East European Forum

CAROLINE BEHAR – France 5, France

Commissioning Editor, Acquisitions and International Co-productions, France 5.
Caroline Behar began her career in the television industry in 1995, joining what was then La Cinquieme in the channel’s first year. Now known as France 5, it is one of three channels in the France Televisions group, along with France 2 and France 3.
Initially, Caroline was involved in setting up the International Association of Educational and Discovery Channels (AITED). She then took part in creating another new association whose aim was to promote the channel through a programme of interactive events held across France.
In 1997, Caroline’s love of travel and determination to explore the world led her to join France 5’s Department of Acquisitions and International Co-productions, headed by Ann Julienne. This work takes her to international programme markets and festivals in search of the best documentary films and projects dealing with her preferred subjects: people, places and cultures from across the world, wildlife and the environment, science and technology. In recent years Caroline has developed numerous co-productions with international partners from around the world. She is currently setting up  long-term collaboration with “new markets”, in Spain, Latin America, India…
Contact :
Caroline BEHAR, Achats et Coproductions Internationales, France 5, 2-4 rue Marceau, 92 785 Issy les Moulineaux Cedex 9

KATHRIN BRINKMANN - ZDF,Germany

Born September  29, 1964 in Iserlohn, Germany.  Studied Applied Dramatic Arts in Giessen, Germany. Worked as assistant director, theatre projects, e.g. Theater am Turm/Frankfurt/M. 
freelance work for the german culture channel 3sat. Also had practical training as dramaturg / commissioning editor at ZDF. Since 1994 commissioning editor for ARTE / ZDF - "Das kleine Fernsehspiel": Development and production of theme evenings for the European Culture Channel   ARTE. Development of new programme formats for  "quantum", the television workshop of Das kleine Fernsehspiel  within the german culture channel 3sat.Since May 2000: commissioning editor in the new department "ARTE THEMA" within ZDF.

ZDF
Set up in 1961 ZDF is one of the two public service networks in Germany, financed by licence fees and by advertisment. Apart from its main television service ZDF German Television operates, either individually or with partners, a number of television channels and related media services like the children channel KIKA, the digital channel ZDFvision, the current affairs channel Phoenix, the german speaking satellite channel 3sat and the European cultural channel ARTE.

DOCUMENTARIES ARTE THEME EVENINGS
The ARTE Thema Department within ZDF is commissioning 33 theme evenings a year. The theme evening is a very special concept and programme which became in a way the channels signature programme.  On three evenings a week they focus on one theme from different perspectives  and  invite the viewers   to take time to watch and understand. Theme evenings offer an infinite range of subjects featuring different formats like reports, cinema films and  documentaries.
Contact:
ZDF/Arte -Them. Evenings, 55100 Mainz, Germany

FLEMING GRENZ – DR TV, Denmark

Employed in Denmarks Radio TV (DR TV) since 1962 :
Floor manager in Children and Youth TV dept.
Production manager in Children and Youth TV dept. (all kinds of TV productions: Entertainment, dramaseries etc.)Executive producer in Children and Youth dept. with all the responsibility for the above mentioned productions.Executive producer in the DR dept. of  Culture and Documentary.
And present (since 1993):Executive producer (comm. editor) and daily leader in DR TV Co-production Unit.

DR TV
DR TV is a national public service channel financed by licence fees. It has two channels: DR1 that transmits by terrestrial network, satellite and cable, and DR2 that transmits by satellite and cable.
The main-entrance in DR TV for pre-buys and co-productions of short- and documentaries is the Co-production unit (address see below).
The purpose of co-productions in DR TV is first of all to co-operate with Danish, independent producers and directors of shortfilms and documentaries. Moreover co-operations between Nordic and International independent production-companies.
Co-productions in DR TV deals with subjects of culture and social/public matters with attached importance of the good – thoroughly researched story.
The co-productions will be broadcasted on both DR1 and DR2, depending on form and content.
Contact:
The Co-production-unit , DR Dokumentar, TV-Centre, DK 2860 Soeborg
Tel:+45 35 20 41 20 Flemming Grenz (executive producer), E-mail: fg@dr.dk
Fax:+45 35 20 41 91

MARIJKE HUIJBREGTS – AVRO, the Netherlands

Executive Producer/Producer AVRO Close Up, 1998-present
AVRO Close Up  is a weekly fifty-minute documentary slot broadcast the year round by AVRO, Independent Broadcasting Company, the Netherlands.  As executive producer, I am responsible for our international co-productions and acquisitions.  In addition, I have produced the following in-house documentaries:
2005. The trail of the Mummy, Schaduwland (documentary about a castle)
Mode in Nederland (History of fashion in The Netherlands) Nederlands Filmfestival (i25 years Dutch Filmfestival)  2004- Donald Duck: Meer dan een Eend (documentary about Donald Duck)
2003 - Lili Marleen (about the life and work of Lili Marleen)
, Eugene Brands (Documentary about Dutch Painter) , Jaap van Zweden ((documentary about Dutch conductor and violinist)
2002 - Jaap van Zweden (Dutch conductor and violinist)
2000-2001 - Jaap van Zweden (Dutch conductor and violinist), De vliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman), De weg naar de hemel (The Road to Heaven: Relics), Paul Huf (Dutch photographer)
1999 - Sail Amsterdam (4 documentaries of 30 minutes), Scheepsmodellen (Ship Models), Gerti Bierenbroodspot (Dutch artist), G.B.J. Hiltermann (Dutch journalist/television presenter)
1998 - Bernard Haitink (Dutch conductor), De Marsmannetjes komen (Here Come the Martians), Willem Duys (Dutch Radio and Television presenter), Jan Hoogstad (Dutch architect), Adriaen de Vries (Sixteenth-century Dutch sculptor), Het beste van drama (The Best of Drama), Het Boekenbal (Annual Dutch Writers’ Ball)
1997 - Ducktators (World War Two Cartoons), Pas de Vieux (Netherlands Dance Theatre 3)
1996 - Het leven en werk van Jan Steen (The Life and Work of Jan Steen) Mengelberg (Dutch conductor)Executive Producer, Art Department, AVRO Television, 1995-1998, Executive Producer, Youth Department, AVRO Television, 1993-1994, Freelance Producer and Director’s Assistant, 1987-1993 , For: TELEAC ( Dutch Educational Broadcasting Company), Time Management, Odd-jobs around the House, Calligraphy, Computers in the Classroom, Writing Skills for Adults, For: IKON (Dutch Inter-Church Broadcasting Company), 13 Church services s (live productions), For: AVRO (Independent Broadcasting Company)en nieuwe jas voor Toon (song and clip program of famous Dutch cabaret artist and songwriter) FORZA TV! (a weekly youth program,  32 parts) Een nieuwe jas voor Annie (song and clip program of famous Dutch author children’s books, songwriter, and creator of musicals), For: IOS/NMO (Moslem Broadcasting Company), 6 mosque services (live productions), For: Humanistische Omroep  (Humanistic Broadcasting Company) Revolutie en genade (Revolution and Mercy, a documentary) Bij de dood van een dissident: Het einde van de stilstand. Dr. Milan Simecka (Documentary about Dr. Milan Simecka), For: NOS (Dutch Broadcasting Foundation), Koningin Emma (Queen Emma, a documentary), Brisk , fluit kwartet (Concert), Emmy Verhey and Frederick Meinders (Concert), Rachel Ann Morgan and Tan Crone (Concert), Rinus (Television film about the burning of the Reichstag), Dag en nacht (Day and Night, a dance performance).
Festival oude muziek  (Festival of Old Music, a documentary) Elly Ameling Song Contest Benvenuto Ricardo ( Documentary about the conductor Ricardo Chailly) Swan Lake (Dance performance) Ronald Brautigam (Concert) Rian de Waal (Concert) Pulcinella (Dance performance) Master Class Elizabeth Schwarzkopf Vier honderd jaar Waterlooplein (Four Hundred Years Waterlooplein, a documentary)

RASA MISKINYTE – LRT, Lithuania     

Graduated from Kaunas Politechnic Institute as an Engineer, speciality Civil Building Engineer in 1986, Kaunas, Lithuania. Graduated from The European Film College, 2000 - 2001, Ebeltoft, Denmark, Graduated from Theatre and Cinema Department at Lithuanian Music Academy, 2001, gained Master Degree in Audiovisual Arts, Vilnius, Lithuania. Member of European Documentary Network – EDN, www.edn.dk
Training: Eurodoc Production – long term co-production course: Strasbourg-France/ Montreux-Switzerland/ Sintra-Portugal 2003/2004,  “Twelve for the Future”, twofold co-production workshop, Bornholm-Denmark/Helsinki-Finland, 2002/2003, Co-organizer of BALTIC SEA DOCUMENTARY FORUM, Vilnius, 2005
Fellowships and Scholarships: Scholarship of Nordic Baltic Film Fund for studies in The European Film College 2000; Baltic Media Centre travel grants for travels to workshops and film forums, 2002/2003; MEDIA Plus Training scholarship for studies in Eurodoc-Production Course, 2003/3004; Felix Merittis Fund Programme Guliver’s Connect 2005 fellowship for placement in National Film Centre of Latvia, 2005;
Publications and research: Article CONTEMPLATION ON TV AN CINEMA COOPERATION in Film magazine KINAS, 2003/4. Major research on LADISLAS STAREWITCH – pioneer of puppet animation, for a creative documentary EUROPEAN DISNEY. Poetic Concepts of Time and Life, Presentation in Discovery Campus , Vienna, 2005

LRT – Lithuanian Radio and Television

Lithuanian National Radio and Television (Lietuvos Nacionalinis Radijas ir Televizija) or LRT is a non-profit public broadcasting company. LRT operates two national television channels, two national radio channels, and has provided regular radio service since 1926 and television broadcasting since 1957.
LTV2 Second Television channel is Culture and Documentary Channel, which will be taking its real shape only from 2006 January.
The Lithuanian Radio and Television Council (LRT Council) oversees the operations of LRT according to the “Law on the Provision of Information to the Public” and “Lithuanian Radio and Television Law” . Although predominantly government financed, LRT does sell advertising.
Lithuanian Radio and Television presently employs approximately 650 people.
LRT receives about 75 percent of its funding from the Lithuanian government. A licensing fee or tax that every television purchaser would have to pay is proposed as the future source of income for LRT.
Lithuanian Radio and Television can provide assistance to foreign broadcasting companies that wish to cover events in Lithuania. A satellite station with a 9 meter diameter dish enables LRT to receive and broadcast within the international EBU network. (The satellite also receives stereo programs from Euroradio.)

PAUL PAUWELS – VRT, Belgium

Paul Pauwels – programme manager . Born in Belgium, Leuven, on January 27, 1956. Studied at RITCS film school in Brussels from 1976 > 1979. Master degree in directing and producing.  Has been working as a production manager and unit manager in feature film production from 1979 until 1987 when he founded his own production unit PERISCOPE PRODUCTIONS NV. In May 2005 he stopped being an independent producer and became programme manager at Flemish Public Broadcaster VRT, for the second channel CANVAS; Within Canvas Paul Pauwels is responsible for several slots ( science, history, human intrest ) and he is also in charge of dealing with co-productions.Paul Pauwels has been Chairperson of EDN (European Documentary Network) in 2002 and 2003,  for the maximum period of time allowed by the by-laws. Other activities  include:
Training and tutoring in documentary production and writing (Finland, Norway, Denmark,  Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Serbia, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, UK, Israel, Czech Republic, India, Iceland) Tutor for Discovery Campus – Münich, Tutor for Institute of Documentary Film – Prague, Moderator for several documentary pitching sessions, Moderator for debates on documentary issues. 
 productions with Periscope Productions:
NIGHT TALKS (2004)52' documentary
director: Margareta Hruza
In co-production with Negativ Film Prague  
SWORN VIRGINS (2004)
52' documentary
director: Agnes Bert
In co-production with Alamagordo France
REQUIEM FOR A CUP FINAL (2005)
90' documentary
director: Lode Desmet
In co-production with BBC, VRT, RTBF,
DR-TV, YLE/FST, VPRO, SVT, LRT, ERT, SBS-Australia, FR2, TSR
Rai Educational and the Media Plus programme of the European Union
THE TWELVE MUDJAHEDIN (2005)
52’ documentary
director: David Ofel
in co-production with Idan Regev Productions - Israel
(in post-production)
THE BLESSED HOUSE (2005)
52’ documentary
director: Daniel Syrkin
in co-production with Dana Eden Productions - Israel
WHITE KING, RED RUBBER, BLACK DEATH (2004)
52’ 75' documentary
director: Peter Bate
in collaboration with BBC, ZDF/ARTE, TV2 – Denmark, IKON, SBS, VRT, RTBF,VAF, YLE, Nominated for the EBU Golden Link competition ( 3d prize), Selected for competition in the Jerusalem Film Festival ( 2004 ), Selected in competition for the Leipzig Film Festival ( 2004 ), Amongst 8 final candidates for the Grierson Awards 2004, Selected for the African Diaspora Festival New York ( 2004)
TINTIN ET MOI (2003)
52' documentary
director: Anders Ostergaard
in co-production with Angel Films (Denmark), Moulinsart (Belgium),
Dune (France), Leapfrog (Suisse)
Selected for numerous festivals worldwide
Contact:
VRT, AUGUSTE REYERSLAAN 52, 1043 BRUSSEL – BELGIUM, Phone:  32 (0)2 741 97 81, mobile phone: 32 (0)495 54 61 76, e-mail: paul.pauwels@vrt.be

WIM VAN ROMPAY - LICHTPUNT, Belgium

Married and with two children,
Master's degree in Modern History at the Free University of Brussels in 1975. Producer of Lichtpunt since 1981.

The profile of the station:
Lichtpunt is an independent broadcaster and has a twoweekly TV-programme on the second channel of the Flemish public broadcast (VRT). Lichtpunt is subsidised by the Flemish government. The mission of Lichtpunt is to bring documentaries, interviews and feature films from a humanist point of view. Therefore Lichtpunt broadcasts human/social-interest programmes. Lichtpunt produces a part of its programmes by its own Staff, but als
buys and co-produces on the international market.
Contact:
Lichtpunt, Brand Whitlocklaan, 50, 1200 Brussels, Belgium, www.lichtpunt.be

Dr. CLAUDIA SCHREINER – MDR/ARD, Germany

Born in Cologne, Germany. Studies in American History, Political Science and Archaeology in Cologne and New York. 1979 M.A. at Columbia University, NYC, and in 1984 Ph.D. at the University of Cologne.Professional qualification:  ZDF – German Television, news reporting as  free lancer. Reporter and anchor woman for RIAS (Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor), foreign correspondent in Washington, D.C. for the same station.Assistant to the Director of TV – Programme at SFB/ARD, Berlin. 1994 to 2000  Head of Programme, Family and Current affairs, at MDR/ARD, Dresden. Today  Head of Programme, Culture and Science, MDR/ARD, Leipzig.
This department is responsible for the Factual programme History, Science, Culture and Religion producing documentaries, features, magazines and live broadcast of cultural  events.

MDR - Profile

MITTELDEUTSCHER RUNDFUNK (MDR) is part of the ARD-network located in Leipzig.  It offers a wide variety of TV-programme  for all viewers in its region, the middle of Germany.  The range extends from  regular news and sport broadcasts to entertainment shows, political magazines, cultural broadcasts, feature films, historical documentaries, religious and musical broadcasts.  It offers a 24- hour - programme and reaches a market share of nearly 10 percent of the audience.
MDR contributes also to the national public broadcast channel ARD – in all genres of programme.
Documentaries hold a strong position here: all in all fifty hours are being produced p.a. for ARD, MDR and arte, the German-French Cultural channel. Emphasis is put on history of World War 2, Cold War and the history of the former German Democratic Republic. A new trend here, however, is the look upon the medieval and pre-medieval ages, archaeological and mythical  traces.
A strong emphasis is also put on projects which look towards East European countries, their history, people and culture.
For MDR Television two weekly documentary slots need to be served, here the programme philosophy is the same as for the ARD slots. Because of financial restraints more than 50 percent of the programme are replays and licensed productions. Percentage of in-house productions is 50 percent. The single average production budget differs between 80.000,-€ and 300.000,-€.
Contact:
tel : MDR / ARD, Phone: +49 341 300 7200, fax: +49 341 300 7255, claudia.schreiner@mdr.de, www.mdr.de

MARTIN STOLL – CT, Czech Republic

Mgr. Martin Stoll, Ph.D., Documentarist - Head Dramaturge of the Group of Documentary Works, Cycles and Series of the Center for Journalism, Documentaries and Education in the CT, also a director, photographer, lecturer at the FAMU and a publisher. He graduated at FAMU (1997) and took his Ph.D. there as well (2001). A student of Professor Jan Spata and a follower of Professor Antonin Navratil. Next to his own TV production (Kdo  si hraje, nezlobi/He who plays, isn’t naughty; Ma Mala Skala/My Little Rock; Balet/Ballet, Genus - Milos Kirschner/Profile of Milos Kirschner, GENUS - Radovan Lukavsky/Profile of Radovan Lukavsky, Praha - jeviste vedy/Prague – the Stage of Science, Irsko: Konec Evropy/Ireland: the End of Europe, Lotysska pisen/The song of Lithuania, Sbirka zapadlych vlastencu/The collection of Lost Patriots), he deals with the history of documentary film, publishes (Hundred Years of Czech Documentary Film, Praha dokumentarni/Prague documantaristic, Mezi pravdou a lzi/Between the Truth and the Lie, Jan Spata: Okamziky radosti/ Jan Spata: Moments of Joy) and manages a publishing house Mala Skala.

Czech television - CT

CT is public service broadcaster that operates on two national terrestrial channels CT1 and CT 2. Documentaries are mainly in-house productions and acquisitions. Approx. 60 hours a year is commissioned/co-produced with domestic or international producers. International co-productions CT realized mostly on the field of fiction programs, but in very last time it was discussed to produce some documentary programs in co – production with foreign broadcasters or producers.
Contact:
Ceska televize, Kavci Hory, 140 70 Praha 4, Ceska republika, www.czech-tv.cz

ANDRZEJ TITKOW – PTV, Poland

Andrzej Titkow -   a poet,  a film director, a film producer and  a scriptwriter - born in Warsaw, Poland,  March 24th 1946. Graduated  the Film Directing Dpt of the State Higher Film, TV and Theatre School in Lodz, Poland with M.A. degree in 1972.  Ever since he made his debut  in  1971 with a documentary In Such a Small Town  he has had to his name over 60 documentaries and several  TV feature films including a serialized drama  A  Circulatory System,  a cinema feature Reflected Light, a number of stage drama performances  and TV spectacles.
He is also an author  of two volumes of  verse :  An Introduction to an Unwritten Poem, 1976,  and Records, charms, 1996.
As a filmmaker he took part in many film reviews and competitions at home and abroad and won numerous awards.  In 1998-9 he lectured  film history at the University of Warsaw and  conducted film workshops  at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw and at the Warsaw Film School.
Since November 2004 he is Deputy Head of  the Documentary Forms Department in Channel 1of the Polish Public Television.
Contact:
Andrzej Titkow, Ul.Iwicka 8a m.12, 00-735 Warszawa, Poland, e.mail : andrzejtitkow@wp.pl

SARI VOLANEN – YLE, Finland 

Born 20.08.1962 in Helsinki
WORK EXPERIENCE
In Finnish Broadcasting Company/YLE since 1986
1986-1991 production assistant at YLE/TV1 in various departments
1991-1997 production manager at YLE/TV1 Co-productions (contracts, production follow-ups)
1997 -> producer of animation and children’s films at  TV1 Co-productions
1999 -> producer of short films of all genres and children’s films at TV1 Co-productions
2003 -> commissioning editor of “New Cinema” slot* on TV1 and producer of short films at YLE Co-productions
“New Cinema” slot runs on Sundays at 23.00 with an open-end. The slot is for adult audience, all genres (except journalistic tv-programs), all lengths, production year preferably max. 3 years old. “New” is flexible: a new director, technique, idea, point of view, actors etc. Rarely series.
STUDIES
English studies at Turku University 1982-1985
Production course at Yleisradio 1985-1986
Ad Astra PD producer training in Finland 1993-1996
EAVE graduate 1999 (producer training)
Contact:
Phone: +358 9 1480 2783, Fax: +358 9 146 2495, Email: sari.volanen@yle.fi, Address: YLE Co-productions, P.O.Box 97, 00024 Yleisradio, Finland

JENNY WESTERGARD – YLE, Finland

Jenny Westergard is a graduated journalist from Helsinki University and has been working for YLE The Finnish Broadcasting Company since 1985. Currently she is Head of  Acquisitions&Coproductions at YLE FST and the Commissioning Editor for documentaries. YLE FST (Finlands Svenska Television) is the Swedish language channel on YLE. FST offers full service 7 days a week with an average broadcast of 2000 hour/ year. Our main language is Swedish, but all programmes exept news and children programmes are subtitled to Finnish. At the moment FST has three one hour slots/week for documentaries; including domestic, Nordic and European films and programmes. Of those approximately 150 hours, the main part is acquisitions and about 25 hours are co-productions and prebuys. The themes represent a wide range of topics.
Company Profile
YLE, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is the national public service broadcasting company  with duties laid down by law. YLE operates five national television channels and thirteen radio channels and services. YLE ranks first in television viewing in the country. YLE is the main purveyor and producer of domestic culture, and 60% of its programmes are made in Finland.
YLE is a media company engaged in public full service television and radio broadcasting for all citizens on equal basis. The emphasis in YLE programming is on supply of information; news, current affairs and factual programmes, as well as culture and education. This includes providing programmes and services in Finnish and Swedish as well as covering special and minority groups.
YLE is a limited company mainly owned by the Finnish state and principally financed through television fee revenues. YLE is a media company free from commercial and political affiliations, and its programmes carry no advertising.
Yleisradio Oy was established in 1926 and joined EBU, the European Broadcasting Union at the very beginning in 1950.