Stars Turn Out for Medienboard’s Open-Air, Sub-Zero Winter Spree

Crowds of filmmakers, producers and actors braved the frigid temperatures on Saturday to attend the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg‘s annual outdoor soiree at the riverside Holzmark venue to celebrate Germany’s most successful regional funder and bid farewell to outgoing CEO Kirsten Niehuus, who is stepping down later this year after two decades at the helm.

Among the throngs of warmly dressed guests were Volker Schlöndorff, Martin Moszkowicz, Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, Sam Riley, Matthias Schweighöfer, Aaron Altaras, Leo Altaras, Florence Kasumba, Sunnyi Melles, Lars Eidinger, Nicolette Krebitz, Helena Zengel, Kida Khodr Ramadan, Karoline Herfurth, Julia von Heinz, Heike Makatsch, Philippe Bober, Albrecht Schuch, Helena Zengel and Annabelle Mandeng.

“It’s been a fun ride,” Niehuus told Variety.

“I think we really had it all. When I started 20 years ago, the capital region of Berlin was not the place to be for film in Germany. That developed over the past 20 years, and certainly not because of me, but because so many people came to Berlin.

“I remember the first streaming series that shot here was ‘Homeland,’ and that was a big thing for us. The comedies with Til Schweiger, and all the artistic films that were in Cannes, the Berlinale and Venice, I think we covered a very broad variety of films.”

At this year’s Berlinale, MBB supported 15 productions, among them Tykwer’s opening film “The Light”; Ido Fluk’s audience favorite “Köln 75”; and Jan-Ole Gerster’s critically acclaimed “Islands.”

“The Light,” Niehuus said, “was really, really cinema and not just a good film. It was much more than that. We have so many different films that also show the artistic variety of the region. I would say ‘Cicadas,’ by Ina Weisse, that is premiering today, is definitely a film that should be watched. We see a shift in topics: lots of them deal with aging parents or different queer love stories are also very much in season at the moment.”

Another film backed by MBB was Ruben Östlund‘s 2022 Cannes winner “Triangle of Sadness,” co-produced by Philippe Bober’s Berlin-based shingle Essential Films, which used the occasion of the annual bash to pay MBB back €365,412.82 ($381,666) in funding grants.

Looking at the challenges currently facing the Berlin-Brandenburg region, Niehuus stressed that AI was something on everyone’s mind.

“There will definitely be the question of how films will be made in the future, how much human creativity will still be needed behind and in front of the camera. I think that affects everyone, actors, writers, studios, so I think that’s the next big challenge that we are facing.”

With AI playing in increasing role in the industry, particularly in VFX, Niehuus said Berlin could become an AI hub in Germany.

Niehuus, who is retiring in June, will be succeeded by Sarah Duve-Schmid, currently the deputy chairman and head of the Funding Department at the German Federal Film Board (FFA) in Berlin.