This year, the ifs International Film School Cologne is once again represented at the Film Festival Cologne as a cooperation partner with numerous events:
- The »European Series Day« (20.10.) will highlight series trends and provide an outlook on the series of tomorrow.
- The fourth European Showrunner Think Tank will also take place as part of the European Series Day – under the title »Producing in the Showrunner Model«.
- The »ifs Showcase« (21.10.) offers the opportunity to get to know young filmmakers from the ifs and their current projects.

As part of the festival, numerous films with the participation of ifs professors and alumni will be presented, some of which are in the running for the NRW Film Prize.

On 20 October from 10 a.m. the European Series Day in Cologne will once again be dedicated to trends and current developments in the European series market. The focus is on German and European high-end series - but also on young creatives who are noticeably and sustainably revitalising the market, including alumni of the ifs. The event is a cooperation of Film Festival Cologne, Creative Europe Desk NRW, ifs and the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW.
As part of the European Series Day, the fourth European Showrunner Think Tank will take place at 11.15 a.m. under the title »Producing in the Showrunner Model«. Maria Cervera (producer »Elite«, »Cable Girls« and Vice President Content Development EMEAA, VIS - a division of Paramount), Petja Peltomaa (writer, showrunner »Syke/Nurses«) and Andi Wecker (producer, writer, showrunner »Start the Fck Up«, »The Team«) will discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with producing series in the showrunner model, moderated by Marike Muselaers (Lumière Benelux Group). The »European Showrunner Think Tank« is an industry-internal event series with the aim of discussing, defining and establishing the showrunner position in Europe in the long term. The events are part of the »European Showrunner Programme« of the ifs - funded by the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme of the European Union and the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, supported by industry partners Netflix and Series Mania.

This year's European Series Day will close at 2.30 p.m. with the panel discussion »Old School/New School - 10 Years MA Serial Storytelling: The Series Market from the Next Generation's Perspective« with graduates of the Master's programme Serial Storytelling. The successful model was launched at the ifs 10 years ago.

The »ifs Showcase« with get-together on 21.10. at 4 p.m. presents current work from the ifs - this time from the bachelor's programme in Film and the master's programmes in Digital Narratives and Serial Storytelling. Students and alumni will present selected projects in pitches and teasers - including short films and screenplays, series, animation and 360° AR projects.
The ifs is also a cooperation partner of the Cologne Comedy Connector on 22.10. at 1 p.m.

This year's festival programme once again includes numerous films with the participation of ifs alumni and professors:
Nominated for this year's NRW Film Award, which honours the best entry in the »NRW Competition« series, are »A Room of My Own« produced by ifs alumni Eva Blondiau and Elmar Imanov, »Der Russe ist einer, der Birken liebt« with the participation of ifs professor Rolf Mütze (VFX Executive Producer) and the alumni Maximilian Leo (Producer), Jan Pfitzner (Digital Intermediate Supervisor) and Svenja Matthes (Production Designer and Assistant Set Decorator) as well as »Trained to See - Three Women and the War«, in which the alumni Yana Höhnerbach (Editing), Patrick Hanemann (Assistant Editing), Holger Buff (Sound) and Jascha Viehl (Mixing) are involved. The prize, worth a total of 20,000 euros, is sponsored by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the city of Cologne and the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW.

In the »Special Screenings« series, »Bonn - Old Friends, New Enemies« will be screened with the participation of alumni Claudia Garde (Director), Peter Furrer (Co-Screenplay), Dominik Schmitz (Assistant Production Designer NRW) and Markus Schütz (Assistant Art Director), »The Mayoress« based on a screenplay by ifs professor and alumnus Magnus Vattrodt, and »Daughters«, in which alumni Christiane Krumwiede (Production Designer) and Anna-Maria Otte (Assistant Set Decorator) participated.

On the sidelines of the festival, a Series Pitch Session of the Mediengründerzentrum NRW will take place on 20 October under the title MGZ meets ifs. Alumni of the MGZ and students and alumni of the ifs Serial Storytelling master's programme will then discuss current series projects and future collaborations.

Created on 18.10.2022