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Winston Baker’s Inaugural Entertainment Finance Forum Berlin promises an exclusive spotlight on Global Film Financing, industry insights, and the power of International Co-Productions. We will bring together Seasoned Industry Leaders from around the world to provide an informed, diverse, and comprehensive perspective you won’t want to miss!

As storytellers navigate an ever-evolving market, our Finance Session equips them with strategies to maintain authenticity while meeting audience and investor demands. Attendees will gain access to crucial insights on creative capital, funding opportunities, and the essential elements to propel projects to success in today's global ecosystem.

Explore the rising trend of international co-productions with respected executives, as they discuss the complexities of navigating partnerships, finding mutually beneficial strategies, and offer their invaluable advice and firsthand experiences from their own successful projects.

The Forum will also include an intimate and exciting Fireside Chat, offering a rare opportunity to learn from our special guests’ personal experiences, their retrospective advice, and engage in insightful discussions. 

Attendees will emerge with a unique perspective on the principal elements defining today’s film landscape from our esteemed panelists who are there inspire and educate the thought leaders, innovators, and the creative minds shaping the Entertainment Industry today!

LOCATION

The Event Hall, Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation
Stresemannstr. 90, 10963 Berlin.

https://www.efm-berlinale.de/en/industry-sessions-ms/about/venue/venue.html

Program:

Welcoming Address

Amy Baker - CEO and Co-Founder
WINSTON BAKER

State of Finance
11:00am - 11:45am

Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Film Financing in Today’s Global Ecosystem

Securing financing for projects is a tricky business - it involves a solid understanding of what forms of funding are emerging…but how can filmmakers access them? What constitutes a successful film is constantly shifting, both in studio and independent contexts, prompting a re-evaluation of what will be a commercial success.

Today, you need to find a balance between staying authentic to your storytelling, aligning with a defined target audience, and making investors happy – it’s a lot. This discussion delves into the strategies necessary for maintaining authenticity in storytelling while meeting the mass audience's desires and keeping your investors happy - a vital combination for success in today's dynamic global market. Our esteemed panel will offer insight into accessing creative capital and discerning the elements that elevate projects and turn them into a success.

Moderator:

Diana Lodderhose - International Features Editor, DEADLINE

Panelists:

Wayne Borg - Managing Director Media Industries, NEOM

Josh Rosenbaum – Head Executive and Producer, WAYPOINT ENTERTAINMENT

Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann - CEO - TELEPOOL GMBH (a subsidiary of Westbrook Inc)

Zach Glueck - Agent and Co-Head of International Sales – WME Independent 

Fireside Chat
11:45am - 12:15pm

Join us for a special Fireside Chat with Julia von Heinz, International Award-Winning Director and Writer and Wendy Mitchell (Journalist, Moderator and Film Festival Consultant)!

Julia’s work has included “Treasure”, "And Tomorrow the Entire World”, “Isolation”, “KaDeWe”, “Tatort” and much more! We are thrilled to have these two included in our program - this is not to be missed!

International Co-Production Strategies: How to Make it Worth Your While
12:15pm - 1:00pm

“International Co-Productions” the trending phrase across the global entertainment market; everyone is looking for new partnerships around the world. It makes sense, we live in a connected world and audiences are wanting to see collaborations that transcend borders on their screens. While there are lots of new opportunities for partnership, it is difficult to know how to find the right strategic partner, ensuring that the collaboration will be beneficial for both. Exciting film locations and funding opportunities are popping up everywhere, join us as executives from around the world give their insight into the importance of co-production, but how to do it in the right way. They will give tips about how to successfully combine differing methods of working, share challenges and ways to overcome this, and provide their opinions about the future of international co-productions.

Moderator:

Phil Hunt - Founder and CEO - HEAD GEAR AND BANKSIDE FILMS

Panelists:

Cristina Garza - SVP, Development and Production - FIFTH SEASON

John-Paul Sarni - EVP, Head of International Content + IP Acquisitions - STAMPEDE VENTURES

Nino Chichua – Co-Founder and Producer, 1991 PRODUCTIONS

Mounia Wissinger - Head of Marketing, Distribution & Publicity - PROTAGONIST PICTURES

Forum Concludes

Speaking Faculty:

Julia von Heinz, International Award-Winning Director and Writer

 Julia von Heinz is one of Germany's most accomplished film directors. Her films and series have been huge successes at the German box office and have been screened at film festivals worldwide.

In 2007, von Heinz won the German Film Award for Best Children's and Youth Film with her debut, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. Her latest film, AND TOMORROW THE ENTIRE WORLD, competed at the 77th Venice Film Festival and was nominated for Best Film at the 2021 German Film Awards.

TREASURE is the third part of von Heinz's Aftermath Trilogy, which deals with the repercussions of the Holocaust in Germany and globally.

Julia von Heinz earned her doctorate at the Film University Konrad Wolf in Babelsberg and teaches directing at the University of Television and Film in Munich. In 2012, she founded the production company Kings&Queens Filmproduktion with her husband and co-writer, John Quester. Since 2018, she has also been a shareholder of the production company Seven Elephants, which she founded with directors David Wnendt and Erik Schmitt, along with producer Fabian Gasmia.

Wayne Borg, Managing Director Media Industries - NEOM

Wayne Borg is an accomplished international executive with an unparalleled 20-plus years of experience in leadership roles in the media and creative industries. As Managing Director Media Industries he is developing these key industry sectors as part of the wider ambitions of NEOM.    

Having lived and worked in Australia, Europe, Asia, the United States and the Middle East, he has led key divisions of major iconic international media and entertainment businesses and driven broad-brush strategic and policy initiatives for government in the media, cultural and creative industries sectors.

Cristina Garza, SVP, Development and Production - FIFTH SEASON

Cristina Garza serves as SVP, TV Development and Production at global film and TV studio FIFTH SEASON  (formerly Endeavor Content). In this role, Garza focuses on developing Latino audience-facing English-language content in the United States, and Spanish-language content as part of FIFTH SEASON’s global slate of feature films and premium television series.

Previously an agent in Media Finance at CAA, Garza has dedicated her career to the development, sale and distribution of Latin American cinema and television. While at CAA she specialized in independently financed film, television and digital content for the Latin American and Spanish market.

Prior to CAA, Garza held executive positions at AGC Studios, where she was Head of Latino Content and at IM Global, where she founded Mundial, the Latin America film sales arm of the company. In the seven years that she lived in Mexico, Garza ran distribution for Gael García Bernal and Diega Luna’s Mexico City-based production and distribution company Canana.

A graduate of New York University, Garza is a fifth generation Latina from Houston.

Learn more at FIFTHSEASON.com, follow us @FIFTHSEASON.   

John-Paul Sarni - EVP, Head of International Content + IP Acquisitions - STAMPEDE VENTURES

Since 2018, John-Paul Sarni has been part of Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures where he serves as Executive Vice President, Head of International Content + IP Acquisitions.  He curates and looks after a development slate which includes a first-look deal with CBS Studios’ international division, a joint venture with Australia’s KOJO Studios (The Alliance), and projects across 15+ countries. He serves as Executive Producer on the forthcoming comedy series, GOLD DIGGERS for Australia’s ABC/CBS Studios, and THE DARKNESS for Iceland’s Síminn/CBS Studios from director Lasse Hallström, premiering late 2024, based on the best-selling novel by Ragnar Jónasson. 

He began in development at HBO Films before moving on to aid+abet as an executive working on such films as PARIAH (Sundance 2011) and UNA NOCHE (Berlinale 2012).  As VP of Development & Literary Acquisitions at Sonar Entertainment, he oversaw the company’s Los Angeles office and an extensive slate of series, miniseries and feature films produced and acquired for the international market including: THE SHANNARA CHRONICLES (MTV/Paramount Network), THE SON (AMC), TABOO (FX), SOUTH OF HELL (WeTV) and more.

At Laurence Fishburne’s Cinema Gypsy Productions he served as Head of Development and Current, developing new properties for the company, including the audio series BRONZEVILLE and worked on their award-winning ABC series, BLACK-ISH as well as Emmy winner, SNOWY DAY for Amazon. 

He is originally from Andover, Massachusetts and lives between Italy and California.  

Josh Rosenbaum - Head Executive and Producer - WAYPOINT ENTERTAINMENT

Josh Rosenbaum serves as the head executive and producer for Ken Kao’s production and finance company, Waypoint Entertainment. 

Rosenbaum served as an executive producer on Yorgos Lanthimos’ THE FAVOURITE, which won seven BAFTA Awards, eight European Film Awards, one Golden Globe Award, two Critics Choice Awards, and one Academy Award. He co-produced HOSTILES (2017); Netflix’s TAU (2018); Jonah Hill’s directorial debut with A24, MID90s (2018); and Martin Zandvliet’s THE OUTSIDER (2018) starring Jared Leto for Netflix. Rosenbaum has worked on several other projects with Waypoint, including Lionsgate’s THE GLASS CASTLE (2017) and A24's WOODSHOCK (2017); and he served as an associate producer on Woody Harrelson’s directorial debut LOST IN LONDON (2017). 

Rosenbaum is an EP on NEON’s upcoming Duke Johnson film, THE ACTOR, with fellow producers Ryan Gosling and Charlie Kaufman as well as Aneil Karia’s modern adaptation of HAMLET starring Riz Ahmed. He is also a producer on Waypoint’s latest feature CUCKOO, written and directed by Tilman Singer, which stars Hunter Schafer, Dan Stevens and Jessica Henwick, and will be world premiering at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival with NEON.

Prior to joining Kao in June 2015, Rosenbaum worked as an agent trainee at William Morris Endeavor (WME) in the film finance and distribution group. Rosenbaum graduated from the University of Southern California where he received a B.A. in Business Administration and a minor in Music Industry.

Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann - CEO - TELEPOOL GMBH

Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann, CEO of TELEPOOL GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of Will Smiths Westbrook Inc., has been one of the premier German industry execs for over 25 years, as exec producer and managing director, most recently at Pantaleon Films GmbH, co-founded by German A-lister Matthias Schweighöfer, one of the most innovative and successful German production shingles, where she served as Co-Managing Director. She previously served as Executive Producer at Studio Hamburg Production Group and Head of Acquisitions and Sales at top German Film Independent Company Constantin Film AG. Her long list of credits includes RTL Television’s high-end series “Herzogpark”, as well as Studio Canal int’l box office smash “My Blind Date with Life”, plus a raft of high-profile films like Walter Salles’ “Motorcycle Diaries”, Christophe Barratier’s “Les Choristes”, as well as “La Vie En Rose” by Olivier Dahan, which took home two Oscars and a Golden Globe.

Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann was named one of the "Top 40 Most Influencial Women in International Film" by The Hollywood Reporter at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 and "Top 35 Most Powerful Women in International Television" by The Hollywood Reporter at Mipcom in Cannes.

Nino Chichua - Co-Founder - 1991 PRODUCTIONS

Nino Chichua is the co-founder of 1991 Productions, a Tbilisi and London-based film production company, where she develops, finances, and produces talented directors' fiction and documentary projects through European co-productions. Currently, Nino heads up 1991 Productions’ recently launched London office, which aims to foster production collaborations between the UK and mainland Europe. She also takes pride in promoting Georgia as a filming destination, providing all-inclusive production services to international crews shooting anything from films to reality TV to branded videos.

Most recently, Nino co-produced director Levan Akin’s new feature film Crossing, together with five countries, which is set to open Berlinale Panorama 2024. Nino’s credits include the feature documentary Smiling Georgia (2023), directed by Luka Beradze, which premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2023.

She is also producing the feature documentary 9-Month Contract, one of the Spotlighted Projects at Cannes Docs 2023 and also pitched at Sheffield Doc/Fest as The Whickers finalist in 2023. Nino’s projects in development include the feature film Tear Gas (funded by GNFC and CNC), feature documentary Berliner (CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator), and the miniseries Nino and Iliko (Content London Digital Drama Pitch 2024).

Nino graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with a BA in Film and TV Production. Determined to apply her fresh experience to her home country's evolving film industry, she moved back to Georgia and worked as a freelance producer, gaining vast experience in the physical aspects of production before co-founding 1991 Productions with her high-school friend, Anna Khazaradze. Nino believes that there are exceptional stories in the region she is from and talented individuals who have much to contribute to world cinema.

Diana Lodderhose - International Features Editor - DEADLINE

Diana has been working in global film journalism since 2005. She is currently the International Features Editor at Deadline, a role she has been in since 2021. Before that, she was previously International Reporter for the site. Based in London, Diana has frequently covered all 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. 

Mounia Wissinger - Head of Marketing, Distribution & Publicity - PROTAGONIST PICTURES

Mounia is a well-respected and seasoned marketing and publicity executive who began her career in international sales and marketing, before specializing in domestic and international publicity. After leading the International Publicity department at Studiocanal, she joined Netflix in Amsterdam, where she managed EMEA and global projects. She then reconnected with marketing and communication through her own company, Challenge Accepted, before joining Protagonist Pictures in 2018.

Zach Glueck - Agent and Co-Head of International Sales – WME INDEPENDENT

Zach Glueck serves as agent and co-head of international Sales at WME Independent, a division of WME.  

With extensive experience in film finance, foreign sales and distribution, Zach is responsible for building the department’s lineup and identifying new opportunities for WME Independent’s business.  

Zach previously served as Vice President of International Sales & Distribution at Endeavor Content’s advisory division before it was spun off into WME Independent. There he worked with notable talent: from the Russo Brothers and Michael Bay to launching Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut in the three-time Academy Award®-nominated film, THE LOST DAUGHTER starring Academy Award® winner Olivia Coleman and Dakota Johnson.  

Prior to Endeavor, Zach was part of the boutique sales agency Bloom where he worked on financing and selling critically and commercially successful films including THE NICE GUYS starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, and BOOK CLUB, which grossed over $100 million worldwide. 

He started his career in film in the international sales division at Lionsgate working on critically acclaimed films like Academy Award®-winning 12 YEARS A SLAVE and global box offices franchises such as THE HUNGER GAMES, STEP UP and NOW YOU SEE ME.  

Phil Hunt - Founder and CEO - HEAD GEAR AND BANKSIDE FILMS

Phil's main business interest in film is Head Gear a film, TV and video games investment company; Bankside Films, an international film sales and production company; as well as a number of other corporate investments in the sector; Bohemia Media, film distribution of under represented (LGBTQ, cultural diversity, disability, female voices); (Yet) Another Distribution Company and (Yet) Another Monster Company, which do what they says on the tin;

He has produced or executive produced over 500 feature films, in the past quarter of a century. Head Gear Films is one of the world’s largest financiers of independent film, investing in around 40 projects a year.

Prior to the film business, in a pre digital universe a very long time ago….he was an advertising and music photographer and worked with such bands as Big Audio Dynamite. He sporadically dusts off his Hasselblad.

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