Participants

During my studies in foreign languages, I worked as a correspondent for the local press. In 1999, after working for several months in humanitarian actions, I dedicated my time to photography, as a freelance. I naturally turned to video reporting which was essential. I worked for television, directed short movies on social issues for NGOs. In 2006, I produced my first documentary, Godobés, 52’, on street children in Central Africa. I am now working on a project for a second documentary on Aka Pygmies in Central Africa.

Allieta Melchioni is a graduate of the European Film College (Denmark). She has since worked in many different aspects of the audiovisual world: advertising, news, video art, short and medium length films. In the last years she has focused on documentary film-making with an emphasis on communication, social and geo-political issues. She follows her projects from concept through realization, as an author and director, often also producing her own works.

From 2002 until 2007 I worked as a social development practitioner for both German and Chinese governmental and non-governmental organizations. I reflected on my work experiences in my PhD on the promotion of participatory development in the PR China, which I wrote in parallel to my practical work. My thesis was later published as a book with the publishing house VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften (see 'Förderung partizipativer Entwicklung in der VR China'). In Autumn 2007 I took up a post as departmental lecturer at the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, University of Nottingham. Ever since I have taught both undergraduate and postgraduate students on issues ranging from social to political development in China’s reform era (1978).

The author and director Andreas Strasser was born in 1981 near Stuttgart, Germany. He studied Cultural and Media Studies in Düsseldorf and Naples (Italy) and graduated with a thesis on Migrant Cinema in Contemporary Europe. Later he moved to Spain and studied documentary film at Barcelona’s film academy ESCAC. In 2009 he attended Berlinale Talent Campus and shortly afterwards co- founded the production company De Tot Arreu Produccions in Barcelona.
His films are taking real-life subjects as a starting point to create documentaries with a strong author’s point of view. There he searches for a visual language within simplicity and aesthetically pure. His films are treating basically social issues and philosophical perspectives.

2008/09 Master Studies "Documentary Filmmaking" at the University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona 2004 Media Master Studies at the University of Fine Arts, Berlin 1999-2003 Media Studies at the University of Fine Arts, Berlin.
2008-2009 Director and Author for the Documentaries "KIdman" and "Sat Atma" for the Television Station TV3, Spain.

Cristiana Scoppa, 43 years old, half Italian half German, is a journalist working since 2000 at AIDOS, Associazione italiana donne per lo sviluppo (Italian Association for Women in Development), where she is in charge of communication, information and advocacy activities, as well as of AIDOS projects concerning the prevention of female genital mutilation/cutting, both in Africa and in the context of migration in Italy and Europe. In this field, she contributed to the development of participatory training curricula using, among other, audio-video materials. In the past she worked as editor in the political magazine “Noidonne” (“We, the women”, a feminist monthly magazine) and as Consultant to the Minister for Equal Opportunities, in charge of foreign policy, with a particular focus on relationships with the UN and EU bodies. Her first occupation was as tour operator in her father’s company, Archaeology Travel Service, specialised in cultural tours in Italy.

I am a political journalist, TV reporter and producer with thirteen years experience. I am specialized in the European Affairs. I currently combine work as a political journalist for Sabah, one of the biggest mainstream newspapers in Turkey, with working as a freelance reporter and producer for Euronews TV Channel Through my reports, I have had the opportunity to have hands on reporting and production experience in a variety of counries, especially in the Middle East, including Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia. In my reports, I focused on social, political and human rights related issues.

Graduated from a Master's degree in International Relations and passionate about photography & video, my aim is to use these two media as communication tools to assist organizations in their efforts to achieve their humanitarian and sustainable development objectives. After having worked as a cultural project co-ordinator and communication officer at the Brazilian Embassy in Brussels for two years, I started working as a freelance documentary photographer in 2008. That same year, I started making films. My first photography and video assignment was with Doctors without Borders (MSF) in Burma. Since then, I had projects with local organisations in developing countries but also with Oxfam and UN agencies. Last December, I launched a national awareness campaign on the rights of people with disabilities in Mozambique with the support of Handicap International and the Austrian Cooperation. I am currently working on projects about Gender issues in RD Congo and Mozambique.

I finished film and new media studies at Lodz University/Poland. I was involved in organization many movie events and festivals. I took part in every part of movie production: with student from polish film schools (Lodz PWSTFiTV, Silasian Film School) at short movies: I was producer, script, 2nd director, stunt, set manager; -In feature movies I was prod. asst. at "Chronic of Narnia 2: Prince of Caspian"; "Chszest" and "At the Zoo". I also played support role at "At the Zoo". Experience with work at the movie sets I got as set manager in two main tv serias in Poland "W11" and "Barwy Szczęścia". I worked as a photographer at music tours. Different occupations give me possibility to get know many movie departments. Last year I worked at own broadcast at radio. My works as a director are amateur experimental productions.
On the second hand I worked in NGO sector. Was volunteer in Turkey (EVS) where worked with orphans youths and university student. Now in Romania I work with homeless youths in AMURT Romania as volunteer. My documentary movie project is connected with this work.

Having been engaged in print and broadcast journalism, I was appointed Commissioning Editor at News Broadcast TV (Hi?rTV) in 2003. At the same time, I gained lots of experience in the field of election and media observation missions worldwide. In addition, I have worked for Film Union Hungary in charge of promotion of Hungarian films’ presentation abroad. Graduated of International Relations, I aimed to expand my know-how in film production with a Master in European Audiovisual Management at the Media Business School in Spain recently, offering cutting-edge tools on new media as well.

Jakob works on several filmsets in various positions until he becomes an assistant director. Studies at “New York Film Academy”, “Filmschool Hamburg - Berlin” and “German Film and Television Academy Berlin” as a guest student follow. In addition to his film education he studies political science at the “Fernuniverista?t Hagen”.
In 2008 he completes his film directing studies at the “Centre d’Estudis Cinematogra?fics de Catalunya” in Barcelona and comes back to Berlin to start together with his brother and a partner the film production company Weydemann Bros.

After obtaining my Masters degree in Film and Television Studies from the University of Amsterdam and having attended a semester at the Film Academy of the College of Santa Fe (USA) I have, since 1999, been working in the media. I started out as a researcher at a renowned current affairs programme but after a year made the move to directing as my passion lies in telling human-interest stories. Since then I have made many non-fiction programmes for various national television companies both domestically and abroad. In the last few years I have specialized in slightly longer (30-60 minutes) documentary type series. I am currently filming my first feature length documentary (made independently). Apart from directing, I usually also carry out the research and edit (montage) my own stories. Occasionally I work as a camera journalist where I am also responsible for the filming and sound, a one-man team as it were. I am a storyteller through and through. My strength lies in visualizing real-life stories and making in- depth studies of the characters so that the viewer becomes emotionally involved. I am particularly interested in social subjects which expose abuse and show the extreme resilience of the human spirit.

I am a film director living on and of in Ethiopia for the past eight years. One of the results is My Future and intimate and personal film about my neighbor in a remote village in Ethiopia. Thanks to the high attention of audience and press for my first documentary and the need to make 'Born with HIV' I finished research and script for a new documentary.
By telling positive stories I want to inspire and engage people from the west to be involved and interested in developing countries.

Liga Gaisa is a free-lance filmmaker working as producer, script editor and editor engaged both in documentaries as well as feature films. Alumni of the Tallinn University Baltic Film and Media School (MA, 2009). Has participated in several international film project and script development workshops and masterclasses. Currently, is involved in development of three documentaries, works on development of her first feature film as well as is engaged in creation of informative films about health, social and labour rights issues.

I direct and produce documentaries for UK broadcasters such as the BBC and Channel 4. Covering subjects ranging from addiction to childhood friendship, I found my niche in social documentary. My directorial debut, 'Watch Me Disappear' - a portrait of social isolation in the 21st Century - draws greatly on my journalistic training combined with a distinctive visual style. After being short-listed for a BAFTA Craft Award for Breakthrough Talent, I produced a landmark BBC film about the UK psychiatric system and am now directing a short film for Channel 4 News about troubled British youth.

I have finished my documentary film studies in 2007 and have been working as a freelancer in that field ever since. My interest in Brazil (where I grew up) and in social and cultural issues are reflected there, but also in my voluntary activities for a Berlin-based charity foundation for children in Brazil that I have been doing since 1997. Exchange with other countries has always been part of my work as well, whether as filmmaker (South Africa, Syria...) or as freelancer for the Goethe-Institut where I work with people from many countries.

Accomplished director and editor in chief - since 2005 I`m working closely with Polish Public Television (TVP), but I`ve also co-worked with TVN and SKY ONE and done a lot of independent commercial work as a director and scriptwriter. I have very broad interests in media and film stretching from managing to directing (you can visit www.filmpolski.pl – a polish film movie database – forma my accomplishments). Most of my effort is devoted to creating a solid regional media and film platform in Krakow through out Documentary Studio of TVP Krako?w and daring to ask questions that fit needs of modern society.

After finishing law school with the final law exam, Sabine Zimmer, has been working for over ten years as an assistant director and script supervisor on motion- picture filmsets. From 2004 to 2007 she has been studying film at the FilmArche Berlin, a selforganised filmschool, where she specialized on documentary film. In 2007 she has been realizing the documentary film “Living on the landing/Podestleben”, co-directed by Sandra Budesheim, a film about a homeless women living in the staircase of an apartment building. Since 2008 she is working as an independent author and filmmaker. Her most recent project is a documentary film about the polish community in Berlin which will be released in 2010.

At age 19 I spent a year in a little village in the Amazon rainforest. I then graduated in Theatre and Film studies and Literature and took a Masters Degree in Creative Documentary in Barcelona. Having made a report for German TV (as co-author and cinematographer) about a local community's resistance against the Aluminium company ALCOA in 2009, I am currently working on a report on Brazil's huge hydrelectric project Belo Monte and the the people who fight against it. My passion is, taking an audience into an experience that captures them visually, emotionally and intellectually.

I am a director and camerawoman as well as an occasional photographer. Originally from Finland, I studied visual anthropology in Granada Centre for visual anthropology in Manchester, UK and now have been living in Marseille, France for two years. My previous work has concerned issues such as environment, human rights and other social issues, and I have been working in Finland, UK and France as well as in projects in West Africa and Middle East.

I work as a researcher and a scriptwriter for Documentary Programme RTV SLO (with my main focus on 'Tracing Guzej' (at the moment) and as a TV journalist for Culture and Art Programme. As an author I am developing two TV shows: first is called 'The Earth is Dancing' (about world dances) and the second 'What about that one?' (about Slovenian folk music) on newly establishing digital channel of RTV SLO called MUSE.
In Petra Pan Film Production I work on project development and as a director assistant on two documentaries: 'My World is Upside Down' and 'Visaless'.

After studying documentary film making in Les Ateliers Varan (2001), Xavier de la Vega made several short films. Two of the latter were part of video installations exhibited during Nuits Blanches 2004 and 2005 (Paris all night contemporary art exhibition). He directed "Le pain et le lait" (58 min., 2007, with Carim Azeddine) which has been featured in several festivals, including Festival do Filme Documenta?rio e Etnogra?fico, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 2007 and Festival Fronteras Migrantes, Mexique 2008. He works as a journalist for the French magazine Sciences Humaines (www.scienceshumaines.com).