We can only learn if we try things out

Maria has really done a lot of things very well in the last three years - and I will build on that. Every Fundings programme is embedded in a political framework that can be compared to thick planks. So with all the developments and expansions over the next few months, we have some heavy lifting to do. Maria has already started, and I will continue to drill.

I am currently working hard and enjoying getting to know the many advantages of the locations bit by bit. I already really like the diverse and international mix of creative potential in Hamburg. And Schleswig-Holstein, with its diverse locations between the seas, is also in high demand for upcoming series projects. As an Executive Producer, I shot here myself last year.

In the first few weeks, my focus will be on seeing how we can grow well as a team at FFHSH - that's what really motivates me at the moment. Externally, series funding is of course the next big project that has absolute priority - because we are one of the few locations in Germany that does not yet have its own funding in this area. Also exciting: all the overlaps between cinema and new technologies. At the moment, many of the models we are working with are still very much anchored in the 90s and 2000s. I already have a few ideas and am in dialogue with technology companies that I hope will set up shop in Hamburg. As soon as I know if they're coming, I'll tell you who it is (laughs). Another interesting technology in my opinion is blockchain, which deals with the transfer of value. We need to embrace these new technologies. Because we can only learn if we try them out. And last but not least, the gaming sector is of course an area that suits us well and will play a role in the future. Because it's also very much about storytelling. There is extreme growth potential here and many companies in this field are already based in Hamburg. We should talk to these companies and ask what we can do to further strengthen the location here.

I slipped into the industry relatively early and naively. I did my A-levels at a grammar school for economics, law and social insurance. I then thought about what I should do with it, but I didn't want to study business administration. By chance, I came across film schools and discovered the production degree programme in Babelsberg. I was always in the cinema a lot - not obsessed, but very curious. And so it was a very charming combination for me to combine my strange A-levels with something I really liked. My studies were then very helpful and formative for me, as I learnt a lot about cinema, film history and film theory. It was a great time, during which I also worked as a sound engineer, lighting technician and production designer. You learn the production-specific things later on in practice.

I've been there twice, but in my private life I'm more drawn to other musical genres - somewhere between Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Sternen and electronic music, so it's quite a broad spectrum. But you're bound to find me at the Elbphilharmonie from time to time.

A producer's heart is not so easy to kill (laughs). However, I have left my company "Achtung Panda!" in good hands and I will now devote myself fully to the new tasks that await me in the north.

My work as an Executive Producer is very helpful for my new job, as I know what it's like on the other side of the desk. Over the last 20 years, I've gained a lot of experience as a promoter. Both great and painful experiences, because of course not all projects were funded. So I know very well what it means to have a project rejected and not feel heard. Of course, we can't change the fact that the majority of films are rejected - that's in the nature of things, the money is limited. But we can see whether we can maintain the funding profiles in future or adapt even further to a changed market situation.

Firstly, of course, it's a bitter experience when your company is on the brink of collapse after 15 years. However, you learn a lot about failure and the durability of success. And I think learning should be at the forefront of failure. During this phase, I thought a lot about whether I wanted to continue working as an Executive Producer after 15 years. And if so, what could be done differently. At the end of this process, I made a very conscious decision to continue and founded "Achtung Panda!", a company that has a strong focus on Chinese co-productions that are made in Germany for the Chinese market. It's more of a niche, but it's also very easy to work with. The insolvency and the resulting new company was also a real liberation for me. The end of a company is not the end of a career - you just have to deal well with the situation and with everyone involved.

In recent years, I have been very active in the Association of German Film Producers, where there have also been exciting developments. I was able to sharpen my sense of film policy here. I've also been involved in various committees at the FFA for a good twelve years, for example in the script funding and awards commission. Of course, you learn a lot about decision-making processes there - knowledge that is now benefiting me again. And then at some point I was asked whether I could imagine applying for the position of head of the FFHSH. I immediately said "no" (laughs). At the time, I thought I would remain an Executive Producer forever. But after sleeping on it a few more times, I liked the idea more and more. So why not share his heart?

That's a pretty difficult question. But the film that has impressed me the most recently is "The Golden Glove" by Fatih Akin. A film that is simply incredibly well made and was clearly undervalued. I have rarely seen characters drawn so deeply and so well with so few strokes of the pen. I still have each of the women who appear in the film in my mind's eye. Each has a different longing and different dreams. They are immediately present. The film shows an incredible warmth towards the characters, which was practically absent in all the reviews I read. It was always just about the depiction of violence - which I find completely appropriate, by the way. It's very well thought out, especially in comparison to many other cinema films. Nothing is glossed over, but nothing is put on show either. Fatih shows the complete loss of empathy of a society in post-war Germany through a study of a milieu from his home country. A home film, so to speak. In my opinion, one of his best.