The Conference Programme creates space for filmmakers, creatives and audiences to meet and exchange ideas. Through keynotes, panels and discussions, it addresses contemporary filmmaking, creative practice and the issues shaping today’s storytelling.

Highlights include:

• Master Class with Margarethe von Trotta – The festival’s patron opens the programme with an exclusive masterclass, sharing her approach to filmmaking and the interplay between the personal and the political.

• 50 Years of “Tommy” – Film & Lecture with Adrian Wootton – A special anniversary screening of the legendary rock opera Tommy by The Who, with Wootton offering unique insights into its creation and cultural resonance.

• Chris Kimsey – Sound, Creativity & Film – The legendary producer (The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Duran Duran) talks about sound design, creativity and the overlap between music and cinema, in conversation with Adrian Wootton.

• Film & Talk: “Der Tod ist ein Arschloch” – A screening and conversation with Eric Wrede, bestselling author and undertaker, exploring life, loss and humour in dealing with death.

• Panels & Debates – Experts discuss topics such as autobiographical storytelling, AI and creativity, myth and modernity, and the future of narrative forms.

The Conference Programme shows how vibrant and forward-looking the dialogue between film, music and society can be – inviting audiences to think, question and connect.