Tanja Meissner loves to network. As she prepares for her first European Film Market (EFM) next month as director of Berlinale Pro, Meissner is lo
Tanja Meissner loves to network. As she prepares for her first European Film Market (EFM) next month as director of Berlinale Pro, Meissner is looking forward to bringing all the skills she has learned throughout her career to a role that requires engaging with many different industry partners.
”Networking is something that is really natural for me and something that this position makes possible,” she says.
An industry veteran of over 20 years – starting as an intern at the Berlinale in the 1990s – Meissner has a comprehensive understanding of the entire value chain, from production through to distribution and exhibition. “I have an affinity with our target group because I used to be an EFM participant myself.”
Meissner spent 14 years as director of sales and acquisitions at Paris-based sales firm Memento Films International and seven years as director of sales at Celluloid Dreams. She started her career in 1995 as an international PR agent.
A key member of Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle’s recent senior team, Meissner was appointed director of Berlinale Pro in May 2024. Her role encompasses oversight of the EFM as well as the Berlinale Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents and the World Cinema Fund.
Meissner talks to Screen about her plans for next month’s EFM and future editions.
What can the industry expect from EFM this year. Will it feel different?
I’ve been here seven months, so by February it will feel like the end of a pregnancy and I’ll give birth to my first EFM. I’ve had to choose my battles because there’s only so much you can do in seven months. Luckily, I don’t have to reinvent the wheel. I have a brilliant team, and I can build on an effective infrastructure that was put in place by my predecessor.
One thing I have been able to put into place in the very tiny time frame is networking opportunities. We have created [daily networking formats like] the Breakfast Club and Innovation Hour.
The second floor of the Martin Gropius Bau is now entirely dedicated to an Innovation Hub, targeted especially towards producers and devoted to pioneering developments in the production section. EFM already has a robust offer for the sales and distribution businesses, but we wanted to have a relevant offering for producers.
We are also launching the EFM Distribution Award to recognise the significant work of European arthouse distribution. We also have a Female Summit that promises to be an inspiring highlight.
What is your longer-term vision for the EFM?
Trisha and I have been focusing on a reintegration of Berlinale Pro so its various initiatives work closer together [with the festival]. We want to further cultivate the USP of Berlinale Pro, the EFM and the Berlinale as a whole. I always love coming to EFM because the infrastructure is so effective, the technical standards of the screenings are excellent, and buyers have the immense advantage of being able to check out audience reactions firsthand. The combination of being the biggest audience festival in an A category and one of the most significant audiovisual trade fairs is unique.
We also have a fantastic location, and we want to develop this from a marketing point of view. We take place in one of the most lively cities in the world where you can enjoy good food and the best networking parties. Markets are also social events. We may not have the sea or the sun, but let’s say we prefer being nippy.
We want to empower ourselves and our participants through innovation. I want to connect more with other innovative industries and share ideas with professionals from different sectors to bring recent perspectives. We need to bring a lot more analysis to what we do in film markets, festivals, and in audience development.
Data is key for shaping innovative and sustainable business strategies, so making more exploit of analysis and AI is something I will focus on. I understand all the risks and that we need to have control over AI. But I would like to learn how to implement data-driven solutions in our workflows so that we can become a more effective operation. I’m sure that will unlock resources and innovative capacity. I’d like us to be a contemporary, democratic, data-driven marketplace.
How do you see EFM’s role in the film industry?
I see EFM as a platform with a hyper-efficient infrastructure for our participants that provides the best possible business opportunities. It also provides momentum at the beginning of the year. Within the film ecosystem, it’s significant to have a robust market to kick off the season and to launch recent projects. I always appreciated this as a sales agent. You can do really good business in Berlin. Buyers are generally in the right mood. It’s uncomplicated for them to screen films. Everything’s accessible. You can create a real buzz around titles.
Secondly, I see EFM as a multiplier of connectivity and training opportunities. We can provide vital professional development and promote knowledge transfer. We want to be an incubator of recent innovative generations. If we want to be culturally relevant in the market, we need to think of the next generation and try to make them come. We also have to do that in a very inclusive and socially diverse manner.
Thirdly, I would like to contribute to empowering European film production, or more generally independent, global IP. The sector needs to remain competitive. We cannot allow the market to narrow down too much. We need to find a balance between copyright protection, but also innovation and the market power that resides in owning the IP.
What is the biggest challenge for you in this recent role?
One is the explosion in costs. Everything is more pricey for us and everyone. But we know that our participants are increasingly cost-sensitive, so it was imperative for me to keep the prices competitive and not to raise them too much. The badge prices have stayed the same. At the same time, we need to find resources to make substantial investment in digital infrastructure. I believe the only way to master this cost explosion is to collaborate with other markets and find recent collaboration models.
The other substantial challenge, of course, is sustainability. Coming up with sustainable business models is imperative for the innovative industry.
The EFM will take place from February 13-19.
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