Our team
Markus Mörth
Head of Program Team
Markus Mörth
Born in Graz. Studied directing at the University of Television and Film Munich. The graduation film "Allerseelen" receives the First Steps Award. Community service as a Caritas refugee counselor. Then works as a freelance director and screenwriter, mainly for cinema (feature films) and TV (documentaries). Lecturer at the Karl-Franzens-University Graz. In addition, since 2013 founder and managing director of the "DrehbuchWerkstatt München-Steiermark", a cooperation with the renowned DrehbuchWerkstatt München. Lives with his family in Munich and Graz.
Prizes and awards (selection): First Steps Award ("Allerseelen", Fic.) Carl Mayer Screenplay Award, Audience Award Bolzano Film Festival Bolzano 2017 ("Geschwister", Fic.) Prelate Ungar Recognition Award for Journalism 2010 ("Leben in der Zwischen- welt", Doc.)
Nina Hipf-Reisch
Logistics & Organization
Nina Hipf-Reisch
Born in Kitzbühel in 1978, several business degrees, involved in the organization of various major events in and around Kitzbühel. She speaks fluent English, French and Italian and has worked in Italy, the USA, Australia and Austria.
Nina Hipfl-Reisch is one of the founders of the Kitzbühel Film Festival.
Mike Mayr-Reisch
Managing Director Event & Organization
Mike Mayr-Reisch
Born in 1981 in Kitzbühel. In 2000, he joined the family business and began working at the Sporthotel Reisch; in 2008 he was appointed Managing Director/CEO and in 2015 he took over the hotel business from his parents. He is a member of the supervisory board of the Kitzbühel Tourism Association and a shareholder of Kitz Promotion GmbH, which organizes the annual Alpenrallye, a classic car rally. As a co-founder, he has been part of the FFKB since 2013; in 2015, he was appointed deputy managing director of Filmfestival Kitzbühel GmbH and is responsible for the creative organization within the team.
Josef Obermoser
Marketing & Graphics
Josef Obermoser
Josef Obermoser was born in Kitzbühel in 1985. After studying at the advertising academy in Vienna, he worked as a copywriter, designer and client consultant in various advertising agencies in Austria and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Today he lives and works in Kitzbühel. Josef Obermoser has been with the Kitzbühel Film Festival since its beginnings and is primarily responsible for marketing and graphic design. He has been a shareholder of Filmfestival Kitzbühel GmbH since February 2015.
Kathryn Perrotti
Press & Communication
Kathryn Perrotti
Born in 1982, she grew up in the UK, Saudi Arabia, Italy and Austria. Kathryn Perrotti studied Communication and Art History in Vienna and Salzburg before moving to Milan to do her Masters in Marketing and Communication. Until 2020, she worked full-time for Swarovski at their headquarters in Wattens, Austria. From 2008 to 2011, she was part of Swarovski Entertainment and helped build up the film production company, taking responsibility for communications and story development. Perrotti worked on the concepts for and produced Shaker Kapur's "Passage" and Clemens Turner's "Panta Rhei". After maternity leave, she returned to work as part of the global sales team. A mother of five, she is currently on maternity leave but plans to resume her role at FFKB this fall.
Michael Reisch
Managing Director Film & Program
Michael Reisch
Michael Reisch is a founding member of the FFKB. He is a cultural worker and lives in Vienna. Since 2012, he has been involved in various film and art projects, specializing in conception and production. From 2007 to 2012 he studied film directing in the USA. After graduating, he worked as an assistant director for Sharon von Wietersheim in Munich. In 2013 he co-founded the Kitzbühel Film Festival, and in 2014 he founded the Script.
Program Team
Ina Borrmann
Ina Borrmann
Born in Freiberg/Saxony. Studied theater studies and German language and literature at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, knowledge acquired but not completed. Passionate studies at the University of Television and Film Munich, Department of Film and Television Drama. Completed the KH diploma with a documentary essay. Since then, radically personal or autobiographically inspired films. Various festival participations.
For many years moderation for film distributors and festival work in various areas: program selection, moderation, location or guest management, film education e.g. for Berlinale, DOK.fest München, Filmfest München, Hofer Filmtage, Filmfestival Kitzbühel, Filmfestival Achtung Berlin (former Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis, NaturVision Filmfestival).
Member of AG.DOK, PRO QUOTE Film and the Werteakademie Gut Gödelitz.
Ina Borrmann lives and works as a freelance filmmaker in Berlin and has a son. She got to know the Kitzbühel Film Festival in 2015 through her participation in the screenplay retreats.
Tania Carlin
Tania Carlin
Studied acting in London. Since 2011, moderator at various film festivals such as the Munich Film Festival, the Berlinale, the Max Ophüls Prize, the Zurich Film Festival, the Hof Film Festival, DOK.fest Munich, Achtung Berlin and the Goldener Spatz children's media festival or for film distributors. Since 2017, she has been responsible for the annual co-production seminar on behalf of the FFA with representatives of international film funds and production companies as well as the "Debüt im Ersten" pitching sessions of Hessischer Rundfunk 2021.
As an actress, she has appeared in films such as Nymphomaniac (von Trier), Westen (Schwochow), The Invisibles (Räfle) and TV shows such as Tatort, Bad Banks, Die Spezialisten and Night Sisters.
Tania Carlin is delighted to be part of the program team of the Kitzbühel Film Festival.
Mona Walch
Mona Walch
Mona Walch grew up south of Munich. She discovered her love of culture and the art of storytelling at an early age. She graduated from high school in Berlin and studied "Culture and Management". Already during her studies, she worked passionately at the intersection of the arts, especially in the fields of film, music, theater and free art. After working in New York, she returned to her home country and took over the management of program coordination at the Munich Film Festival.
Since 2012, she has been working as a freelance cultural manager, curator and moderator for various international film festivals and projects such as the One Young World Summit 2021. Since 2022, she has also been Head of Artist and Business Relations at TapGig. This year she will be part of the selection committee of the Kitzbühel Film Festival for the third time.
Niki Waltl
Niki Waltl
Niki Waltl is a Tyrolean cameraman and filmmaker who started filming in his early youth. Back then, it was snowboard videos that inspired him and he also worked in the sports industry for several years. In 2009, his path led him to Barcelona, where he completed a three-year training course to become a cameraman at the CECC film school. Since then, Niki has lived in Tyrol again and has worked on various film projects from here.
Patrick Winkler
Patrick Winkler
Patrick Winkler, born in Graz, studied journalism and theater studies in Vienna and Milan. He worked as a projectionist and did community service looking after the homeless. In 2004, he moved to Berlin, where he trained as a director and casting assistant and worked as a freelancer on numerous film productions at Studio Babelsberg (including Inglourious Basterds, The White Ribbon and Homeland). Patrick Winkler has been working in online marketing and event organization at the Viennese film distributor "Filmladen" since 2018. He writes reviews and conducts interviews for the film magazines Deadline and Virus and lives in Vienna.
Press and social media
Team members for this area will follow.
Screenplay exam
Sebastian Andrae
Artistic director of the FFKB screenplay retreat
Sebastian Andrae
The renowned screenwriter and showrunner Sebastian Andrae has been the artistic director of the FFKB screenplay retreat since 2016. Born in Hamburg in 1968, he studied history, German and law in Göttingen from 1988 to 1992 and switched to directing at the University of Television and Film in Munich in 1992. Prior to this, he had already published plays and completed his studies as a screenwriter for a feature film.
Since 2007, Andrae has been on the board of the Association of German Screenwriters (VDD), which is also organizing the World Conference of Screenwriters (WCOS) with international colleagues in Berlin in 2018. He has been a member of several expert juries and the award committee, the screenplay committee and, as a representative of creative professionals, the executive committee of the German Federal Film Board (FFA), where he is currently chairman of the committee for innovation and structural issues. Andrae has presented the German Film Award for Best Screenplay (LOLA) at the Berlinale every year since 2009.
Andrae is the winner of the German Television Award for the best comedy series "Magda macht das schon", which was also nominated for a Rose d'Or, as well as the first prize of the expert jury at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival for his family series "Tiere unterm Dach".
Advisory board members
Heinrich Ambrosch
Heinrich Ambrosch
Heinrich Ambrosch is an Austrian film producer, managing partner of SATEL Film and member of the board of the Association of Austrian Film Producers AAFP.
In his role as producer, he is responsible for the long-running ORF/ZDF series "SOKO Donau/Wien", the award-winning series "Die Toten von Salzburg", the first cooperation between ORF and Netflix "Freud" as well as numerous international co-productions such as "Im Netz der Camorra", "Lucky Per" (directed by Bille August) and the film adaptation of the successful graphic novel "Nachts im Paradies".
Heinrich Ambrosch is a multiple ROMY award winner, received the 2007 Adult Education Television Award for the mystery series "8×45" and the Gold Medal in the "Crime Drama" category at the NY Film & TV Awards for his production "Freud".
Before joining Satel, Heinrich Ambrosch worked as an editor responsible for fiction programs at the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), as well as a dramaturge, script developer and screenwriter. From 2000 to 2005, he was the Austrian representative on the EURIMAGES Board of Management."
Nils Dünker
Nils Dünker
Dünker originally trained as a photographer. In 1990, he moved to Los Angeles, where he first worked as a set photographer and camera assistant and then for two years as a production manager for independent productions. Back in Munich, he enrolled at the HFF Munich to study production and media management.
During his studies, he also worked as a freelance production manager for music clips and commercials. After graduating from the HFF in October 1996, he set up the "Young Guns" division within Roman Kuhn und Partner Werbefilmproduktion GmbH.
In July 1997, he moved to Helkon Media AG as producer and production manager, where he was responsible for productions such as Der Schandfleck and Nichts als die Wahrheit.
As a freelance producer for Helkon Media AG, he realized the feature films Kismet and Der tote Taucher im Wald. In September 2000, he moved to Berlin, where he set up and managed the Berlin material development department for TV60 Filmproduktion.
In April 2003, Nils Dünker went into business for himself as a producer, and in July 2006 he founded Lailaps Pictures GbR. At the same time, he signed a First Look Agreement with Monaco Film GmbH, for which he produced the two Marcus H. Rosenmüller films Beste Zeit and Beste Gegend. Dünker is co-creator of the TV show bible for one of ZDF's most successful prime-time shows, Der Kriminalist. He also developed and produced the event film Westflug - Entführung aus Liebe for RTL.
In June 2010, Dünker and a silent partner from Switzerland converted Lailaps Pictures GbR into a stock corporation. In this new company structure, Dünker co-produced the new film by Oscar-winner Paul Haggis, Third Person, starring Liam Neeson, Mila Kunis, Olivia Wilde, James Franco and Adrian Brody. The following year, filming began in New York on Peter Bogdanovich's comedy Broadway Therapy, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson.
In collaboration with the makers of Stromberg, he produced the award-winning satirical comedy Vorsicht vor Leuten for WDR, which was filmed in Berlin and Mallorca. The production won the Comedy Award for Best Television Film and was nominated for a Golden Camera.
The award-winning artist portrait Our Last Tango was Lailaps' first documentary film production made in collaboration with Wim Wenders as executive producer.
In 2015, he made the film Die dunkle Seite des Mondes and began shooting Eine unerhörte Frau, a television film funded by the FFF Bayern and directed by Hans Steinbichler for ZDF/arte. The film was released in German cinemas by Wild Bunch and received several awards, including the One Future Prize and the German Television Award 2018.
Together with directorial debutant Adrian Goiginger, Nils Dünker developed the screenplay for Die beste aller Welten, a German-Austrian co-production that topped the arthouse charts.
Michael Krön
Michael Krön
Michael Krön, born in 1972, is an experienced professional in the field of media production and management. His career at ORF, the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, began in 2000 and has spanned various management positions and responsibilities.
His current role as Chief Producer since December 2021 includes the consolidation of all ORF program management into one multimedia unit. Together with his team, he is responsible for creating and managing the performance and production plans for all multimedia program offerings based on the annual program schedules and is entrusted with the production or procurement of these, whether in-house, commissioned, co-production or program purchasing.
In his previous role as Head of Program Development and Quality Management Information, he was involved in the introduction of many new product and program innovations at ORF. During this time, he was also deputy project manager in the "Multimedia Newsroom & Multimedia Working at ORF" project
During his first 15 years at the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, he produced all major and minor programs of the public broadcasting spectrum in the TV program management of sports, information and the education and current affairs department, from Olympic Games and World Ski Championships to national elections and news programs to Blue Chip Universum documentaries.
Krön is also a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna, where he has been teaching TV programming and production planning since 2019.
Michael Krön is married, father of 4 children and a passionate sportsman.
Michael Paul
Michael Paul
Dr. Michael Paul is managing director of paul und collegen consulting in Vienna and Berlin. He and his team have been working as consultants and analysts/experts in the film industry in Germany and Austria for over 20 years.
paul und collegen advise film productions, film funding institutions, ministries and broadcasters on questions of strategy and organization on the basis of well-founded market analyses.
The spectrum of analyses ranges from calculations of the economic and fiscal effects of the film industry, the analysis of film-induced tourism effects, the evaluation of the economic effects of film and film festivals, to the assessment of the financial situation of the authors involved in the film (revenue streams).
Michael Paul studied economics and is the author of numerous publications on media industry topics. He frequently appears as a moderator and keynote speaker at specialist conferences.
Tommy Pridnig
Tommy Pridnig
Tommy Pridnig is an Austrian film producer. He has been managing partner of the film production company Lotus Film since 2010.
In 1994, he enrolled at the Film Academy of the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, graduating with a master's degree in 2003. Between 2000 and 2006, he worked as a freelance production manager and executive producer. From 2006, he worked as a producer for Ulrich Seidl and has been a producer at Lotus Film since 2009. In 2010, he took over Lotus Film from its founder Erich Lackner and is now managing partner.
He is a three-time winner of the Austrian Film Award in the production category and also received the Austrian Film Award for best screenplay for Thank you for Bombing. He is a member of the Academy of Austrian Film, a jury member of the Zurich Film Foundation, chairman of the AAFP and a member of the supervisory board of the VAM.
Under his direction, Lotus Film has realized numerous cinema and TV productions, working with directors such as Stefan Ruzowitzky, Marvin Kren, Wim Wenders, Michael Glawogger, Adrian Goiginger and Barbara Eder.
Loredana Rehekampff
Loredana Rehekampff
Loredana Rehekampff, born in Romania and raised in Germany, studied media science and media management at the University of Cologne, graduating with a diploma. After working for X Filme Creative Pool, Studio Babelsberg, Herbstfilm and Dor Film Cologne, among others, she moved to Vienna in 2010 and worked in production on various films and series until 2013.
From 2013 to 2014 she was Film & Series Editor at ORF and then Producer at Aichholzer Filmproduktion and the animation studio arx anima.
Together with Andreas Schmied, she founded Samsara Filmproduktion in 2017 and is the managing partner.
For "RUBIKON" she received the award for best production at both the Kitzbühel Film Festival 2022 and the Diagonale 2023. For the film "KLAMMER - Chasing the Line" she received the ROMY for best production in 2022.
Loredana Rehekampff is an EAVE and ProPro graduate, Eurimage and Creative Media expert and was a member of the commission of the Austrian Film Institute from 2017 to 2020.
Roland Teichmann
Roland Teichmann
Roland Teichmann, born on April 19, 1970 in Salzburg, studied law at the Universities of Innsbruck and Vienna (graduation). At the end of 1999, Roland Teichmann began working as a lawyer in the Industry Division of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. In 2001, he became Managing Director of the Association of the Audiovisual and Film Industry and was subsequently appointed Director of the Austrian Film Institute.
Roland Teichmann has been director of the Austrian Film Institute since May 2004.
To date, Roland Teichmann has held the following positions (selection): Board member of the Austrian Film Commission, Board member of EFAD (European Film Agency Directors), Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Television Film Promotion Fund of the Austrian communications regulator RTR and member of the European Film Academy (EFA).
He regularly gives lectures at universities of applied sciences on the subject of film promotion and was appointed Chevalier de l' Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2008) and Chevalier de l`Ordre Grand-Ducal de la Couronne de Chêne (2016) of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg by the French Republic.
He is also co-author and co-editor of two books, "Handbook of State Aid for Film" (Springer Nature, 2018) and "Picturing Austrian Cinema" (Spector Books 2022).
Viktoria Veider-Walser
Viktoria Veider-Walser
Viktoria Veider-Walser, born on November 4, 1986 in Rum, Tyrol, studied at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and the Leopold-Franzens University of Innsbruck and successfully completed her PhD in April 2015 with a research focus on strategic management, family business research, innovation and the sharing economy.
Ambassadors
Michael von Wolkenstein
Michael von Wolkenstein
Michael von Wolkenstein was born in Vienna in 1940, the son of Dr. Anton von Wolkenstein and Martha-Sophie von Wolkenstein. He has been married to Astrid since 1968 and has two sons.
1959-1963 University of Vienna, Law
1965 Founding of his own company: MW Agentur für Film & TV
1966 Managing partner of SASCHA-UFA Werbefilm GmbH
1971 Foundation of SATEL TV & Film Production GmbH (Polygram, CABV, Selva)
1980 Foundation of Satel-Doc Int. London
1971 - 2006 President, Managing Director and shareholder of the SATEL Group
Michael von Wolkenstein has produced numerous cinema and television films, series and documentaries, including 38, Das weite Land, Schüler Gerber, Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald, Krambambuli, Alles für die Mafia, Andreas Hofer, Brennendes Geheimnis, Die Heilerin, Marie Bonaparte, Opernball, Radetzkymarsch, Vino Santo, Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg, Der Mixer, Der Sonne entgegen, Die Piefkesaga, Kottan ermittelt, Schlosshotel Orth, Soko Donau, Dinosaurier, Johann Strauß, John Houston, Krönungsmesse, Madagaskar, Schauplätze der Weltliteratur and much more.
Further functions
Since 1990 lay judge at the Commercial Court of Vienna, sworn expert for film and television
Board member and treasurer of FIAPF (Fédération International des Associations de Producteurs de Films) since 1991
Since 2006 member of the board of the SPIO (umbrella organization of the German film industry)
President of the Association of Friends of the Kitzbühel Film Festival since 2013
Co-founder and Honorary President of the Austrian Film Commission
Co-founder and board member of the VAM
Various awards, including the Golden Medal of Honor of the Republic of Austria
Veronika Ferres
Veronika Ferres
Veronica Ferres (born June 10, 1965) grew up in Solingen. After graduating from high school, she studied German, psychology and theater studies at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich before embarking on a career in acting, her true passion.
After her breakthrough with the Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated film Schtonk! by Helmut Dietl, she became known to a wide audience through her leading role in Das Superweib (1996). She proved her comedic talent in films such as Der Nanny by and with Matthias Schweighöfer, Unter deutschen Betten and in an episode of the hit series Jerks.
Other TV productions include Die Manns, Die Frau vom Checkpoint Charlie, Das Wunder von Berlin, Marco W. - 247 Tage im türkischen Gefängnis and Sie hat es verdient, the ZDF film Tod auf Raten, Liebe auf den ersten Trick and Unzertrennlich nach Verona, as well as the ZDF two-parter Im Wald and the Netflix show Berlin Station.
The ARD feature film Master of Death by Daniel Harrich attracted political attention. The sequel was broadcast on ARD on April 1, 2020. In 2019, she played a leading role in the short film Malou by director Adi Wojaczek and producer Patrick Mölleken, which premiered at the 23rd LA Shorts International Film Festival in Los Angeles. At the Oscar-qualifying 22nd Manhattan Short Film Festival, Malou was selected as a finalist for the 92nd Academy Awards 2020.
Since her Oscar nomination in 1992, she has regularly appeared in international productions, e.g. Catherine the Great with Catherine Zeta Jones, Klimt and Casanova Variations with John Malkovich, Les Misérables with Gérard Depardieu, Hector and the Search for Happiness with Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike and Jean Reno, Adam Resurrected with Jeff Goldblum, Pay the Ghost with Nicolas Cage, The Comedian with Robert de Niro, Danny DeVito and Harvey Keitel, Siberia with Keanu Reeves, Werner Herzog's Salt and Fire with Michael Shannon and Gael Garcia Bernal, Death of an Author with Sir Ben Kingsley and Berlin, I love You with Helen Mirren and Keira Knightley.
In 2019, she starred in Dreamland with Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer and Luke Evans, the mystery thriller The Darker the Lake directed by Lok Kwan Woo, the romantic comedy Love, Weddings and Other Disasters with Diane Keaton and Jeremy Irons, Best Sellers with Michael Caine and Every Breath You Take with Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan and Sam Claflin, among others.
Her filmography includes more than 100 films, including 25 international productions. She is also a successful stage actress, among others at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, Bayerisches Staatstheater; from 2002 to 2004 she played the "Buhlschaft", the leading female role in Jedermann, the traditional opening play of the Salzburg Festival.
She has received numerous prizes and awards, including the Adolf Grimme Gold Award, the German Television Award and several Golden Cameras, as well as the Bavarian Television Award and the Bambi, the international Emmy Award and many international awards. In 2006 she received the Bavarian Order of Merit and in 2019 the prestigious European Medal.
In 2013, she founded her own production company, Construction Film, which produces German and international films.
Karol Martesko window
Karol Martesko window
Austrian-born Karol Martesko-Fenster is a respected American entrepreneur who has made a name for himself in American independent film over the past few decades. Through his expertise in feature film, broadcasting, publishing and the Internet, he has been instrumental in advancing the media industry.
Karol is managing partner of Cinelan and Thought Engine / Media Group and works closely with Abramorama, Gull Gotham and Iridium One Entertainment.
In 2011, he joined S2BN Entertainment and was responsible for media interests, development, acquisition, production, licensing and distribution. In 2008, Karol Martesko-Fenster worked at Babel Networks as Senior Vice President and General Manager, among others for the online and mobile distribution platform babelgum.com. Prior to that, he worked as a strategic consultant for various film and media companies, including Arts Alliance, T5M/Rightster, Com, SBI Management and Tribeca Enterprise.
Karol served as producer for Torno Subito - Maurizio Cattelan by Maura Axelrod and Homme Less by Thomas Wirthensohn. He was also an executive producer on Phil Cox's The Love Hotel ('14), The Bengali Detective (2013 Grierson Documentary Award, 2011 Sundance and Berlin Film Festival), Danfung Dennis' Hell And Back Again (2013 Emmy nomination for Best Documentary). (2013 Grierson Documentary Award, 2012 Oscar nomination for Best Documentary, 2011 Sundance winner of the World Documentary Grand Jury Award and Best Cinematography Award), Noel Dernesch & Moritz Springer's Journey To Jah (2013 Zurich Film Festival Audience Award), Havana Markings Smash & Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers ('13), Amy Benson's The Girl who Knew Too Much and Daniel McCabe's This Is Congo.
Karol also oversaw all phases of production and distribution on multiple platforms of Emmett Malloy's Big Easy Express (2013 Grammy winner, 2012 SXSW Audience Award) and is working with Leslie Iwerks on her film Citizen Hearst ('13), Sing Your Song with Harry Belafonte and Michael Cohl (winner of 2012 NAACP Image Awards, 2011 Sundance US Documentary Competition). Karol was executive producer on James Smith's Floored ('10), Jamie King and Peter Mann's Dark Fiber ('10), co-executive producer on Dean Budnick & Peter Shapiro's Wetlands Preserved: The Story of an Activist Nightclub ('06), executive producer of Rob Nilsson's Frank Dead Souls ('06), producer of Gordon Eriksen & Heather Johnston's Scenes from the New World ('94), Myth or Reality - The von Trapp Family ('92) and worked with Richard Linklater on his film Before Sunrise ('95), which opened the Sundance Film Festival and won the Silver Bear in Berlin.
Previously, Karol was General Manager of Film at Palm Pictures and Chairman of the RES Media Group, which is also part of Chris Blackwell's Palm company. During those five years, he oversaw the strategic reorganization of the film division and was responsible for the Palm film projects Scratch and Sex and Lucia. Karol oversaw all operations and brand positioning for the RES division, including responsibility for the RESFEST Digital Film Festival, a digital arts and entertainment festival that has now expanded to six continents, 19 countries and 40 cities.
Prior to Palm, Karol spent three years as president and editor of Rising Tide Studio, a unified media and convergence company, where he contributed to the distribution and development of Silicon Alley Reporter and Digital Coast Reporter Magazine, as well as numerous media, financial and technology conferences.
In the early 1990s, he produced Great Performances Music on PBS as well as over 20 music TV formats and five live programs, including: Gala of the Stars, Mozart in Salzburg by James Levine, Celebrating Gershwin: S'Wonderful & The Jazz Age, Don Giovanni with Herbert von Karajan, Madama Butterfly with Hal Prince, Pavarotti Returns to Naples and From Vienna: The New Year's Concert with Walter Cronkite.
Karol was Sales Manager during the breakthrough of the Independent Film Market in 1989 and Managing Director of the Independent Feature Project in 1990, where he restructured the film services organization and helped launch the Gotham Awards.
Throughout his career, Karol has always been at the forefront of new developments. For example, he launched the first worldwide digital release of a feature film, Big Easy Express, ahead of the traditional iTunes release. Karol also realized the groundbreaking mobile episodic distribution of a feature film (Sally Potter's RAGE) as well as the web distribution of 9 prequels during the production of the award-winning documentary The Bengali Detectives. In addition, Karol co-founded and initiated conditionone.com, cinelan.com, indieWIRE.com, Filmmaker Magazine, RES Magazine and the Virtual Film Festival.
Karol has worked for the following Webby Award nominated and award-winning companies: FOCUS FORWARD - Short Films, Big Ideas '12, Sally Potter's RAGE '10, epitonic.com '03, indieWIRE.com '01 & '03 and sputnik7. com 2001. Karol has appeared in numerous international publications and regularly speaks at film and media events around the globe focusing on transformative entrepreneurship and immersive, video-based applications. His current and past platforms include Bella Gaia, The Collaborative Film, Rising Tide Studios, WorkBookProject and Hamptons International, as well as the LA Independent Film Festival.
Born in Vienna, Karol has lived in over 20 international cities and is fluent in German and English. He received a B.A. from SUNY Purchase and an M.F.A. from Columbia University with concentrations in media law, theater management and film production. When not working, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife Julia and their three children.
Nicole Beutler
Nicole Beutler
Nicole Beutler, born in Vienna, began her classical ballet training at the age of four. She began her career at the theater (Theater in der Josefstadt). In addition to her work on stage, she has appeared in countless cinema and television films and shows such as Schlosshotel Orth (ZDF/ORF), Bernds Hexe (RTL) and Der Bergdoktor (ZDF).
She is currently filming the 6th season of the show Vorstadtweiber (ORF/ARD) and the 3rd season of Walking on Sunshine (ORF).
She has appeared in international films such as Klimt (with John Malkovich), directed by Raoul Ruiz, Princesse Marie (with Catherine Deneuve), directed by Benoît Jacquot, and The Bucket, directed by Francesca Pollak.
In 2020, she was cast for the BBC/Netflix series The Serpent, alongside Tahar Rahim and Jenna Coleman. She is also a chansonnière and performs with the Ensemble der Wiener Theatermusiker in the programs #CHANSON, Wien - Paris - Retour and Liebes Lied!
Nicole Beutler is fluent in German, French and English and works in all three languages.
Further information can be found at www.nicole-beutler.com.
Stefan Arndt
Stefan Arndt
Stefan Arndt was born in Munich in 1961. Together with directors Tom Tykwer, Dani Levy and Wolfgang Becker, he founded the creative community X Filme Creative Pool in 1994. Arndt is the producer of the films in the X Filme Creative Pool (including Run Lola Run, Good Bye, Lenin!, Amour, Cloud Atlas, The White Ribbon) and manages the company together with Uwe Schott.
In 2000, Stefan Arndt founded X Verleih AG together with Manuela Stehr. He was a co-founder of the Berlin Sputnik collective and a founding member of the German Film Academy, for which he also served as chairman until November 2009. He has been head of the directing department at HFF Munich since 2016.
FILMOGRAPHY
Producer of:
Tom Tykwer's Die tödliche Maria, Winter Sleepers, Run Lola Run, The Warrior and the Empress, Heaven (in collaboration with Miramax), Three, A Hologram for the King
Wolfgang Becker's Life is a Construction Site, Good Bye, Lenin!, Me & Kaminski
Dani Levy's Silent Night, Meschugge, My Guide, The Kangaroo Chronicles
Michael Haneke's The White Bank, Amour, Happy End
also: Babylon Berlin (writer and director: Tom Tykwer, Hendrik Handloegten, Achim von Borries), Absolute Giants (Sebastian Schipper), Agnes and His Brothers (Oskar Roehler), Cloud Atlas (Tom Tykwer, Lana and Andy Wachowski), Sources of Life (Oskar Roehler), The Dark Valley (Andreas Prochaska), Everyone Dies Alone (Vincent Perez), Before Dawn (Maria Schrader), Frantz (Francois Ozon) and Two Gentlemen in Suits (Written and directed by: Sepp Bierbichler)
AWARDS
1x Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, 1x Oscar nomination for Best Picture, 7x Oscar nominations, 2x Palme d'Or, 2x Golden Globe, 38x German Film Award, 10x European Film Award, 16x Bavarian Film Award, 6x César, 1x Critics Choice Movie Award and more.
Prof. Dr. jur. Klaus Schaefer
Prof. Dr. jur. Klaus Schaefer
Born in Frankfurt am Main in 1952. Studied law at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich from 1973 to 1977. First state examination in law in 1977, second state examination in law in Munich in 1980. 1981 Doctorate at the LMU (subject: copyright law).
1981 to 1987 consultant at the Bavarian State Ministry for Education and Culture and at the Bavarian State Representation in Bonn, 1987 to 1989 Head of Division at the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and the Arts in the Bavarian State Chancellery, 1989 to 1995 Head of the Media Law and Media Policy Division in the Bavarian State Chancellery.
1995 to 2000, initially responsible for the foundation, then deputy managing director and authorized signatory of FilmFernsehFonds Bayern GmbH (FFF Bayern). From January 1, 2001 to January 31, 2018 Managing Director of FFF Bayern.
Since 1995 lecturer at the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF), 2007 awarded the honorary professorship of the HFF; since February 1, 2018 lawyer in Munich/Pullach.
Arno Ortmair
Arno Ortmair
The founder and managing partner of Film-Line Productions GmbH in Munich, Vienna and Berlin and Eclypse Filmpartner in Vienna has been a successful producer of German and international cinema and television films for many years. Arno Ortmair is an expert in international co-productions and film financing. In 1987, he founded Film-Line in Germany and Austria as a service production company for American and English feature films (James Bond, Shining Trog, I SPY) and gained know-how and experience that later benefited him in the development and production of his own projects.
His own productions include feature films such as Klimt (Raoul Ruiz, John Malkovich), The Poet (Dougray Scot, Laura Harring) and TABU - Es ist die Seele ein Fremdes auf Erden (Christoph Stark, Lars Eidinger), as well as award-winning major TV events such as Das ewige Lied (Franz Xaver Bogner), Die Schwabenkinder (Jo Baier) and Margarete Steiff (Xaver Schwarzenberger).
In addition to his work as a producer, he was chairman of the Association of German Film Producers for six years. During this time, he significantly expanded and rejuvenated the association and made it the most important lobby for independent producers. He represented the interests of the association as holder of the following honorary positions/member of the following committees
Chairman of the Association of German Film Producers
FFA Board Member
FFA Prize Committee
FFA Kiss Innovation Committee
FFA Working Group on German Film Heritage
Presidium of the umbrella organization of the film industry (SPIO)
International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF)
German Films
VGF Advisory Board
AGICOA
CSU Film Commission
Austrian Producers Association Film-Austria
European Producers Club
In May 2017, Arno Ortmair handed over the chairmanship of the Association of German Film Producers to a younger board member. He is now focusing on expanding his company in collaboration with international financing and production partners and media companies.
Dr. Gottfried Langenstein
Dr. Gottfried Langenstein
Born on March 15, 1954 in Munich
Studied philosophy, psychology and politics
1979 - 1982 Munich Theater Festival, responsible for French productions, including Mephisto and Richard III by Ariane Mnouchkine
1986 - 1987 Coordinator of the science exhibition for Berlin's 750th anniversary celebrations
1989 - 1995 Head of the ZDF department for general foreign relations
1995 - 1998 ZDF Online Coordinator
1995 - 2000 Chief editor of the ZDF International Affairs department
1996 - 2000 Member of the Supervisory Board of TransTel GmbH
1994 - 2000 Head of the ZDF Festival Commission
1998 - 2000 Vice President of the Television Committee of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
2000 - 2017 Chairman of the Board of Directors of 3sat
2002 - 2017 Board of Trustees "Museum Island" and Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK)
2002 - 2016 ARTE Board of Directors/Vice President and President
Current functions:
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Allianz Cultural Foundation
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Technical University of Munich
Member of the Wüstenrot Foundation
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Mecklenburg Festival
Member of the Max Planck Society
Member of the advisory board of the Kitzbühel Film Festival
Awards:
Knight of the Legion of Honor
Bavarian Order of Merit
Medal for special services to Bavaria in a united Europe
Badge of Honor of the Max Planck Society
Holger Fuchs
Holger Fuchs
Born in Bavaria, he discovered his passion for film during his studies as a projectionist at an arthouse cinema in Ulm. In 1995, he completed his training as a film theater salesman (rinke medien consult) and became a partner in Pro Video Mediatheken.
He worked in film distribution at PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (Universal Pictures) in Hamburg until 1998 and then moved to Buena Vista International (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Germany) in Munich. He worked there as Theatrical Branch Manager until 2007.
From 2007, Holger took over the role of Head of Distribution at Concorde Filmverleih. From 2010 to 2016, he was Marketing & Sales Director at Constantin Film Verleih. Until 2020, he acted as Managing Director and Co-Producer for Concorde Film Verleih (Tele München Gruppe / Leonine Studios) in Grünwald. Until 2022 Managing Director and Producer of Mavie Films GmbH in Potsdam.
Since 2022 Managing Director of Opus Mediengruppe and Managing Director of Pexcom GmbH - Public Exhibition & Communication, United Contents GmbH, VEA- Verwertungseinrichtung Audiovision GmbH in Munich, and Großes Kino Merchandise & Event GmbH in Wachenheim.
