming on her HBO comedy series Youth, which she stars in, wrote and executive produced.

Sharon is also the creator of the award-winning shows Pulling for BBC and Divorce for HBO, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, and the co-creator of Motherland, Amandaland, Shining Vale and Dead Boss.

As well as being a multi-BAFTA award-winning actress, writer, producer and director, Sharon Horgan is a co-founder of the production company Merman.

Andrij Parekh

Andrij Parekh, of Ukrainian and Indian descent, studied cinematography at Prague’s FAMU Film School and at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned his MFA in 2001. Early in his career, he received the ASC Heritage Award for Cinematography in both 2001 and 2003 and apprenticed under acclaimed cinematographer Harris Savides on The Yards.

Based in New York, Parekh has shot more than thirty feature films, including Half Nelson, Sugar, Cold Souls, Blue Valentine, Madame Bovary, The Pod Generation, Roofman, and the HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero, Watchmen, and Succession. His films have screened at major international festivals such as Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Telluride, and the New York Film Festival.

He has served as director on the TV series Succession, Watchmen, Brave New World, and House of the Dragon (Seasons 2 & 3). He has been nominated twice for the Emmy Award for Directing and won the Emmy in 2020 for his work on Succession, for the Season 2 episode Hunting.

Jan Holoubek

Jan Holoubek is one of Poland's most acclaimed film and television directors, celebrated for his emotionally rich storytelling, striking visual style, and exceptional work with actors. A graduate of the renowned Łódź Film School's Cinematography Department, he began his career as an award-winning cinematographer before transitioning to directing, where he quickly established himself as one of the country's leading filmmakers. His internationally recognized credits include the Netflix hits High Water, The Mire, and Heweliusz, as well as the award-winning feature films 25 Years of Innocence and Doppelgänger. The Double, earning numerous accolades, including multiple Best Director awards. He is currently developing several new film and television projects, continuing to shape contemporary Polish cinema while reaching audiences around the world.

Kevin Chong

Kevin Chong is the Chief Operating Officer of Utopai Studios, where he oversees the company's global operations and strategic growth, helping build a next-generation entertainment studio that combines world-class storytelling with artificial intelligence.

Over the past two decades, Chong has built and scaled businesses at the intersection of technology, media, and entertainment, leading corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, venture investments, and global partnerships across some of the world's leading technology and entertainment companies.

Prior to joining Utopai Studios, Chong held leadership roles at LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, driving innovation, strategic investments, and new business development across Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and Asia.

Tereza Polachová

Tereza has extensive experience in the field of television development and production. Before her engagement at Czech Television, she worked as a producerand 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).

Michaela Hummel

Michaela Hummel is an award-winning television and streaming producer and Managing Director of Doclights GmbH, part of the Studio Hamburg Production Group and one of Germany’s leading non-fiction production companies.

After studying American Studies and graduating from the prestigious German School of Journalism in Munich, she worked as an international news reporter and spent several years in Silicon Valley. She later became an author and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the documentary series ProSieben History.

Michaela received the German Television Award for the ZDF format “Auf der Flucht” in 2013. Since then, she has focused on creating innovative documentary formats for younger audiences. Her productions include Der Rassist in uns (The Racist Within Us), Women in Film: The Interviews for ZDF, in 2026 the ARD documentary Spielfeld der Macht (The Playing Field of Power) about politics and sports and the ZDF science series Terra Xplore.

Michaela was nominated for the Gender Balance in Media Award, has served on the jury of the German Television Awards and as a juror for AI startup competitions.

Dennis Boleslawski

Dennis Boleslawski is Managing Director of HYPERBOWL, a virtual production studio for film, series and other screen-based productions. At HYPERBOWL, he works on virtual production as a practical production method: LED volumes, camera tracking, virtual art departments and the creative processes needed for shoots in virtual worlds.

His work spans virtual production and visual effects for film and television, including The Crow (2024), Return to Silent Hill (2026) and season two of Nine Perfect Strangers. As Chief Creative Technologist at BKLT Germany GmbH, he also explores how AI is changing film and video production. His focus is less on technology hype and more on how creative teams can actually use new tools in production.

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.

Gregor Sauter

Gregor Sauter is a German producer who develops new IPs at the intersection of storytelling and data-driven development. At RED PONY, which focuses on vertical entertainment and young fiction, he drives performance-based content development and strategic IP building.

He has established RED PONY as the leading one-stop studio for vertical storytelling in Germany. Previously, he worked, amongst other roles, as a producer at LEONINE Studios, specializing in new fiction and entertainment formats. At Studio71 (ProSiebenSat.1), he combined creator marketing with fictional storytelling and developed formats that bridged the gap between platform, talent and brand.

Michaela Sabo

Michaela Sabo is a writer and development executive based in Berlin, working internationally across film and television. She is the co-founder and creative lead at Maison Vertical, a European microdrama studio focused on developing bold, mobile-first stories for a new generation of audiences. Her work bridges strong genre storytelling, international perspectives, and innovative formats, with a particular interest in how emerging forms of storytelling can connect with audiences across cultures and platforms.

Victoria Thomas

Victoria Thomas is a BAFTA-nominated producer, filmmaker and academic whose work spans original IP development, film business education, and practice-led research. She is the founder of No Password Required, an initiative mapping globally majority-led film production companies in Europe and an annual mini market, supported by the BFI and FDA, connecting these companies with international sales agents and distributors.

She is Course Leader of the MA International Film Business at London Film School and a lecturer at Queen Margaret University. A James McCune Smith PhD Scholar at the University of Glasgow, her research examines economic equity in European cinema. She is a voting member of BAFTA Scotland, BAFTA UK and the European Film Academy, and a Steering Committee member and co-author, with Dr Regina Mosch, of A New Europe Must Emerge: Rethinking Power, People and Pipelines in European Cinema (ARTEF Think Tank Report 2026).

Kryštof Šafer

Kryštof Šafer is a film producer and CreaTech showrunner focusing on the transformation of the audiovisual industry and the use of emerging technologies in audiovisual storytelling. An internationally recognised expert in mobile storytelling, he founded the platform Vertifilms in 2016, one of the first international initiatives dedicated to the vertical 9:16 format. At Dramedy Productions, he develops new international projects exploring innovative forms of content creation and distribution.

Alongside his work at the intersection of technology and creativity, he also serves as the Commissioner General of the Czech Republic’s participation at Expo 2027 Belgrade.

Ondřej Polák

Ondřej Polák (born 1980, Prague) is a cultural innovator, producer, and entrepreneur connecting creativity, technology, and social impact. He is the founder of TIW venture studio, behind projects including Mytitle, Artinii.pro, and CinemaAnywhere. With over 20 years of experience in cultural production and strategic development. His work focuses on digital culture, AI tools, community collaboration, and fair remuneration for creators.

“Don’t complain about things you do nothing about. Create opportunities and tools, not competition.”

Dennis Ruh

Dennis Ruh is a Film and Media Industry Director and Film Festival Expert. He’s the Director of Seriesly Berlin, the festival for serial storytelling since 2024. Ruh was Director of the Berlinale’s European Film Market from 2020-2024. During his studies, he began working for the Oldenburg International Film Festival in 2008 and became a co-director in 2011. From 2012 to 2020, he was department head for Festival Relations & Producers Liaison at German Films. He regularly appears as a guest lecturer at film schools and panelist at industry conferences. Dennis Ruh frequently serves on festival as well as funding juriesand consults festival & market organizers, film tech companies and film producers.

Bettina Wente

Bettina Wente initially trained as a carpenter before studying Theatre, Film, and Television Studies. She has been a producer at Network Movie since 2002, where she helped launch successful series and franchises such as SOKO Köln, Kommissar Stolberg, and Nachtschicht. Her long-standing collaborations with directors like Lars Becker, Matti Geschonneck, and Eline Gehring combine continuity with an openness to new forms of storytelling. Projects produced under her leadership include the miniseries Morgen hör ich auf and the innovative ‘instant fiction’ format Hungry.

In addition to her television work, Bettina Wente is passionate about feature films. Her film credits include Ziska Riemann’s Lollipop Monster (2011), Franziska Stünkel’s Nahschuss (2021), and Johannes Naber’s Über Angst, which is scheduled for theatrical release in 2027.

Since 2014, Bettina Wente has also been active in international co-production. She produced the German-Swedish miniseries West of Liberty (2018) and has been involved in international productions such as the Italian young-adult series The Gymnasts (2023), the Belgian miniseries The Girl in My Diary (2024), and the Czech drama series We Are on It, Comrades (2024). Two further international projects—the Australian format Gnomes and another Czech series—are currently in post-production.

Philipp Kreuzer

Philipp Kreuzer is an award-winning film producer, lawyer, and co-founder of the production companies maze pictures and Supernix. After working in film law, international production, and as Project Manager at Eurimages, he held senior executive positions at Bavaria Film Group before launching his own companies.

His credits include feature films such as The Happy Prince, Siberia, Guns Akimbo, and Zeros and Ones, as well as international series including The Crimson Rivers and Nine Perfect Strangers – Season 2. He is also co-founder of Penzing Studios, a state-of-the-art digital and AI-native studio facility near Munich.

Kreuzer teaches film law internationally, is a member of the European and German Film Academies, and currently serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of German Films. He received the Bavarian State Award for Best Producer for The Happy Prince, while The Last One for the Road won eight David di Donatello Awards in 2026, including Best Film and Best Producer.

Andrea Mokosch

Andrea Mokosch is passionate about storytelling and developing original film and series concepts based on true stories. She completed the Serien.Lab programme at the Masterschool Drehbuch and the Winterclass in Serial Writing and Producing at the Konrad Wolf Film University Babelsberg x Erich Pommer Institute. Her very first series idea, The Summit, made it to the Creators Vision Pitch at Seriencamp and to a major programming conference. It was rejected, but at least by the programming director himself... Andrea's background in journalism and non-fiction storytelling gives her work a distinctive style, combining journalistic precision with keen observation of social settings and strong dramaturgy.

This approach also shaped her first major directing project, the event docudrama series Tera X History: Roadtrip 1945 (a Doclights production for ZDF 2025), which recently won the Gold Tower at the New York Festivals® TV & Film Awards.

Daniel Lwowski

Daniel Lwowski was born in 1972 in Burghausen, Germany. While graduating from the University of Media in Stuttgart, he started to focus on film, computer animation and multivision. Since 1999 he has worked as a freelance director for several production companies, directing commercials, music videos and documentary projects with passion and precision.

He has collaborated with international artists such as *NSYNC, Anne Clark, Wyclef Jean and Patrick Dempsey, as well as German icons including Herbert Grönemeyer, Ich&Ich, Silbermond, Söhne Mannheims, Max Raabe and Die Fantastischen Vier. His work has been honoured with the German Music Awards Echo and the Comet.

In 2019, his segment of the international anthology feature film Berlin, I Love You was released worldwide — a collaborative project featuring multiple directors. Authenticity is at the core of his filmmaking: a strong documentary style, paired with a sharp instinct for rhythm and visual storytelling. He frequently operates the camera himself.

Gabriele Rose

Gabriele Rose is a german author, director and producer in the film and broadcast industry. She studied political science and history at the universities of Marburg, Aix-Marseille, France and Hamburg. During her studies, she already worked as a journalist and photographer for several newspapers. After successfully completing her studies, she was employed by various media companies.

Since 2003 she has been working as a freelance author, director and producer. She mainly focuses on historical topics, including numerous elaborately biopics of historical personalities. One of her recent film projects as a writer and director is the docudrama series Terra x History: Roadtrip 1945 (a Doclights production for ZDF in 2025), which was recently awarded the Gold Tower at the New York Festivals® TV & Film Awards.