guests
september 2022
Ana Agopian
Ana Agopian graduated from The National University of Film and Theater “I.L.Caragiale” (screenwriting and film critics) and the European College of Liberal Arts (ECLA) Berlin. She has a PHD in literature (University of Bucharest). She worked as a scriptwriter, together with Oana Răsuceanu and Iulia Rugină, for several short/medium length films and three feature films (Love Building, Another Love Building and Breaking News) which were shown at numerous national and international film festivals. Her most recent feature film, Breaking News (2017), premiered at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Official Competition, Special Jury Mention for the actress Voica Oltean). The short film E.T. was here is her debut film as a director and it was shown at Transilvania International Film Festival (2018). As a scriptwriter she also collaborated with Media Pro Pictures (for four TV series and two TV movies) and HBO Romania (for one TV series). Ana has an important experience in cultural management. In 2009, together with Oana Răsuceanu and Iulia Rugină, Ana founded Control N Cultural Association and she was involved in all the projects developed by the association since then. Currently, Ana teaches screenwriting at The National University of Film and Theater “I.L.Caragiale”. She is also a trainer for scriptwriting workshops.
Julie Billy
Julie Billy produced around a dozen films at Haut et Court including Gagarine by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh (Official Selection Cannes 2020) or A Chiara by Jonas Carpignano (Director’s Fortnight Award 2021). She produced a wide range of films from the genre film The Night Eats the World by Dominique Rocher (Tribeca) to a social feature documentary Latifa by Olivier Peyon and Cyril Brody (Rotterdam). Her international co-production credits include Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster, Nadav Lapid’s The Kindergarten Teacher and Jonas Carpignano’s A Ciambra. Julie co-founded Collectif 5050, which promotes gender equality and diversity in the industry. In 2020, Julie co-founded the production company June Films with Naomi Denamur. By combining their complementary expertise in the marketplace and in production, June develops, produces and co-produces innovative, socially committed and intimate films with an international scope. June brings together the family of filmmakers it has met over the years and fosters the emergence of new talent, while offering a modern production model. June’s lineup includes the next features by Hafsia Herzi, Clémence Poésy, Fanny Liatard & Jérémy Trouilh, Emma Benestan.
Bianca Oana
Dedicated to discovering filmmakers with a particular artistic view, Berlin-based Romanian producer Bianca Oana has been building, over the past 10 years, a solid expertise in handling challenging, unconventional filmmaking processes, at the unpredictable border between fiction and reality, and with complex international co-production structures. Oana has been involved since 2009, in developing, producing and distributing multi-awarded art-house films including Collective by Alexander Nanau (double Oscar nominee in 2021 for Best Documentary and Best International Feature), Golden Bear winner Touch Me Not by Adina Pintilie, Toto and his Sisters by Alexander Nanau, and Turn off the Lights by Ivana Mladenović. As guest-expert and advisor, Oana held lectures at institutions and events such as Berlinale Talents, Berlin (2019), Consolidating European Cooperation Through Co-Production, Bucharest (2019 conference organised by MEDIA Creative Europe Romania), Days for a Creative Europe, Paris (2018 conference organised by the Council of Europe), International Conference on Women in Film Industry – Zagreb (2019), and others. She has served as a jury member for festivals and funding bodies such as IDFA Bertha Fund & IDFA Forum, Sundance Film Institute, Cinelink Sarajevo, Visions du Reel, InterFilm Berlin Script Pitch, and others. She is currently producing Adina Pintilie's second feature Death and the Maiden, and Theo Montoya's debut Anhell69. She is also the creative producer of the Romanian Pavilion of the 59th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia with Adina Pintilie's You Are Another Me - A Cathedral of the Body.
Delia Vasile
Delia Vasile is a communicator, psychologist and psychotherapist with a humanistic approach, based in Bucharest, Romania. She graduated from the Faculty of Letters and the Faculty of Psychology and since 2012 she has started her training in Transactional Analysis with Yorkshire Training Centre International. She has had learning experiences and professional training in Romania, Great Britain, Germany, France and the USA. She has a professional background in communication, public relations and entrepreneurship, which she uses in order to understand human and social experience from a wide range of perspectives. Since 2015, she has worked in private practice as a psychotherapist, with individuals and couples. Her therapeutic approach is a narrative one, being passionate about understanding life stories and the scripts people act out in their lives.
residents
september 2022
Hedda Bednarszky
Hedda Bednarszky is a filmmaker from Romania. In her work, she tends to document little-known people and places by truly connecting with her characters and challenging the narrative. Her graduation film Catlady (2017) received a special mention at Transilvania IFF and the award for best documentary at Filmul de Piatra. After completing her BA studies at the Faculty of Theatre and Film in Cluj, she attended the Aristoteles Workshop, where she developed Wild Berries (2018) as co-director and editor. The short was awarded at Black Canvas FCC and Dokufest and was screened internationally. She’s currently studying Film Directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB).
Seemab Gul
Seemab Gul is a Pakistani artist and filmmaker with an interest in social-realism. Sandstorm is her latest short film and it’s been to over fifty festivals and won five awards. Her documentary Zahida won the Audience Award at Tasveer SAFF and was broadcast on Al Jazeera. Her films have screened at Venice, Sundance, Seattle, Uppsala, DokLeipzig and many international festivals. She attended the Venice Biennale College Cinema, La Fabrique Cinema (Cannes) and Berlinale Talents. Seemab is a graduate of the London Film School.
Sam Manacsa
Sam Manacsa worked as Art Director on award-winning films such as Carlo Francisco Manatad’s WHETHER THE WEATHER IS FINE (Locarno Junior Jury Award 2021) and Giancarlo Abrahan’s PLEASE • CARE (2017) and SILA-SILA (2019), among others. Her short film, IF PEOPLE SUCH AS WE CEASE TO EXIST (2016), was selected in Clermont-Ferrand Competition as well as Kurzfilmtage Winterthur (Special Programmes) and SeaShorts competition. She is an alumna of SEAFIC Seed Lab and Asian Film Academy.
Lauri-Matti Parppei
Lauri-Matti Parppei is a Finnish filmmaker and musician, and has graduated from ELO Film School Finland, Aalto University. They’ve directed and written numerous short films (some even award-winning) and the TV series A Strange Summer, released in August 2022. At the moment, Lauri-Matti is developing and writing two features and the second season of the series. Lauri-Matti’s works explore loneliness, friendship and love, combining visuality with intimacy and sensitivity. Aside from making films, Parppei has explored multiple other mediums, releasing six full-length albums with two different bands, working as graphic designer and illustrator, and making experimental and interactive visual art.
Emil Vasilache
Emil Vasilache is a Bucharest based writer and project manager at Cinepub.ro. He holds an MA degree in Screenwriting from the Caragiale Academy for Theater and Film in Bucharest. Together with Lucia Chicoș he wrote four short films, among which, Contraindications (2019, d. Lucia Chicoș) - won the third prize at the Cinéfondation competition in Cannes 2020. Through his writing, he explores subcultures and anti-coming-of-age stories.
Kate Voet
Kate Voet is a Belgian writer and film director from Brussels. Having studied English literature, theater studies and film at the University of Amsterdam, LUCA and The New School, her roots have become international. Additionally she participated in various labs with her projects such as IFFR PRO x VRDays IFM Content, Stereopsia Booster lab, and European Short pitch. After her short films Les Homards Immortels and The Tears of Things, she is now writing her debut feature To Everything there is a Season, together with Nadja Dumouchel and developing an animated VR experience, The Time of a Moment, together with Victor Maes.
Nadja Dumouchel
Experienced in international production and co-production for ARTE (G.E.I.E) and in international sales for Premium Films, Nadja Dumouchel is now working internationally as a screenwriter, script consultant and tutor for several film labs. Based in Berlin, she's currently co-writing the debut films To Everything there is a Season with Kate Voet, Cheramy with Suzy Gillett and the series Berliners with Nicolas Ducray. Previously, she wrote the documentary series Art Stories, directed by Philipp Mayrhofer. She's also teaching script writing at Filmuniversität Konrad Wolf in Babelsberg and she is co-founder of script development programs La Scénaristerie and FULL CIRCLE LAB.
Kat Whalen
Kat Whalen is an independent filmmaker based in New York. Originally from Wyoming, she studied film and animation at Yale and later received an MFA in writing/directing from New York University. Her thesis film ‘Bird Dog’ had its premiere in 2017 at Clermont-Ferrand. Most recently, she has been working as a miniatures, stop-motion, and video producer. Her personal work examines memory and mental health, as well as the shifting face of the West and the development of western mythology.
Ka Ki Wong
Ka Ki Wong graduated from the London Film School with, MA in Filmmaking in 2018. Her graduation film I Draw Inside A Sheep (2018) was selected at the BAFTA-qualifying Underwire Film Festival 2018. Her short film Dark Room (2019) was selected for the 72nd Locarno Filmmakers Academy. Her short film, Wild Child (2020) won the Fresh Wave Award at 14th Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival. She is also an alumnus of Berlinale Talents 2021, Locarno Filmmakers Academy and the 10th Golden Horse Film Academy. Fire Room will be her debut feature project and it has been selected to participate at Berlinale Talents Script Station 2021, Udine Far East Focus Asia All Genres Project Market 2022 and 18th Hong Kong Asian Film Financing Forum.