Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale.

Hosted by Elsa Keslassy (Executive International Editor; Variety, France), today’s episode, “A Fireside Chat with Award‑Winning Producer David Kaplan”, offers a rich and insightful look into the making of Josephine, the Sundance breakout, which competed at the Berlinale, and into the realities of producing bold, uncompromising American independent cinema.

Recorded during this year’s EFM Industry Programme, this fireside chat delves into the film’s 12‑year journey, from early development and financing hurdles to casting, creative breakthroughs, and the persistence required to bring challenging material to the screen. David Kaplan reflects on the risks, setbacks, and unexpected turns that shaped Josephine, including securing final financing only days into production.

David Kaplan (Co‑Founder, Kaplan Morrison, USA) is a Brooklyn‑based producer known for championing distinctive and daring independent films. His credits include It Follows, It Comes at Night, Short Term 12, The Brutalist and The Testament of Anne Lee. In the conversation, he discusses the evolving landscape of U.S. indie filmmaking, the realities of equity‑financed cinema, and why some stories demand unwavering commitment far beyond the first - or tenth - attempt.

Elsa Keslassy is Variety’s Executive Editor of International, leading global coverage from Paris. She oversees a team of award‑winning correspondents and helps guide the magazine’s reporting at major film and TV festivals and markets, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Mipcom. She covers the entertainment industries in France and several international territories, and has interviewed leading cultural figures, including French President Emmanuel Macron for a cover story on France’s cultural boom. She holds a degree in print journalism from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and began her career in documentary filmmaking before joining Variety in 2007.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market is the first international film market of the year, where the film industry starts its business. Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast puts a spotlight on highly topical and trendsetting industry issues, thereby creating a compass for the forthcoming film year. The year-round podcast co-funded by **Creative Europe MEDIA. **

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. This podcast episode was made in collaboration with PUBLIKUM.

In a new collaborative series with PUBLIKUM titled "The Claim" the podcast brings together leading industry voices to debate findings from AI-driven audience research. Hosted by Niels Alberg and Rikke Flodin from PUBLIKUM, each session recorded live during the EFM challenges experts to reconcile data-driven insights with creative intuition.

In this episode, the hosts and guests explore the claim that "the young audience wishes we would remember the bright side of life," sparking a deep dive into coming-of-age storytelling, social and emotional realism, and the gap between what filmmakers imagine young people need and what young audiences themselves want. The discussion examines whether a focus on difficult challenges comes at the cost of fun, celebration, and optimism, offering unique insights into how festivals, funds, and producers working in children's and youth cinema are currently thinking about this balance.

Anne Schultka is the project manager at KIDS Regio.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market is the first international film market of the year, where the film industry starts its business. Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast puts a spotlight on highly topical and trendsetting industry issues, thereby creating a compass for the forthcoming film year. The year-round podcast is co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. This podcast episode was made in collaboration with PUBLIKUM.

In a new collaborative series with PUBLIKUM titled "The Claim" the podcast brings together leading industry voices to debate findings from AI-driven audience research. Hosted by Niels Alberg and Rikke Flodin from PUBLIKUM, each session recorded live during the EFM challenges experts to reconcile data-driven insights with creative intuition.

In this episode, the hosts and guests explore the claim that "the audience wishes we made it easier for them to study relationships," sparking a deep dive into character relationships, identification, and the move from stories about "me" to stories about "us." The discussion examines whether audiences have a deeper appetite for social dynamics than the industry currently serves, offering unique insights into how a leading producer and a prominent international sales company are currently interpreting these trends across the European and global market.

Dries Phlypo is a producer at A Private View.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market is the first international film market of the year, where the film industry starts its business. Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast puts a spotlight on highly topical and trendsetting industry issues, thereby creating a compass for the forthcoming film year. The year-round podcast is co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. This podcast episode was made in collaboration with PUBLIKUM.

In a new collaborative series with PUBLIKUM titled "The Claim" the podcast brings together leading industry voices to debate findings from AI-driven audience research. Hosted by Niels Alberg and Rikke Flodin from PUBLIKUM, each session recorded live during the EFM challenges experts to reconcile data-driven insights with creative intuition.

In this episode, the hosts and guests explore the claim that "the audience wishes we would focus more on characters," sparking a deep dive into character development, backstories, and the balance between inner and outer journeys. The discussion examines whether audiences are more invested in characters than the industry currently assumes, offering unique insights into how two of Zentropa's leading producers are thinking about character-driven storytelling and what it means for audience experience, artistic vision, and marketing.

Sisse Graum Jørgensen is a producer at Zentropa.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market is the first international film market of the year, where the film industry starts its business. Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast puts a spotlight on highly topical and trendsetting industry issues, thereby creating a compass for the forthcoming film year. The year-round podcast is co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. This podcast episode was made in collaboration with PUBLIKUM.

In a new collaborative series with PUBLIKUM titled "The Claim" the podcast brings together leading industry voices to debate findings from AI-driven audience research. Hosted by Niels Alberg and Rikke Flodin from PUBLIKUM, each session recorded live during the EFM challenges experts to reconcile data-driven insights with creative intuition.

In this episode, the hosts and guests explore the claim that "the audience wishes we would mix more tropes with art and originality," sparking a deep dive into narrative framing, storytelling conventions, and the balance between familiarity and surprise. The discussion examines how audiences are drawn to stories that offer both orientation and the unexpected, offering unique insights into how producers and distributors are currently navigating these dynamics from both a creative and market perspective.

Sol Bondy is a producer at One Two Films.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market is the first international film market of the year, where the film industry starts its business. Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast puts a spotlight on highly topical and trendsetting industry issues, thereby creating a compass for the forthcoming film year. The year-round podcast is co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. This podcast episode was made in collaboration with PUBLIKUM.

In a new collaborative series with PUBLIKUM titled "The Claim" the podcast brings together leading industry voices to debate findings from AI-driven audience research. Hosted by Niels Alberg and Rikke Flodin from PUBLIKUM, each session recorded live during the EFM challenges experts to reconcile data-driven insights with creative intuition.

In this episode, the hosts and guests explore the claim that “the audience wishes we would go further,” sparking a deep dive into shifting narrative risks and thematic depth. The discussion examines how audience expectations are evolving regarding social and emotional realism, offering unique insights into how major film funds and institutes are currently interpreting these trends in the German and Norwegian landscapes.

Helge Albers is the CEO of MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market is the first international film market of the year, where the film industry starts its business. Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast puts a spotlight on highly topical and trendsetting industry issues, thereby creating a compass for the forthcoming film year. The year-round podcast is co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale.

Hosted by Rowan Woods, today’s episode, “In Conversation With Jack Thorne”, offers a rich and insightful look into the creative process of one of Britain’s most acclaimed playwrights, screenwriters, and producers.

Recorded during this years EFM Industry Programme, this fireside chat delves into Jack Thorne’s approach to storytelling - from the emotional questions that guide his writing to the key experiences that shaped his career across theatre, film, and television. Together with Rowan Woods, he reflects on the responsibility of representing real lives on screen, the evolution of his craft, and the challenges and rewards of creating characters and worlds that resonate internationally.

Jack Thorne (One Shoe Films, UK) is an acclaimed British playwright, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creative force behind globally celebrated works such as_ Adolescence_ and Toxic Town. His latest series, Lord of the Flies, was featured in this year’s Berlinale Special Series programme.

Rowan Woods is an experienced film and TV curator and executive, with experience across distribution, sales, production, development, festivals and journalism. She currently leads the series programming for the Berlinale and BFI London Film Festival and until recently was the Creative Director at the Edinburgh TV Festival. Prior to this she held acquisitions roles at BFI Distribution and Shudder, ran the British Council's international film festival programme, and spend time working for sales agent Film Constellation and on the development team at BBC Films. Earlier in her career she spent five years as producer on many of the BBC's high profile film programmes and also held PR roles in distribution and at the London Film Festival.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market is the first international film market of the year, where the film industry starts its business. Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast puts a spotlight on highly topical and trendsetting industry issues, thereby creating a compass for the forthcoming film year. The year-round podcast co-funded by **Creative Europe MEDIA. **

Kick off your EFM day with this short morning coffee companion: our daily EFM Morning Brief. 10 minutes to keep you up to speed with the latest news – today provided by our guest Ritesh Mehta who is a freelance contributor to IndieWire, followed by our "what's on for today" to help you navigate our EFM Industry Programme and spot highlights and tips for the day. Make sure to tune into our EFM Morning Brief to stay on top of all the essentials and get the latest EFM buzz, hosted by Wendy Mitchell.

EFM Morning Brief is part of the year-round podcast series Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale, it delves deep into the rapidly evolving film industry.

Kick off your EFM day with this short morning coffee companion: our daily EFM Morning Brief. 10 minutes to keep you up to speed with the latest news – today provided by our guest correspondent Thomas Schultze from The SPOT, followed by our "what's on for today" to help you navigate our EFM Industry Programme and spot highlights and tips for the day. Make sure to tune into our EFM Morning Brief to stay on top of all the essentials and get the latest EFM buzz, hosted by Wendy Mitchell.

EFM Morning Brief is part of the year-round podcast series Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale, it delves deep into the rapidly evolving film industry.

Kick off your EFM day with this short morning coffee companion: our daily EFM Morning Brief. 10 minutes to keep you up to speed with the latest news – today provided by our guest correspondent Scott Roxborough from The Hollywood Reporter, followed by our "what's on for today" to help you navigate our EFM Industry Programme and spot highlights and tips for the day. Make sure to tune into our EFM Morning Brief to stay on top of all the essentials and get the latest EFM buzz, hosted by Wendy Mitchell.

EFM Morning Brief is part of the year-round podcast series Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale, it delves deep into the rapidly evolving film industry.