The film funding committee consists of 5 members: 4 film and cinema experts (creative, production/financing, distribution, broadcaster) who rotate from the pool listed below, plus the managing director of the film funding body, Sarah Duve-Schmid.
Creative / Dramaturgy
İlker Çatak was born in Berlin in 1984 and grew up in Istanbul. He studied directing in Berlin and Hamburg; his graduation film SADAKAT (2014) won numerous awards, including the Student Academy Award in Gold. His feature debut ES WAR EINMAL INDIANERLAND was released in 2017, followed by ES GILT DAS GESPROCHENE WORT (Bronze Lola 2020) and RÄUBERHÄNDE (2021). He has also worked in television, including an episode of the series TATORT. His film DAS LEHRERZIMMER premiered at the Berlinale in 2023, received multiple awards, and was nominated for the 2024 Oscar for Best International Feature Film. His current film GELBE BRIEFE was awarded the Golden Bear at the 2026 Berlinale.
Creative / Dramaturgy
David Hadda is a producer. Born in Frankfurt/Main in 1984, he studied law in Heidelberg and Cologne and completed his legal clerkship in Berlin. Already during his studies, he wrote as an author for comedy formats. At the TV channel Tele 5, he first worked in Distribution & Business Affairs, later as Creative Director for original productions. With his production company Turbokultur, he has been developing and producing fiction and non-fiction formats since 2018, including award-winning projects such as HEROES, DEADLINES, LAMIA, GEDANKENPALAST, BOSETTI LATE NIGHT, and FREITAGNACHT JEWS (including Grimme Award, German Television Award). Turbokultur specializes in innovative series and show formats that combine socially relevant topics with contemporary storytelling. David Hadda is the creator, screenwriter, and showrunner of the multi-award-winning series DIE ZWEIFLERS.
Creative / Dramaturgy
Mariko Minoguchi, half German and half Japanese, was born in Munich in 1988. At the age of 18, she directed her first short film and subsequently gained experience working on various film productions. Her feature debut MEIN ENDE. DEIN ANFANG. received, among others, the Prize of the German Film Critics for Best Debut Film and Best Screenplay. Together with Tim Fehlbaum, she co-wrote the screenplay for his film TIDES, which premiered at the 71st Berlinale. The anthology series ZEIT VERBRECHEN was screened in the Panorama section at the 2024 Berlinale. Afterwards, it was named Crime Series of the Year and received the German Acting Award for Best Ensemble.
In 2026, the feature film DIE ANDERE SEITE will be released in cinemas.
Creative / Dramaturgy
Laila Stieler was born in Thuringia in 1965. After finishing school, she first worked at “Elektrokohle Lichtenberg” and then at East German television, before studying dramaturgy at the Konrad Wolf University of Film and Television in Babelsberg from 1986 to 1990. Since 1990, she has worked as a writer, dramaturge, and producer for film and television productions. Many of her screenplays have been directed by Andreas Dresen, including STILLES LAND (1992), DIE POLIZISTIN (2000, Adolf Grimme Award in Gold), WILLENBROCK (2005, International Literature Film Prize), GUNDERMANN (2018, German Film Award), RABIYE KURNAZ GEGEN GEORGE W. BUSH (Berlinale 2022, Silver Bear for Best Screenplay), and IN LIEBE, EURE HILDE.
Other screenplays by her include LIEBESLEBEN (dir. Maria Schrader) and DIE FRISEUSE (dir. Doris Dörrie). Her television screenplays include NSU – DIE OPFER – VERGESST MICH NICHT (2016, dir. Züli Aladag), BRIEF AN MEIN LEBEN (2015, dir. Urs Egger), and DIE LEHRERIN (2011, dir. Tim Trageser). With the much-acclaimed screenplay for TINA MOBIL (2021, dir. Richard Huber), Laila Stieler created her first series (Grimme Award and DAfF Award).
Creative / Dramaturgy
Martina Zöllner, who studied German and English, first worked as a freelance culture journalist before joining SWR, where she headed the editorial department for cultural documentaries, later for documentary film. In 2011, she became Head of Culture at SWR, and in 2013 Head of the department “Film and Culture.” She was also a member of the jury of MFG Baden-Württemberg. In 2017, she moved to RBB to take over the department “Documentary and Fiction,” and from 2021 onward she was responsible for the RBB culture program, including the areas of fiction and documentary. She initiated and oversaw numerous award-winning productions for television and cinema and supported emerging filmmakers. Under her leadership, series such as TINA MOBIL, WARTEN AUF'N BUS, and LEGAL AFFAIRS were produced for Das Erste and the ARD Mediathek. She has repeatedly been committed to the documentary auteur film. Following the so-called RBB crisis, she became RBB Program Director in 2023. Martina Zöllner is a Grimme Award winner and three-time recipient of the German Television Award. In 2024, she decided to leave RBB and has since been working as a freelance author, project developer, and dramaturge. In 2025, she was appointed president of the Vertrauensstelle Themis.
Production / Financing
Dr. Andreas Bareiß has been Managing Director and Artistic Director of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg since May 2025. Previously, he worked as a media lawyer as well as a producer and member of the management team of the German branch of the Gaumont Group, where he played a key role in establishing and leading the Berlin office. As a producer at Gaumont, he was responsible, among other projects, for the multi-award-winning international series IN HER CAR. Andreas Bareiß studied law in Berlin and Paris, film production in Ludwigsburg and Paris, and earned a doctorate in U.S. law. He has more than 15 years of experience in the national and international film and media industry.
Production / Financing
Since 2006, Emely Christians has been Managing Director and Partner of Ulysses Filmproduktion, and is one of Europe’s leading producers of high-quality animated films such as LUIS UND DIE ALIENS, NIKO – EIN RENTIER HEBT AB, and MAURICE DER KATER (invited to Sundance and nominated for the European Film Award).
For OOPS! NOAH IS GONE…, she was named European Producer of the Year in 2016 by the Cartoon Media Association. In 2018, together with her co-producers, she received the Bavarian Film Award for ÜBERFLIEGER.
Emely Christians is a board member of the Deutsche Filmakademie (Animation Section), an advisory board member of German Films, and a member of the European Film Academy.
Among her most recent successes is NIKO – REISE ZU DEN POLARLICHTERN, which attracted over 740,000 cinema-goers in Germany in 2024. She is currently producing THE AMAZING MAURICE 2 – THE WATERS OF LIFE and PIRATE MO, based on the bestselling novel SEERÄUBERMOSES by Kirsten Boie.
Production / Financing
Philipp Kreuzer is a film producer and lawyer. In 2015, he co-founded Maze Pictures, based in Munich and Berlin, later Supernix. He is also the founder of the new Penzing Studios.
In the past, he has overseen numerous co-productions at Eurimages, worked for a U.S. studio, and held various management positions at the Bavaria Film Group. In 2017, he produced THE HAPPY PRINCE, for which he received the Bavarian Film Award. His current productions include NINE PERFECT STRANGERS (2025), CLIFFHANGER (2025), RUMOURS (2024), THE CROW (2024), as well as the television series PHOENIX (2025), DIE PURPURNEN FLÜSSE (2018–2022), and HIMMEL HERRGOTT SAKRAMENT (2023, 2025).
He is active in film policy, a member of both the European and German Film Academies. He has served on the funding commissions of ÖFI, Filmfonds Wien, and FFF Bayern. Since 2023, he has also been Chairman of the Board of German Films.
Production / Financing
Malika Rabahallah was born in France and studied business administration and languages in Paris. After completing her studies, she initially worked as a tour guide in Costa Rica before moving to Germany. There, she began her career at the International Film and Television Festival in Cologne, where she specialized in international program research and building worldwide partnerships. Later, she completed the German-French Masterclass at FEMIS and the Filmakademie Ludwigsburg, focusing on international film financing.
For over a decade, she worked as a documentary film producer in Berlin before joining MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein in 2011. She started as a consultant for international co-productions and soon took over the management of the funding department. Since January 2024, Malika Rabahallah has been the Head of FILMFEST HAMBURG. She is a member of the European Film Academy (EFA) and belongs to the producer network EAVE.
Photo: © Carolin Windel
Production / Financing
Julia Rappold is a producer at Construction Film, where she develops series and feature film projects in collaboration with public broadcasters, international streamers, as well as for the national and international theatrical market.
Previously, she worked as Senior Executive Producer at Sky Studios Germany. A graduate of the EAVE program, she produced her first feature films at Lieblingsfilm, including the theatrical comedy BECKENRAND SHERIFF and most recently the ZDF Monday night film FAMILIE IS NICH. Immediately after completing her studies in law and political science, she joined FFF Bayern as a funding executive with a focus on talent and theatrical film support.
She has been actively involved on a voluntary basis for many years, including at DOK.fest Munich, served as a jury member of the Munich Screenplay Workshop in 2021, and from 2022 to 2024 was part of the talent funding committee of Hessen Film und Medien. In 2023–2024, she participated in the Audiovisual Women Leadership Program of the Erich Pommer Institute.
Julia Rappold lives with her family in Munich.
Distribution
Daniela Elstner began her professional career in 1996 in France at Unifrance. In October 1998, she joined Les Films du Losange, where she worked alongside Margaret Menegoz to establish the company’s international department.
In 2008, she became partner and managing director at Doc & Film International. Under her leadership, the audiovisual distribution company expanded into feature films and built a catalog of more than 800 titles, which were sold worldwide and recognized by international critics and festivals.
Since the end of 2019, Daniela Elstner has been at the helm of Unifrance, the organization dedicated to promoting French cinema and audiovisual productions abroad. Currently chaired by Gilles Pélisson, the association employs more than 50 staff members and counts 1,000 members.
Photo: © Marie Rouge / Unifrance
Distribution
Andreas Fink has more than 30 years of experience in film distribution, both on the exhibition and distribution side.
He began his career as manager of three UFA cinemas, followed by 16 years working in sales for film distributors. After several years at Tobis StudioCanal in distribution, he most recently served as branch manager at Twentieth Century Fox of Germany. In this role, he was also involved in the successful release of German productions such as KRABAT, WHAT A MAN, and SCHLUSSMACHER.
For more than 10 years now, he has been Head of Film Acquisition at Cineplex, Germany’s largest medium-sized cinema group.
In addition to his work in film acquisition, Andreas Fink was for many years an active member of the distribution funding juries of both the BKM and the FFA.
Distribution
Björn Hoffmann is Managing Partner of Pandora Film Medien GmbH. After completing his degree in Media Management at TU Ilmenau, he joined Pandora Film Distribution in 2004, where he held various positions. He has been leading the company since 2018. In addition, he serves as Chairman of the Board of AG Verleih. He has overseen the release of award-winning films such as WALTZ WITH BASHIR, SOUL KITCHEN, ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE, GUNDERMANN, CLOSE, and FALLEN LEAVES.
Distribution
Johanna Pfeiffer is Vice President Marketing at The Walt Disney Company DACH. Having held various marketing positions at Disney since 2000, she took over as Head of Studio Marketing in Germany in 2014 and, in 2017, assumed responsibility as Chief Marketing Officer for all entertainment business units in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Since Disney’s entry into the streaming market in 2020, her main focus—alongside marketing major theatrical blockbusters—has been on further developing the marketing of this newly created segment. She has extensive expertise in brand management and brand strategy, communications, and digital transformation in the entertainment sector.
Broadcasters
Born in 1985 in Hamburg, Hauke Bartel is Head of Fiction at RTL Deutschland, where he is responsible for all original fiction productions for RTL+, RTL, and VOX. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Media Management from HMTM Hannover and a Master’s degree in Media Studies from Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf. Alongside his studies, he directed the international student film festival Sehsüchte in 2013. He began his career at RTL Group in 2014 as a commissioning editor for series acquisitions at VOX and RTL, before moving in 2017 into the newly created role of Head of Fiction at VOX, where he oversaw the channel’s original scripted productions. In 2020, he was appointed Head of Fiction for the entire group.
Hauke Bartel is a member of the film funding committees of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and FFF Bayern, of the German Television Academy, and of the Board of Trustees of Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf.
Photo: © RTL Deutschland / Julian Mathieu
Broadcaster
Solveig Cornelisen was born in 1972 in Westerland/Sylt. She studied history, cultural studies, and film studies in Göttingen, Berkeley, and Berlin. After early professional experiences in film production, radio journalism, the repertory cinema Arsenal, and the International Forum of New Cinema, she went on to develop and produce television films and series as a dramaturg and producer.
Since autumn 2015, she has been an editor in the main editorial department for TV Film/Series I at ZDF. In 2019, she took on the role of deputy head of the TV Film I editorial department. She oversees projects for the primetime slot Television Film of the Week, event series, and German-language theatrical co-productions. Among them are the award-winning TV films AUFBRUCH IN DIE FREIHEIT, DIE BÜRGERMEISTERIN, and STERBEN FÜR BEGINNER, as well as the feature film comedies ZWEI ZU EINS and SOPHIA, DER TOD UND ICH.
Photo: © ZDF / Ulrike Lenz
Broadcaster
Kerstin Freels, who studied theatre studies, German studies, and sociology, began her career as a theatre dramaturg and assistant director, as well as working in public relations. After several years in event management and as head of marketing in cultural and concert management, she went on to work as a producer and editor on award-winning, high-profile films and series for RTL (HINTER GITTERN), Sat.1 (German Television Award for VERLIEBT IN BERLIN), as well as for SWR and RBB (Grimme Awards for TINA MOBIL and HERRHAUSEN as commissioning editor).
In addition, at rbb she was responsible for numerous other films and series for Das Erste and the ARD Mediathek, including WARTEN AUF’N BUS, MAPA, LEGAL AFFAIRS, DIE GETRIEBENEN, ELDORADO KADEWE, WENDEZEIT, DIE RAABEN, and WAPO BERLIN. Since 2024, Kerstin Freels has been Head of Film at RBB, and since November 2025 she has also served as Acting Head of the Culture Department at RBB.
Broadcaster
Dr. Stefan Gärtner is Managing Director of SevenPictures Film GmbH and Senior Vice President Co-Production & Film Policy at Seven.One Entertainment Group GmbH.
He studied modern history, general rhetoric, empirical cultural studies, and law at the University of Tübingen and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. After completing his legal clerkship, he earned his doctorate in 1996 at the Max Planck Institute in Munich with a dissertation on “Shock Advertising.” He began his career in 1996 as an employee of ProSieben Television GmbH and, since 2008, has served as Senior Vice President Co-Production & Film Policy at today’s Seven.One Entertainment Group GmbH. In addition, since 2000 he has been Managing Director of SevenPictures Film GmbH, the theatrical co-production arm of the Seven.One Entertainment Group.
With SevenPictures, Stefan Gärtner has co-produced numerous feature films, including DER SCHUH DES MANITU, KRABAT, KEINOHRHASEN, DIE KÄNGURU-VERSCHWÖRUNG, DIE WOCHENENDREBELLEN, and DAS LEBEN DER WÜNSCHE.