Speakers 2025

1

Marketing Strategies Outside the Box

Adrianna Woroch – Assistant Professor at the Institute of Film, Media, and Audiovisual Arts, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. Her research explores contemporary transformations of film narratives, postmodernism, self-reflexivity, and, above all, elevated genre cinema—a passion that not only defines her academic work but also led her to collaborate with the distribution company Velvet Spoon, where she works on marketing and campaigns.

Marcin Adamczak – co-founder of distribution company Velvet Spoon. Full professor at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and visiting professor at Łódź Film School. Member of FIPRESCI and Polish Filmmakers Association. Demo Blindtext for the demo speaker.

Velvet Spoon is a film distribution company established in 2018. We cooperate with over 100 arthouse and local cinemas in Poland and 3 biggest cinema chains. Velvet Spoon is a relatively small, boutique distribution company that focuses mainly on elevated genre films with interesting artistic vision – directed mostly by young and bold filmmakers. We are mostly known from distributing films that transcend genre boundaries and from custom artistic posters prepared for every release. We are also the organizers of Octopus Film Festival, which takes place every August in Gdańsk, Poland, where we show new European films as a part of the Main Competition.

Spotlight to Box Office:
Turning Attention into Ticket Sales

This keynote shares how Constantin Film turns attention into theatrical momentum with digital-first storytelling, talent collaborations, and smart media orchestration from first tease to release. We’ll outline the guiding principles behind our approach—how we develop ideas, tell stories across platforms, and work with partners to keep anticipation high.

1st Oct. 2025, 1:00 – 1:45 pm
CinemaxX Dammtor
KEYNOTE #2

1st Oct. 2025, 2:30 – 3:00 pm
CinemaxX Dammtor
KEYNOTE #3

Casting for European vs. US Films – Strategic Approaches for Production and Distribution

Florent Levy is CEO of ELEV8O, a premier European talent management and production company with offices in Paris, London, and New York – representing leading talent across film, media, digital, and sports, while packaging and producing projects that bridge Europe and the U.S.

In  this candid conversation, Florent Lamy, Paris-based talent agent at Elev8on- the first fully integrated European agency and representative of actors such as Djimon Hounsou and Megan Fox – shares his perspective on the evolving landscape of casting and talent representation. From balancing market  demands with artistic vision to navigating the shifting dynamics of strategic talent collaborations, this session explores recent changes, key metrics, and what lies ahead for the global screen industries.

In collaboration with Explorer Konferenz

The power of auteur cinema at the Latin American box office

Geminiano Pineda, a Mexican producer, is the founder and CEO of Cine CANÍBAL, an independent film distribution and production company established in 2011. Since then, the company has distributed more than 100 titles, including Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon, Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, Gaspar Noé’s Climax, Julia Ducournau’s Raw and Titane, Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope, and Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light. Its catalogue also features numerous award-winning animated films such as Gints Zilbalodis’ Oscar-winning Flow, Adam Elliot’s Memoir of a Snail, Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, and Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams.

Pineda regularly gives masterclasses and workshops at universities, festivals, and conferences across Latin America, and frequently participates as a panellist in international discussions and round tables.

Cine CANÍBAL, an independent film distributor based in Mexico with over a decade of experience, has established itself as a benchmark in the region. Its mission is to discover and share bold, distinctive films with unique visions, creating space for both established directors and emerging voices. The company’s slogan encapsulates this ethos: “Films for extraordinary people.”

Cine CANÍBAL’s identity is shaped by rigorous curation that embraces unconventional narratives. Its strategy combines traditional theatrical distribution with a strong festival presence and a robust digital offering across multiple platforms. This hybrid approach enables the company not only to release films nationally but also to successfully position them in global markets.

1st Oct. 2025, 3:00 – 3:45 pm
CinemaxX Dammtor
KEYNOTE #4

1st Oct. 2025, 4:15 – 5:00 pm
CinemaxX Dammtor
KEYNOTE #5

From intuition to precision: Own your audience, a data-driven approach

Focusing on survey results for SOUND OF FALLING audiences

In this session, Nathalie Kaiser and Bernd Zickert from Comscore will demonstrate how to use data and draw conclusions about a film’s audience, before and during its release.

Comscore is the global standard for tracking a film’s performance by collecting 95% of the global B.O. and admission data. Besides the Box-Office tracking service, Comscore additionally offers systematic exit polls generating insights on cinema-going behavior and film-specific audience characteristics. On a mission to provide meaningful insights for the arthouse industry, they show how audience data can enrich B.O. data to provide a 360° perspective. Audience surveys help understand the film’s performance retrospectively and are an indispensable source for strategy development for upcoming releases.

Revealing the latest results from an initial survey focusing on the arthouse market, they present data on the German Academy Awards candidate IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN (aka SOUND OF FALLING). This short survey covered aspects of the audience structure and characteristics as well as opinions on the film and cinema-going behavior in general. Using this data, they demonstrate a way to turn facts into insights, outlining the added value of benchmarks, trends, and foresight.

Scrolling the Red Carpet: Reinventing Film PR in the Social Age

Juan Pablo Oviedo Díaz, founder of The Connector, is a Mexican Public Relations professional based in Barcelona, Spain. His career has always been tied to the film industry, collaborating with distributors and international festivals such as Venice, Cannes and Berlin. From Barcelona, he drives projects that connect brands, creativity and audiences through authentic experiences and storytelling, working with initiatives like Filmin, elastica, Audiovisuals from Spain and Sónar Festival.

Founded in Barcelona in 2014, The Connector is a PR agency on a mission to link brands, culture and audiences through bold, creative communication. Specializing in cinema, lifestyle and entertainment, the agency designs tailor-made PR strategies that blend celebrity & influencer booking, ambassador and KOL programs, and content that truly connects.

In film, The Connector has worked with industry heavyweights like Filmin and Elastica, and partnered with cultural icons such as Sónar Festival. Their campaigns have amplified the theatrical and streaming releases of acclaimed titles like The Substance, Romería,  Emilia Pérez, Past Lives, Drive My Car, Flow and cult favorites like Terrifier 3.

Beyond cinema, The Connector has created impactful collaborations with global brands including Miu Miu, Moët & Chandon, Grey Goose, Martini, Massimo Dutti, Spotify/FC Barcelona and Bombay Sapphire.

Guided by the motto “We connect with stories that are not just seen, but lived”, the agency builds narratives and partnerships that bring brands closer to their audiences in ways that last…

1st Oct. 2025, 5:00 – 5:45 pm
CinemaxX Dammtor
KEYNOTE #6

1st Oct. 2025, 6:00 – 7:00 pm
CinemaxX Dammtor
MASTERCLASS

MASTERCLASS: Navigating European and US film financing models through the lens of international sales

Yohann Comte is the cofounder of Charades, a Paris-based sales and co-production company. Before founding the company in 2017 with partners from Wild Bunch, Studiocanal and Asuna, Yohann was Deputy Head of International Sales at Gaumont. 

At Charades Yohann coproduced REVENGE by Coralie Fargeat, MIRAI (Academy Award® nominee, 2019) by Mamoru Hosoda and I LOST MY BODY (Academy Award® nominee, 2020) by Jérémy Clapin. 

He also served as executive producer on arthouse shocker SWALLOW by Carlo Mirabella-Davis and Venice 2020 competition title THE WORLD TO COME by Mona Fastvold. Additionally, he worked as an associate producer on Mamoru Hosoda’s Cannes Première 2021 success BELLE. He co-produced the Cannes 2022 Competition Title TCHAIKOVSKY’S WIFE by Kirill Serebrennikov and served as an executive producer for SANCTUARY a twisty playful thriller starring Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbot. 

More recently, he has been associated with acclaimed titles such as FLOW by Gints Zilbalodis, MEMOIR OF A SNAIL by Adam Elliot, SORRY, BABY by Eva Victor, and VERMIGLIO by Maura Delpero.

Carole Baraton, Yohann Comte, and Pierre Mazars founded CHARADES in January 2017, following successful tenures as Head and VPs of International Sales at Wild Bunch, Gaumont, and StudioCanal, with the financial backing of Constantin Briest.The company has quickly become a key player in the independent film landscape, with a curated, director-driven slate spanning animation, genre, comedy, and debut features. Its library includes over 150 films, with selections and awards from top-tier festivals.

How to buzz your Film Marketing with Social Media – a story from Vietnam

Get ready to revolutionize film marketing with social media’s electrifying power! This speech dives into transforming old-school trailers and posters into vibrant, viral campaigns that captivate global audiences. Discover how to nail your target demographic, spark buzz with teasers and TikTok challenges, host jaw-dropping virtual events, and team up with influencers to ignite excitement. Harness platform-specific features like Instagram Stories, and unleash fan-driven content with branded hashtags to build a thriving film community. This is your blueprint to skyrocket engagement and dominate the box office!

Hoang Dinh Vu is Head of Digital at BHD. He has 10 years of experience working in entertainment industry of Vietnam.

BHD is one of the leading content company in Vietnam since 1996, earning the reputation as the local pioneer and innovative content creation and distribution company, entitling a lot of “first” in Vietnam’s Entertainment History. At the moment, BHD is not only a production house but also the strategic partner of the global social media platforms like Meta, Google and Tiktok.

2nd Oct. 2025, 9:30 – 10:15 am
CinemaxX Dammtor
KEYNOTE #7

2nd Oct. 2025, 10:15 – 10:45 am
CinemaxX Dammtor
Keynote #8

The Stats: Tracking Trends, Meaning & Marketing

Rémi Tereszkiewicz is an expert of OTT services and TV series marketing. Having served since 1994 as VP or SVP in sales and marketing positions for various companies such as Warner Brothers (2016), Lagardère Studios /Mediawan (2014), Netgem (2004) or Eurosport (1994), he led the creation and launching of numerous TV services and xVOD offers in Europe.

He is currently CEO of Betaseries, a media platform running recommendation services for a community of 6 million monthly TV series fans and analysing TV series & OTT usages for the media industry.