Many of this years’ conference panels have been created with program partners whose highly regarded expertise contributes to the program, among them the industry conference TV Drama Vision of the Göteborg Film Festival, the initative Queer Media Society, fighting against discrimination of the LGBTQIA+ community, the Fantasy Film Festival as well as the Albi fund, the first-ever independent moving image fund for productions by or about Israelis and Palestinians, entirely committed to equality and democracy.
One of this year’s highlights is the panel “Dressed To Impress: Fashion as a Narrative Force”, featuring Laos-born, internationally renowned designer Be Inthavong, Creative Director at Jim Thompson. Under his leadership, the brand has expanded beyond silk into apparel, accessories, and home décor while honoring Thailand’s rich heritage. Inthavong's collaboration with the costume and set departments of the latest season of „The White Lotus“—filmed in Thailand—saw his elegant kaftans and signature textiles become integral to the show’s visual language. The panel explores how designers and fashion brands use TV series as creative platforms, how product placement evolves into cultural currency, and how series makers can benefit from stylish, story-driven collaborations in an era where series set trends in fashion, interiors, and lifestyle culture.
The panel “Storytelling 2030: Who Pays, Who Plays? Power, platform, and the price of creativity in a changing world” examines how the greenlight process now hinges not only on great storytelling but also strategic partnerships and navigating an evolving financing landscape. The panel features industry leaders such as Sabine de Mardt (President Gaumont Germany). In “Nordic-German Co-Producing” in partnership with Göteborg Film Festival – TV Drama Vision, key creatives and decision-makers from both regions discuss opportunities and challenges in Nordic-German collaborations. Miira Paasilinna (COO of Anagram Group and Managing Director of Anagram Sweden), brings vast experience producing and selling international productions like Disney+’s first Nordic Original “To Cook a Bear” and “Thin Blue Line” season 3 (SVT).
Under the header “Beyond the Usual Suspects: Reinventing Co-Productions” the panel will tackle examples of co-productions between atypical territories, that signify a creative response to a demanding market, but also a response to a global audiences wish to see more cross cultural narrative. Additionally, the case study about the show “Drops of God”, presented by its co-producer and serial storytelling mentor Klaus Zimmermann, will spotlight the acclaimed trilingual (English, French, Japanese) co-production between Apple, Hulu, and TV France, winner of the 2024 International Emmy Award. Rahul Patel (Principal Analyst, Ampere Analysis) will provide big data support in mapping out the market reality and opportunities for copros in 2025.
In “Stories for Tomorrow: How Collaborative Palestinian and Israeli Writing Transforms Television”, in partnership with the Albi Fund, Palestinian and Jewish creators from the fund’s Shared Society on the Small Screen program show how collaborative storytelling can reshape how identities are portrayed and understood. Through drama, nuanced narratives, and deeply human stories, they explore how art can challenge assumptions, foster empathy, and inspire change. Actor-director Yousef Sweid (The Goat; Between the River and the Sea; Unorthodox; The Spy), Non-Issue co-creators Nayef Hammoud & Gal Rosenbluth, program director Keren Michael, and Albi founder Libby Lenkinski share how their partnerships imagine futures built on complexity, curiosity, and connection.
“What The Heck Is A Queer Show?! Queerness in Mainstream TV”, in partnership with Queer Media Society, tackles ongoing challenges in queer representation on television. With: Stijn Van Kerkhoven, creator and director of “Oh, Otto!”. In partnership with Fantasy Filmfest, the panel „Building Fear That Stays With You: How Horror Works in Episodes“ features Turkish director, producer and writer Can Evrenol (“Baskın“, “Housewife“, “Çıplak“) and German director/writer Till Kleinert (“Der Samurai”, “Hausen”), discussing how long-term dread, tension-building, and mythologies unfold uniquely in serialized storytelling, enabling deeper character arcs and emotional horror.
This year’s workshop series ranges from producer-focused sessions – such as “Germany 2026: Film & Series Funding – Turning New Rules into Opportunities”, offering hands-on insights into the latest developments in German funding from experts at the German Producers Alliance (Produktionsallianz) and PROG Producers of Germany – to writer-centric topics like “Development Hell” by acclaimed screenwriter and creative producer Elena Lyubarskaya (“Pauline”, upcoming “The City of Blood”), which tackles a common dilemma for many scriptwriters: why projects get stuck in endless rewrites and, crucially, how to break free.
