Gola
known as the “Lioness of Iran” by her fans, is an Iranian-British singer, actress, and activist living in exile. Born in Iran, where women are banned from singing solo, she defied censorship and built a career that amplifies voices silenced in her homeland by the regime. Her music has gone viral, reaching millions and championing women’s rights and peace, turning personal resistance into a global call for freedom. As an actress, Gola made her lead acting debut in Mortician, which won the Sean Connery Prize at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. She is a voice they couldn’t silence, a roar from exile.
Nima Sadr
Nima Sadr is an Iranian actor based in Montreal. He discovered his passion for acting in
childhood, but growing up in Iran, he was unable to pursue it due to restrictions imposed
on him as a member of a Baháʼí family, which eventually forced him to emigrate.
After resettling, he became active in theatre and numerous short films. His performance in
the short film Corridor earned him the Best Actor Award at the Ark Gate International Film
Festival (AGIFF) in Toronto.
Nima has also appeared in several feature films, most notably A Shrine (2024) and
Mortician (2025). A Shrine was screened at numerous international festivals, and for his
leading role, he was nominated for Best Leading Actor at the prestigious Septimius Awards
in Amsterdam. The film is now available on Apple TV. Mortician won the Sean Connery
Award for Best Film at the 2025 Edinburgh International Film Festival and has since
received multiple invitations from international festivals, along with positive reviews from
major global media outlets.
Katharina Otto-Bernstein
Katharina Otto-Bernstein is an award winning, two-time Emmy nominated filmmaker, writer and producer, who works in the United States and Germany.
A principle of Film Manufacturers Inc., she is the writer/director of the documentary feature The Last Spy, which opened to critical acclaim at the 2025 Munich IFF. The film scored a 9 out of 10 in the German Critics Review [Film Rezensionen]. Other directing credits include
The Second Greatest Story Ever Told [starring Mira Sorvino and Malcolm McDowell], The Need for Speed, Coming Home, Beautopia (Sundance, Winner of Silver Hugo-Chicago IFF), When Night falls over Moscow, Absolute Wilson (Berlinale, Art Film of the Year -Art Basel),
Recently she served as a producer of Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire [Venice IFF 2025], of It’s A Sad Beautiful World [Venice IFF 2025], of Crossing the River [PBS 2025], of Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada (Cannes, 2024), and of Joyland (Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival, Winner of the Independent Spirit Award, Academy Award short-list 2023.
Other works include the German Film Prize nominee Meeresleuchten, the German Amazon series “Für Umme”, and the HBO documentaries Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (Sundance, Berlinale, 2 Emmy nominations), The Price of Everything (Sundance, Emmy nomination). Additionally, Otto-Bernstein has been nominated for a Critics’ Choice Awards, a GLAAD Award, and a a Cinema Eye Award.
Otto-Bernstein began her career as a journalist and columnist. She is the author of Absolute Wilson – The Biography of theater director Robert Wilson and has worked as dramaturge in theater and dance (Karole Armitage: Fables on Global Warming).
In 1999 she joined the Dean’s Council of Columbia School of the Arts and has served as chair since 2008. Under the aegis of Columbia Film School, Katharina Otto-Bernstein, and her team, have mentored over 80 Columbia film students in her Thesis-Mentorship program which she founded in 2014. In 2009 she received Columbia University Alumni Medal and in 2025 she was awarded Columbia’s John Jay Award for professional achievement.
Agathe Berman
Agathe Berman a.k.a The Pitchologist trains-curates-moderates international film industry PITCHING SESSIONS - SeriesMania Coproduction forum, Unifrance TV events, Shoot the Book/Cannes Film Market, Transylvania Pitch Stop, Fipadoc, Torino series Lab, Haifa Film Festival, MIA Rome, Nouvelles Vagues Biarritz, Meeting on the Bridge- Istanbul …; and international PITCHING WORKSHOPS with : SeriesMania Institute, MIDPOINT Institute, Full Moon Creative Lab, Eurodoc, European Producers Club, Ina Sup, Kourtrajme, La Femis, Paris…
As a former producer partner of Paris-based Films d’Ici and Legato Films, she has produced over sixty films. Her credits include award-winning productions directed by talents such as Cédric Klapisch, Louise Hémon, Christophe Honoré, Cyril Brody and Gilles Bannier.
In Paris art school Atelier de Sèvres, she preps students for entering exams of international art colleges.
Since 2018, with her company – AgatheBermanStudio – she has been developing her “pitchology” expertise, along with film essays and mixed-media projects.
Graduated in International Relations, he is currently Project Development Coordinator at La Sarraz Pictures, one of Italy’s most established production companies with over 20 years of international presence. Since 2018, he has worked on the production of numerous films showcased at major international festivals, contributing as consultant and collaborator across different stages of development and realization. His most recent credit, Canone Effimero by the De Serio brothers, received an Honorable Mention at Berlinale 2025.
Günsu Ciftci
Günsu Ciftci is a producer at The Post Republic’s Berlin studio, where she manages post-production for both picture and sound across a range of theatrical and high-end episodic projects. Her work spans international productions, including Motel Destino (directed by Karim Aïnouz), Evolution (directed by Kornél Mundruczó), Corridors of Power (directed by Dror Moreh), and Maria (directed by Pablo Larraín).
Aurélien Larger
With a background in science, Aurélien Larger has always been passionate about literature and cinema. He has created and developed several companies in Europe, Taiwan, Russia, and the United States. But it was with the creation of Mother Production in late 2010 that he truly realized his passion for fiction. Among his many productions, Aurélien has produced the comedy show « Call my Agent » (seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4), the period dramas “La Garçonne” and “Mitterrand Confidential,” and the crime show “Prière d'enquêter.” He has also co-produced feature films ("Lou! Journal infime“ and ”My best part“) and is producing the sequel film to Call my agent , currently in production. Aurelien recently created the company ”Les Saisons" with CG Cinéma to attract major talents from cinema and literature to creating premium series."
Bernd Buder
Bernd Buder, born 1964, studied political science at the FU Berlin and is a freelance curator, lecturer and film journalist. Since 2015 programme director of the FilmFestival Cottbus - Festival of East European Film, since 2021 programme (co-)director at the Jewish Film Festival Berlin Brandenburg. Programme advisor at the Cinedays Festival in Skopje and consultant of the SloVision Slovenian Film Days in Berlin. In the past he was, among other things, head of the East-West co-production market connecting cottbus, programme director of the Berlin Filmkunsthaus Babylon and programme consultant for various film festivals (Prishtinë Film Festival, Skena-Up Film and Theatre Festival Prishtinë, goEast Film Festival, dokumentArt Neubrandenburg, Turkish Film Week Berlin, Zagreb Film Festival, Berlinale- Forum). Member of the European Film Academy.
Erran Baron Cohen
Erran Baron Cohen is an acclaimed composer and producer, best known for scoring the international hit films Borat, Brüno and The Dictator. His genre-blending soundtracks have reached global audiences, combining orchestral jazz, world and electronic influences.
Beyond film, Erran’s projects include the widely praised album Songs in the Key of Hanukkah, reimagining Jewish music through reggae, rap and electronica, and collaborations with leading artists and ensembles worldwide. His career spans cinema, television, theatre and concert performance, defined by cross-cultural creativity and genre innovation.
With over two decades of experience, Erran continues to push boundaries between classical and contemporary music. In this masterclass, he shares insights into the art of film scoring — from shaping character and emotion to navigating the creative collaboration between composer and director
Mark Forstater
Mark Forstater is a distinguished film producer, best known for the cult comedy classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail and the horror cult phenomenon XTRO. With over 30 films to his credit, his career spans independent cinema, genre-defining favourites, and acclaimed dramas such as Marigolds in August. A true pioneer of indie filmmaking, Mark has also produced television, music albums, and books, consistently exploring new frontiers of storytelling. He is the founder of the film studio Dreambird and the creative tech platform Dreamby, ventures that reflect his lifelong passion for blending narrative innovation with philosophy and meditation. Mark also founded the charity The Jewish Brand which aims to combat anti-semitism through Culture. The Jewish Brand has published The Jewish Revolt by Rachel Auerbach and is about to publish A Book of Jewish Thoughts .
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