As a platform intended to explore production, financing issues, regulatory questions, and technological challenges and opportunities, the Explorer Konferenz has brought together international experts from the creative industries as well as from the fields of finance and innovation in Hamburg. “Alongside European Work in Progress (EWIP) and the International Film Distribution Summit (IFDS), the Explorer Konferenz is the third pillar of the Filmfest Hamburg Industry Days,” says Helge Albers, CEO of the MOIN Film Fund. “The conference deals with production-related topics in anticipation of the challenges that await independent production in particular over the next five years. And, of course, the practical applications of AI are also addressed.”

In the opening keynote speech, “Navigating Through the Storm: New Approaches in Leadership”, executive coach Nolwenn Bernache-Assollant examined how leaders can remain focused and effective in the face of complex challenges, such as disruption from AI, geopolitical instability and economic uncertainty. In the session “Scenario 2030: AI in the Film Industry”, German producer Arne Totz gave a glimpse of how tomorrow’s content ecosystem might be shaped. Having produced the OpenAI short film I Thought of You Again (see the news), he has already experienced at first hand the ever-evolving media landscape. Immersive technologies are clearly transforming narratives in games and audiovisual media, and are shifting the boundaries of storytelling.

Jeanne Marchalot’s StoryLab has been pioneering projects in virtual, augmented and mixed reality as well as AI-driven content production. The “Storytelling in Games and Film” session presented new approaches at the intersection of fiction, animation, documentary and interactivity. The use of AI also raises questions about responsibility, manipulation and the fine line between documentation and dramatisation. For the ZDF Terra X History project Roadtrip 1945, Michaela Hummel, managing director of Doclights, explored the artistic and ethical boundaries of using AI in non-fiction television when she had to visualise the debris-laden fields from World War II.

The “Co-producing with Germany – Fresh Insights, New Opportunities and Developments” panel shone a brighter spotlight on Germany. Academy Award-winning producer Ruby Walden (The Brutalist [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]), Marie Garrett (XYZ Films), Sarah Nagel and Isabell Wiegand conversed with MOIN Film Fund CEO Helge Albers to discuss the latest developments that can incentivise international co-productions with German partners. Moreover, economic disparities in co-productions also need to be addressed. Following up on last year’s Explorer Konferenz, Jennifer Sabbah-Immagine hosted “Deep Dive Equitable Coproduction: From Principles to Practice” with producer Yanis Gaye and African-European Distribution Academy (AEDA) participant Ivi Muiruri.

Further programme highlights included case studies by longtime industry reps such as Peter Carlton, producer of the Netflix series Adolescence [+lire aussi :
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fiche série], as well as music manager Eva Ries (Nirvana, Wu-Tang Clan), who provided insights into cross-industry innovations and new business models.

“In its fifth year in Hamburg, the Explorer Konferenz is a well-established international format that is aimed at the European independent production industry,” sums up Helge Albers. “We are very pleased that it is growing and thriving. Thanks to boosts from the EWIP and IFDS industry events, and the Nordic Nest, which brings another 30 producers from the Nordic countries to Hamburg, the Filmfest Hamburg Industry Days offer inspiring insights into technology trends and innovation in film, financing and production opportunities.”

The Explorer Konferenz is organised by Filmfest Hamburg in partnership with PROG Producers of Germany and the MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein.