Series trends and the showrunner model, young talents and current projects -.
The ifs at the Film Festival Cologne 2023

This year, the ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln will once again be represented at the Film Festival Cologne as a cooperation partner with numerous events:

• The "European Series Day" (20.10.) is dedicated to trends and current developments in the European series market.
• The fifth European Showrunner Think Tank will also take place as part of the European Series Day - under the title "Adapting the Showrunner Model to a Project's Needs".
• At the "ifs Showcase: Final Pitch MA Film" (20.10.) the graduates of the first year of the Master's programme in Film will present their two Master's film projects as well as other projects from their studies.
• As part of the festival, numerous films will be presented with the participation of ifs professors and alumni, 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. After a welcome by ifs managing director Nadja Radojevic, the challenges and opportunities of international co-productions will be discussed as well as the far-reaching changes in distribution and marketing channels in the digital age - in keynotes, panels and case studies of German and European high-end series. The event is a cooperation of Film Festival Cologne, Creative Europe Desk NRW, ifs and Film- und Medienstiftung NRW.

As part of the European Series Day, the fifth European Showrunner Think Tank will take place at 11.15 am under the title "Adapting the Showrunner Model to a Project's Needs". Marianne Wendt (author and showrunner, "Wer Wir Sind", "Neumatt"), Bettina Alber (Head of Series, SRF Swiss Radio and Television) and Benedikt Böllhoff (producer, Viafilm) will discuss the lack of a uniform showrunner model in the European series landscape and the impact that the format and scope of a series project have on the way the showrunner model works.
The event series "European Showrunner Think Tank" is dedicated to discussing and defining the showrunner role in Europe. The events are part of the "European Showrunner Programme" at the ifs - funded by the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme of the European Union and the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, supported by industry partner Netflix and in cooperation with Film Festival Cologne, Gothenburg Film Festival, Seriencamp Conference and Series Mania.

This year, the "ifs-Showcase: Final Pitch MA Film" - on 20 October from 3.30 to 4.30 p.m. in the Filmhaus Köln - is entirely dedicated to the Master's programme in Film. The graduates of the first year of the Master's programme in Film at the ifs will present their two Master's film projects "Oben ohne" (working title) (fictional) and "From Departure to Departure" (documentary) in trailers and pitches. They will also present selected project ideas that were developed during their studies. At the subsequent get-together, the young talents look forward to feedback on their projects, exchange with the industry - and to making new contacts.
The ifs is also a cooperation partner of the Cologne Comedy Connector on 21.10. at 1 p.m., where established and budding comedy professionals meet and give each other impulses.

This year's festival programme once again includes numerous films with the participation of ifs alumni and professors can be seen in the festival programme. Four of these films are nominated for this year's NRW Film Award, which honours the best entry in the "NRW Competition" series:
The poignant documentary "Die Kinder aus Korntal" was developed by ifs alumna Julia Charakter (screenplay and direction) in the Non-Fiction Masterclass at the ifs. The film has just won the DEFA sponsorship award at the DOK Leipzig festival. Alumni Friederike Dörffler (fine editing), Mick Mahler (animation & graphics), Yana Höhnerbach and Antonia Marleen Klein (dramaturgical consulting editing)and Malte Hafner (2nd DoP) are also involved.
For the Neo-Noir film "Schock", ifs graduate Daniel Rakete Siegel, together with Denis Moschitto, was responsible for screenplay and direction.
Prof. Sophia Zauner worked on the animated film "Die Sirene" ("The Siren") (Rigging Supervision/Rigging/Pipeline TD).
Prof. Rolf Mütze was involved in the thriller "The Dive" as Associate VFX Supervisor, as were ifs graduates Maximilian Leo (Producer), Nils Nissing (3D Artist & VFX Set Supervisor) and ifs student David Seul (3D Artist).
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.
The "Tatort Köln - Pyramide" will be shown in the Special Screenings series. ifs alumna Charlotte Rolfes was responsible for directing the 88th criminal case of the legendary Cologne investigator duo.