At this year’s 60th anniversary edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Variety hosted a panel discussion in collaboration with Allwin to discuss the long-standing success of European Film Promotion’s Future Frame program, which serves as a launching pad for Europe’s up-and-coming directors. Featuring key industry names, the panel addressed issues such as access and inclusion, how companies can help develop promising talent, and what success looks like in such a competitive ecosystem.
Since 2023, Allwin, a leading lottery-led multinational entertainment company, has partnered with Future Frames to provide one month-long scholarship to one director each year in Los Angeles. At LA, you’ll learn from the industry’s best filmmakers with an exclusive program of mentoring, shadowing, and training designed to boost your excitement of breaking into one of the world’s most exciting industries.
At the beginning of the discussion, Irina Ignatiu-Lemke, who was recently appointed managing director of European Film Promotion, said that the success at EFP is “nurturing Europe’s diverse voices”.
“Future Frames has been able to do just that for the past 12 years, thanks to our great cooperation with the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival,” she added. “With Allwin, we are able to further elevate our market by building a bridge to the all-important North American market. Success for us means seeing filmmakers succeed in this industry.”
Krysztof Mucha, executive director of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, said success is “what we see behind us now,” pointing to the lively festival atmosphere in the background of the conversation. Even on a rainy day, the festival’s home, Hotel Thermal, was buzzing with passionate movie fans heading to screenings. “(Success) is a town full of young people. It’s a movie theater full of movie buffs and people who love movies.”
Tatiana Juneau, group chief brand officer at Allwin, said creativity and culture help build a strong brand identity. “For today’s emerging filmmakers, success for me is being able to play a small part in helping today’s emerging directors become future festival winners. Success is not about getting one-time attention. It’s about creating a long-term impact.”
Director Juneau said of Allwyn’s role in helping budding filmmakers get their foot in the door, “financial support is important, of course,” but access is key. “What really makes a difference is access. From a talent development perspective, this is true everywhere.” Expanding on the concept of access, the executive said “early access to the right mentors, thought leadership and industry connections that can create international exposure” is even more important than just financial support.
Ignatiu-Lemke echoed that sentiment, saying of EFM’s sponsorship, “It’s not about putting a company logo somewhere. What’s important to me in my relationship with Allwin is that we want to create an impact. Especially today, when the whole industry is going through great disruption and change, it’s very important for us to have a partner like Allwin who can help spread that message in a broader cultural context.”
Mucha, who has extensive experience cultivating new voices and helping filmmakers break through in the industry, emphasized the importance of directors having the opportunity to enter a talent-driven ecosystem with broad reach. “We are not just a film festival. We have distribution companies, we have other film festivals…” the director said that the entire ecosystem of Karlovy Vary aims to create a space where filmmakers “feel safe” and where directors have the opportunity to tell their stories. “Then you might be recognized by larger producers and have a better chance of getting financing.”
“Karlovy Vary is a small film festival, but one of our goals is to give[filmmakers]the opportunity to spend time with the right people, as well as to experience a film festival for the first time,” he added. “They will be winners of Cannes and Venice, and they will always mention Karlovy Vary in their acceptance speeches.”
Ugo Obioha, talent agent at United Talent Agency, praised the festival and Allwin and EFP’s vision to give budding filmmakers the opportunity to experience the American industry with a rare level of support through scholarships. “I can confidently say that I work for one of the three largest agencies in the world. If I call a producer, distributor or executive, they will answer the call. And if I’m pitching an exciting up-and-coming talent, they’re just as excited to meet this person.”
Having the opportunity to secure a major meeting in Los Angeles, a huge hub for the film industry, is a big deal for someone like Obioha, but his agent warns that holding the meeting is only the first step. “Access isn’t necessarily about entering a room; it’s about the impression you make in that room.”
“I’m not going to attend a meeting with you,” she added. “As a filmmaker, you have to sell yourself. You have to have a commanding presence and be able to articulate not only who you are, but what you’re selling. These rooms are career-changing. All of this is of little use if you can’t make a strong impression.”
Danish coach Amalie Marie Nelson, who won the Future Frames Scholarship in 2023, said winning the scholarship was a “huge” opportunity packed with “many small wins”. “I learned a lot about the industry over there (LA), how it works, and the possibilities for collaboration with Europe, because I’m still writing in Danish and want to make my first Danish feature. I think the most important thing after that is that now some doors are open. I can always get in touch with the people I met over there.”
When asked what the panelists think emerging filmmakers need to break into the industry and do well, a few short keywords emerged. Mucha recommended “courage”. Juneau advised “curiosity.” Nielsen said filmmakers have to have a presence in their work, but can also be a little “forced,” while Ignatius-Lemke emphasized the importance of maintaining one’s “unique voice.” Obioha agreed with all of the above, adding that the manager must also have a certain level of “fearlessness”.
“We must act without fear,” the agent repeated. “With fearlessness comes brute force. Some of the filmmakers we represented, like Currie Barker, just made Obsession on a shoestring budget, and when you look at that movie, it feels like a studio movie. I feel like the fearlessness factor means not asking people for permission. You just do what you want. Curry is a prime example of saying, “Hey, the studio system doesn’t want to make my movie.” I’m going to go in a different direction. ”Now all the studio wants is to make a movie with him. ”
