Adriek van Nieuwenhuyzen has a Master degree in  Theatre and Film Science from the University in Utrecht.  Already during her studies she started specializing in documentary  and got involved in the first edition of IDFA, by then a small but sparkling initiative to bring back documentary on the big screen in Amsterdam. Before becoming deputy director at IDFA in 1993 she worked as a assistant producer at one of the Dutch public broadcasters.

At IDFA she was from the beginning mainly involved in programming, the festival became in  thirty years time  one of the leading documentary festivals in the world. She curated several programs at IDFA. From February 2007 on she is Head of the Industry office of IDFA .In this position she is in charge of the professionals program of IDFA including the markets FORUM  and Docs for Sale. Besides working at IDFA she serves regularly as member of the selection committee of  IDFA Bertha Fund which aims to generate more attention for the voices of filmmakers in the developing world by supporting filmmakers with grants.  She  also  serves from time to time at selection committees and juries of international film festivals and markets.

Presently she is also board member of Podcast Network Netherlands.

Diana El Jeiroudi is a seasoned, award-winning documentary filmmaker whose cinematic engagement extends beyond the big screen.

Diana’s films are personal narratives navigating the intricacies of socio-political realities that resonate beyond specific contexts. Her latest film, “REPUBLIC OF SILENCE,” premiered at La Biennale di Venezia in 2021 and was released in cinemas to critical acclaim. Over two decades, Diana has also produced and co-produced notable films including “5 SEASONS OF REVOLUTION” (Sundance), “NOTTURNO” (Venice), “EAU ARGENTÉE” (Cannes).

Alongside her partner Orwa Nyrabia, she co-founded DOX BOX as an international film festival and campus back in Syria in 2007. In 2014, Diana reimagined DOX BOX as a support association in Germany, where she relocated. During her tenure as DOX BOX director she spearheaded initiatives, dynamic film labs, an online academy, and inaugurated the Documentary Convention advocating for fair international co-production practices. Her contribution to cinema culture and nurturing talent have earned her prestigious accolades.
Devoted to the creative process, Diana is a returning mentor at Berlinale Talents, Ex-Oriente, The Circle, Docs by the Sea among other film labs. She’s a lifelong member of esteemed international film academies (AMPAS, Deutsche Filmakademie, IDA, DAE, DOX BOX e.V., and APSA).

Diana is a CEO of No Nation Films and heads an innovative international and equitable co-production model.

Charlie Phillips (I am Charlie) is a documentary film producer, commissioner, programmer, and consultant based in Folkestone, Kent. He works with documentary makers from all across the world as producer and consultant on creative and financing strategies.
He’s currently producing or executive producing a slate of groundbreaking new British documentaries. He was previously the Head of Video at The Guardian for 8 years, overseeing all moving image for the Guardian’s platforms, including creating its award-winning documentary strand, which included the winner of the short documentary Oscar in 2021 (COLETTE), the Oscar short documentary nominee in 2019 (BLACK SHEEP) and BAFTA Best Short in 2022 (THE BLACK COP).
He executive produced the feature documentary SEAHORSE and the series SCOUTING FOR GIRLS. Charlie commissioned and executive produced hundreds of films at the Guardian, for cinema, TV, online and social media platforms, working with filmmakers across the world.
As Head of Stories, he commissions all short documentaries for Lyfta, an immersive learning platform for schools, featuring storyworlds including documentaries about inspiring real human stories. He is also currently the co-programmer for Folkestone Documentary Festival, and was previously Deputy Director and EP Industry Participation at Sheffield Doc/Fest, running the MeetMarket there for 7 years, and leading training and mentoring programmes.

Film Marketing Strategist, Mentor and Moderator. Works with Alphapanda, an international film marketing agency based in Berlin, where she specializes in the awards campaigns. Among her recent documentary titles she handled campaigns for were: SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD (European Film Awards Winner ’23), APOLONIA, APOLONIA (Academy Awards ’24 Shortlist), PIANOFORTE (IDA ’23 Nominee), FLEE (European Film Awards Winner ’21), MOTHERLAND (CPH:DOX Winner ’23).

Additionally, Joanna mentors and lectures with film training programs and labs worldwide and supports various international film institutions and film funds in multiple capacities. She is a member of the Advisory Boards of DAE – Documentary Association of Europe as well as of CIRCLE – Women Doc Accelerator.

Biljana Tutorov is a director and producer of feature and documentary films, video works and performances focused on women-driven stories which examine contemporary political reality, state of democracy and environmental protection. After graduating Art History, Biljana studied Film Anthropology and Acting. She is the founder of Wake-Up Films, an independent company dedicated to upcoming talents, as well as the founder and Head of CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator, a training initiative that has been supporting women-identifying filmmakers since 2018, and has recently expanded to fiction with CIRCLE Fiction Orbit.
Biljana is a 2023 Diane Weyermann Fellowship grantee, 2021 Chicken & Egg Pictures grantee, 2021 Catapult grantee, alumna of EAVE Producers Workshop and EURODOC, member of the EWA European Women’s Audiovisual Network, EFA European Film Academy and an advisory board member of DAE Documentary Association of Europe.

Filmography
WHEN PIGS COME, 2017, Serbia, Croatia, director
PAPER BOATS FLOATING INTO THE FRAGRANT NIGHT, 2024 (to be released), France, Serbia, Croatia, Sweden, director and producer
THE LAST NOMADS, director: Petar Glomazić, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany, 2025 (to be released), producer
CENT’ANNI, director: Maja Prelog, Slovenia, Italy, Serbia, Poland, 2024, producer

Julianna Ugrin – the EFA nominated producer is the founder of Éclipse Film, a company focusing on creative documentaries for the Hungarian and international market. Films produced by her, like A Woman Captured, Easy Lessons or The Next Guardian were screened, nominated and awarded at festivals like Sundance, IDFA, Locarno, Hot Docs, or Sheffield. Julianna is fascinated by the magic of real life that drives her producing high-quality documentary films. In 2019 she was selected to Producers on the Move in Cannes. A EURODOC and an EAVE graduate, founder and president of the Hungarian Documentary Association (MADOKE), founder and chair of the board of the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE) and member of the European Film Academy. Holy Dilemma was her first film as producer and director.

Brigid O’Shea is an Australian native who has worked for European film festivals and documentary organisations since 2008. Holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts obtained in Melbourne and Berlin, she started at the Berlinale Talent Campus in 2008. She worked for various Berlinale departments as a freelancer until 2014, including the EFM and Co-Production Market, until taking a more focused approach on creative documentary. This came from coordinating the DOK Industry Programme from 2009-2015, which allowed her to also freelance for the Institute of Documentary Film in Prague, for Documentary Campus Masterschool, and Berlin-based production companies. She was appointed Head of DOK Industry Programme in January 2015. She regularly tutors on topics like European co-financing, cultural management and festival strategies in places like North America and East Europe. In February 2020 she co-launched the Documentary Association of Europe.

Gugi is currently based in Jakarta and Berlin, where he is currently appointed as an Program Director for an award-winning organisation: In-Docs, the non-profit behind Docs by the Sea and Good Pitch Asia and VitaminDocs. Moreover, the Documentary of Association of Europe (DAE) has elected him to its Executive Board since 2022 and recently he joined Hot Docs as International Film Programmer.

His work includes mentoring/consulting on projects and impact campaign strategies. He has also often delivered talks about equitable international co-production practices with focus on Asia.

As part of his diverse experience, he has been involved as a selection committee for several reputable film funds such as IDA Enterprise Fund, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Purin Pictures and SGIFF Film Fund. Also as a jury member: DOK Leipzig, Cannes Docs, IDFA Forum, Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), CPH:DOX, Dokufest, Ji.hlava IDFF and more.

Born in Spain but based in Berlin, Natalia (she/her) holds a degree in Audiovisual Communication and boasts 25+ years of experience in film & TV. She’s the founder and owner of parabellum film, producing international documentaries at the intersection of history, self-narration and social cartography. Natalia works with a special interest on women filmmakers, first-time directors, and personal storytelling. Embracing ‘small stories’ and their interplay with broader sociopolitical contexts, her slate as creative producer often explores themes of identity, migration, memory, feminism, and family dynamics. Currently, Natalia is involved in various projects helmed by women directors from countries including Turkey, Venezuela, Uganda, India, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, and more.

Natalia also contributes to the documentary landscape in other capacities: As freelance consultant she has curated and moderated industry panels, mentored and consulted filmmakers, read for funds, and served as jury member or pitch preselector at international festivals. Member of EWA, NdM and DAE. In addition to serving in the executive board DAE, she currently also is part of the B2B Doc board.

Anne joined DAE in May 2021. She is a project manager, cultural producer, writer and podcast producer who has worked for European film festivals and documentary organizations since 2014, including DOK Leipzig, CPH:DOX, DOX BOX e.V., European Film Market and Berlinale.

She holds a Bachelor’s in European Media Science and a Master’s in Design Studies from the University of Art and Design Halle, BURG Giebichenstein.

Brigid O’Shea is an Australian native who has worked for European film festivals and documentary organisations since 2008. Holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts obtained in Melbourne and Berlin, she started at the Berlinale Talent Campus in 2008. She worked for various Berlinale departments as a freelancer until 2014, including the EFM and Co-Production Market, until taking a more focused approach on creative documentary. This came from coordinating the DOK Industry Programme from 2009-2015, which allowed her to also freelance for the Institute of Documentary Film in Prague, for Documentary Campus Masterschool, and Berlin-based production companies. She was appointed Head of DOK Industry Programme in January 2015. She regularly tutors on topics like European co-financing, cultural management and festival strategies in places like North America and East Europe. In February 2020 she co-launched the Documentary Association of Europe.

Nadja Tennstedt is director of DOK Industry at DOK Leipzig.

From 2019 -2021 she coordinated DocSalon, the documentary platform of the EFM. Nadja held positions in marketing, sales and acquisitions at US distributors Zeitgeist Films and Milestone Films. After her return to Europe in 2011 she worked for international film festivals and markets such as the Locarno Film Festival and the Berlinale.

Marion is a freelance project manager and consultant for individuals and organisations. Her field of expertise is in project management and organisational development in the international documentary, arts and development sector. Marion is the co-director of the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE) and co-founder of DOX BOX e.V., where she held several positions till April 2020 and was the project director of the international Documentary Convention 2018 & 2019. Marion is a consultant to the film department of DW Akademie, and has contributed her expertise to projects of the Goethe-Institut and elbarlament GmbH. Marion sits on the board of several organisations in the film world, and is part of initiatives that champion anti-racism, equality, fair working conditions and representation in the film and NGO sector, and the society at large.
She holds a Master’s degree in Arts Administration & Cultural Policy from the University of London, UK.

Brigid O’Shea has lived and worked in Germany and Europe since 2005. She started her career at the Berlin International Film Festival, where she worked for various departments including Berlinale Talents, Berlinale Co-Production Market and the EFM. She started working for DOK Leipzig, first as the coordinator of the DOK Industry Programme in 2010 and was appointed head of DOK Industry in late 2014. She left this post in 2021 to establish the Documentary Association of Europe, to usher in a new generation of professionals and advocate on a pan-European level for documentary filmmakers. She has previously freelanced for many documentary institutions in Europe and also for production companies. She tutors across the globe on international co-financing and pitching as well as festival strategies and cultural management. She moderates and curates discussions and programmes on non-fiction filmmaking as an internationally-respected consultant with a wide and diverse network. Currently she serves on the advisory boards of B2B Doc and DMZ Doc.

Charlie Phillips is the Head of Video at The Guardian, commissioning and acquiring new documentaries from all around the world for the Guardian documentaries strand, and managing all moving image for the Guardian’s platforms, including news, sport, and culture as well as documentaries.

Films in the documentary strand have been multi award-winning, including a nomination for the short documentary Oscar in 2019. Charlie was previously Deputy Director at Sheffield Doc/Fest for 7 years before joining The Guardian in 2014 to create the documentary strand, and prior to that he was Editor of FourDocs for Channel 4.

Heleen Gerritsen (The Netherlands, 1978) studied Slavonic Languages and Economics in Amsterdam and St. Petersburg. She moved to Germany in 2003 where she completed a course in film production and started freelancing as a line producer and documentary producer for various companies and broadcasters like ARTE, ZDF, VPRO and SWR. Heleen curated film programs (a.o. for the international literature festival Berlin) and worked as a freelancer in world sales for documentaries. In 2009 Heleen produced her first feature length documentary and founded her own production company Serious Directions. From 2014 to 2016 she was festival director of the European Documentary Film Festival dokumentART in Neubrandenburg. Since October 2017 Heleen is at the helm of goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film which is organized by the German Film Institute (DFF).

Since 2001, Dutch-born Matthijs Wouter Knol worked as creative producer on numerous documentary films, including the digitally re-mastered works of Dutch documentarian Johan van der Keuken, which was awarded the Prix “Cahiers du Cinéma” (2006). He produced exhibitions of film installations and film-related photography projects, film conferences and film publications (2001-2007). In 2007-2008, Matthijs Wouter Knol worked for IDFA, spreading his activity between the co-production and sales markets. He ran the IDFAcademy training programme and initiated the successful IDFAcademy Summer School. Heading Berlinale Talents (2008-2014) he oversaw the programming of the summit, studios and labs in Berlin, and coordinated the 6 satellite Talents programmes around the world. He is a co-founder of the Berlinale Residency programme (2012).

At the helm of the EFM since 2014, Matthijs’s main focus has been to adapt one of the world’s major film markets to the quickly changing film industry. Apart from adding niche markets for high-quality drama series and other platforms, the EFM has expanded its portfolio this year with the thriving innovation platform EFM Horizon, in which new distribution, sales and marketing strategies are be presented.

Julianna Ugrin – the EFA nominated producer is the founder of Éclipse Film, a company focusing on creative documentaries for the Hungarian and international market. Films produced by her, like A Woman Captured, Easy Lessons or The Next Guardian were screened, nominated and awarded at festivals like Sundance, IDFA, Locarno, Hot Docs, or Sheffield. Julianna is fascinated by the magic of real life that drives her producing high-quality documentary films. In 2019 she was selected to Producers on the Move in Cannes. A EURODOC and an EAVE graduate, founder and president of the Hungarian Documentary Association (MADOKE), founder and chair of the board of the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE) and member of the European Film Academy. Holy Dilemma was her first film as producer and director.

Liselot Verbrugge has a degree in film production from the Dutch Film Academy. She has more than 10 years experience in the audiovisual sector, first working in production before moving to film festivals. Amongst other postings, she was a festival and market producer at the IDFA Forum and Cinekid for Professionals, two of Amsterdam’s most preeminent cultural events.

In 2013 she began working in documentary sales, first for the sales arm of NPO sales and then Autlook Filmsales. She currently handles sales and acquisitions for Deckert Distribution. Parallel to this, in 2018 she co-founded Dox Consulting, offering bespoke consulting and tutoring services for a variety of clients. She is based in Amsterdam.

Erik Winker has been working in the field of documentary for over 15 years. In 2008 he was a co-founder of the production company HUPE Film which is now running under the new name CORSO Film with offices in Cologne and Stuttgart. The company has been responsible for successful films such as Work Hard Play Hard by Carmen Losmann (FIPRESCI Prize DOK Leipzig, Grimme Award), Searching Eva by Pia Hellenthal (Berlinale Panorama, Special Mention CPH:DOX, Audience Award Athens, IDFA, HOT DOCS, Sheffield and many more), Fighter by Susanne Binninger (German Camera Award, preselected for the German Film Awards) or Happy by Carolin Genreith (German Critics´ Award, Best Documentary Film Festival Bozen, preselected for the German Film Awards) and international co-productions like A Woman Captured by Bernadett Tuza-Ritter (Documentary Competition Sundance, Main Competition IDFA, nominated for the European Film Awards), 15 Corners Of The World by Zuzanna Solakiewicz (Award of the Semaine de la Critique Locarno, International Competition DOK Leipzig), Acasa – My Home by Radu Ciorniciuc (Grand Jury Prize for best cinematography at Sundance Film Festival, Main Award Dokfest Munich) or Aida´s Secrets by Alon Schwarz (Hot Docs Toronto, Audience Award Doc Aviv).

Erik Winker holds teaching assignments at the University Of Applied Sciences Mainz and the ifs Cologne. He is working as a tutor for international workshops like Dok.Incubator, Ex Oriente and Documentary Campus and is a regular member in festival and funding juries. He´s a former chairman of the regional filmmaker´s association Filmbüro NW and a member of the German Film Academy.