News

++ Micro Drama ++ Babylon Berlin: storytelling in film and games ++ Hallyu Wave ++ generative AI ++ representation in the German film and series landscape ++ with Tom Tykwer, Aurel Mertz, Sofia Kats, Sheri Hagen, Frank Joung, Jörg Friedrich, Hadnet Tesfai and many more ++

Berlin / Potsdam – On May 19, MBB will once again bring together the most important players in the media industry from the Capital Region at re:publica with ON SCREEN. Funded events from the games, XR, series, and tech sectors curate high-caliber sessions with leading industry experts, workshops, and the interactive exhibition area ON SCREEN SPACE, focusing on the media hub of the future. In the evening, MBB invites guests to a Sundowner, the networking event for politics and industry.

ON SCREEN discusses the key trends and challenges facing the industry: the current boom in micro dramas, how the series Babylon Berlin is being transformed into a game, and the global reach of the Korean Hallyu Wave and its impact on pop culture, cinema, and media. Confirmed speakers include Tom Tykwer, Aurel Mertz, Sofia Kats, Sheri Hagen, Frank Joung, and Jörg Friedrich. The day will be moderated by Hadnet Tesfai.

At an interactive exhibition area directly opposite the stage—the ON SCREEN SPACE—audiences can dive deeper into the topics, try out XR and games, and make valuable industry connections.

At the intersections of different industries, technologies, and disciplines, MBB is deliberately promoting new collaborations and impulses. ON SCREEN is therefore being developed in close cooperation with A MAZE., doxumentale, Games Ground, MediaTech Hub Conference, and Seriesly Berlin. ON SCREEN and the re:publica 26 media track are funded by Medienboard. ON SCREEN was initiated by Medienboard in close exchange with re:publica.

++ ON SCREEN: Overview of the sessions ++

Helge Jürgens, CEO Medienboard:
“ON SCREEN showcases the full creative and innovative power of the media industry in an interdisciplinary venue! Many thanks to the teams from re:publica, A MAZE., Games Ground, doxumentale, MediaTech Hub Conference, and Seriesly Berlin for curating the innovative sessions around film, series, games, and XR. We are looking forward to inspiring exchanges with many visitors—also at the ON SCREEN SPACE, the ‘Meeting Point for Curious Creatives,’ our interactive exhibition and meetup area at the entrance to the ON SCREEN stage!”

Andreas Gebhard, Co-founder and CEO re:publica:
“For me, ON SCREEN once again stands in 2026 for cross-industry discourse, connecting different stakeholders across areas of expertise, and for the emergence of synergies. At re:publica, we are thus establishing an industry meeting point that should definitely not be missed this year either!”

ON SCREEN Program Highlights

Films, series, games, XR – everything on one screen

This year’s speakers include director and screenwriter Tom Tykwer, who is currently shooting the fifth and final season of Babylon Berlin; comedian and author Aurel Mertz; video producer Sofia Kats; producer, director, and actress Sheri Hagen; podcaster Frank Joung; and host Hadnet Tesfai, who will lead audiences through the ON SCREEN program.

Inspired by this year’s re:publica theme “Never Gonna Give You Up,” ON SCREEN examines the boom in micro dramas, which stand in contrast to the “golden age of streaming” and are currently generating enormous revenues in Asia and the Americas. Another session analyzes the global impact of the Korean Hallyu Wave.

A further focus lies on questions of authenticity in the age of generative AI, on new media utopias, and on how films, series, and games can spark social debates and shape our shared self-image.

Power, representation, and the scope for action within the German film and series landscape will be discussed by actor, musician, and producer Tyron Ricketts; producer, director, and actress Sheri Hagen; film and media critic Matthias Dell; and actor, author, and filmmaker Lamin Leroy Gibba. How can the industry position itself strategically, in solidarity, and artistically before its room for maneuver narrows further?

How Babylon Berlin, one of the most successful German series of recent years, is being turned into a game will be discussed by Marni Hanke and Jörg Friedrich from Paintbucket Games, as well as Sebastian Demuth and Daniel Stolz from SWR X Lab. Additional sessions will feature industry experts such as producer Christian Rohde (Chief of Staff & Transformation Officer, UFA GmbH), Kai Fischer (Head of Constantin Creators at Constantin Entertainment), Fawzi Mesmar (VP Creative Director at Ubisoft), and many others.

The ON SCREEN SPACE in the re:publica Expo Area at STATION Berlin is a hybrid meeting place between nostalgia and high tech, where Berlin film history meets the tech pioneers of tomorrow. Visitors can relax on original film props from the Studio Babelsberg archive, take part in deep dives, or immerse themselves in indie games and XR experiences.

All further information on the re:publica program special ON SCREEN can be found at re-publica.com/ONSCREEN.

re:publica Berlin 26
Never Gonna Give You Up | May 18–20, 2026 | STATION Berlin | #rp26

More information at re-publica.com.
Tickets for re:publica 26 are available at re-publica.com/tickets.
Press accreditation requests can be submitted via the online form until May 14.