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Today, the keys for the STARTBÜRO BABELSBERG were handed over. Two new teams can look forward to support from the program, to which important local players from the film and media industry have joined forces. The Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF Film University, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and the Brandenburg Development Bank ILB back the program, which aims to assist young filmmakers in realizing project ideas for the development of innovative content and technologies. The program includes not only spaces in the collection building of the Potsdam Film Museum across from the Film University—surrounded by researchers from the Creative Exchange Studios (CX Studios) and players and startups from the MediaTech Hub—but also a total financial budget of 20,000 euros. Additionally, the teams can rely on the advice of mentors from the participating partners, thus gaining essential know-how and valuable industry contacts.

With Carousel Film, Maritza Grass and Vincent Edusei focus on the development and production of films and series in various formats for the global market, specializing in international co-productions. They emphasize a bold cinematic language and tell stories that cultivate diverse perspectives in front of and behind the camera. They strive to continuously break down barriers for BIPOC, FLINTA*, LGBTQIA+, and parents. With the STARTBÜRO scholarship, they aim to significantly advance ongoing projects by participating in labs and markets, network with talents and potential partners on the international stage, and establish themselves at the Babelsberg location. With the help of mentoring and further training measures, they also plan to invest in building a sustainable company and production structure.

Arkanum Pictures has developed into a hub for content- and technology-driven innovative projects by young filmmakers at the Babelsberg location over the past year. One of these projects is the magical-realist series "Wingspan," which is being realized with the support of Medienboard and in collaboration with Dark Bay at Studio Babelsberg. Arkanum Pictures follows a cooperation model that allows partner filmmakers to largely autonomously realize their own projects within its company structure. The four partners, Lukas Koll, Sebastian Herbst, Janna Fodor, and Stephan Bernardes, currently involve more than a dozen young filmmakers from the Berlin-Brandenburg area. The STARTBÜRO scholarship is primarily intended to be invested in further training to strengthen the community's competitiveness and attract new partners who will expand the portfolio of individually differentiated artistic and production orientations.

We wish the scholarship recipients much success in their endeavors and look forward to the results!