The successful group were selected from over a hundred high-calibre applications from industry subsectors including acquisitions, development, production, sales, distribution, finance, digital, talent management, marketing, legal and business affairs. This year’s cohort is comprised of 20 participants who come from Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, USA and the United Kingdom. They are:

Alison Meese – Head of UK Acquisitions, STUDIOCANAL, United Kingdom
Carla Quarto di Palo – Director of International Sales, Cornerstone Films, United Kingdom
Charlotte Mardon-Heath – Senior Marketing Manager – New Media, Entertainment One, United Kingdom
Eun-Zi Kim – Business and Legal Affairs Manager, DCM, Germany
Gijs Kerbosch – Managing Partner / Producer, Halal, The Netherlands
Janey van Ierland – CEO / Talent Manager, nummer19 management, The Netherlands
Jo Allan – Storyworlds Producer, The Ink Factory, United Kingdom
John Keville – Managing Director / Producer, Savage Productions, Ireland
Jonathan Halperyn – Producer / EVP Business Development, Korda Studios, Hungary
Jørgen Storm Rosenberg – Producer, 74 Entertainment, Norway
Justin Kelly – Head of Business and Legal Affairs, Hanway Films & Recorded Picture Company, United Kingdom
Kęstutis Drazdauskas – Producer, ARTBOX, Lithuania
Kristine M. I. Knudsen – Producer, Den siste skilling AS, Norway
Marina Brackenbury – Development Producer, FilmWave, United Kingdom
Oli Harbottle – Head of Distribution and Acquisitions, Dogwoof, United Kingdom
Paula Devonshire – Producer, Devonshire Productions Inc., Canada
Paula Heffernan – Head of Production, Element Pictures, Ireland
Rajko Jazbec – Managing Partner & Producer, CognitoFilms Zürich & Serienwerk Berlin, Switzerland
Sol Bondy – Managing Partner / Producer, One Two Films, Germany
Yvette Zhuang – VP, International Sales, STX Entertainment, USA

Inside Pictures comprises of three intensive one-week modules, taking place in London and Los Angeles between June 2018 and January 2019. The programme delivers cutting edge industry business knowledge and high-level management skills, as well as enhancing participants’ profiles within the global film industry. Seminars, workshops, studio visits and events cover all aspects of international film business - from development through production, financing, worldwide distribution, marketing and exhibition and the latest digital developments.

Each Inside Pictures participant will benefit from a mentoring scheme, which matches them with one of the programme’s 250 alumni, who will support their progress throughout the course and beyond.

For 2018, Inside Pictures secured Alison Owen as Industry Ambassador. Owen is co-founder and producer at Monumental Pictures, where she joined from Ruby Film and Television. As Ambassador, she will champion the course and be present at key stages throughout the programme. She will welcome participants at the start of their journey, meet with them during the programme and send them on their way as they graduate at the end of the course.  She says: “Inside Pictures is an extraordinary and very necessary training programme - I honestly don’t know how we would find the next generation of film producers without it. It galvanises and organises key players in the industry to support individuals in a way we would always want but are seldom able to do on an individual basis. I feel privileged to be an ambassador for such a wonderful scheme.”

Inside Pictures is presented by world leading film school, the National Film and Television School and supported by the Creative Europe Media Programme as the majority funder and Creative Skillset’s Film Skills Fund which is backed by the British Film Institute (BFI), awarding funds from The National Lottery.

Agnieszka Moody, Director of Creative Europe Desk UK, says: “Inside Pictures is Europe’s flagship professional training programme, the envy of the world, attracting talent from around the globe and building strong leaders who will go on to shape our industry. I’m proud that Creative Europe supports this programme.”

Gareth Unwin-Ellis, Head of Film, Creative Skillset, says: “Congratulations to the talented cohort of future industry leaders selected for professional development through Inside Pictures. This combination of taught modules with mentoring from industry practitioners is extremely effective in building knowledge and industry relationships. We thank the high-level industry executives who offer their valuable time to share their expertise in this way. The importance of mentoring is recognised in the BFI’s new film skills strategy, Future Film Skills, and we will be working with our partners in the film industry in coming months to develop a UK-wide mentoring service, Screen Mentoring UK, that will share the good practice of schemes such as Inside Pictures more widely.”

Jon Wardle, NFTS Director, says: "Inside Pictures - now in its 15th year - remains the leading film business development programme in Europe. It's continued success would not be possible without the support of the progamme’s funders – and we are grateful to them for recognising the value of ongoing learning, and for giving this year’s group of talented individuals the opportunity to grow their business and contribute to the wider industry. I'm sure this group of participants will go on to achieve great things like the 14 cohorts before them!”    

Julia Short, Programme Director of Content, says: “Once again, Inside Pictures owes a great debt of gratitude to the many leaders from the European and US film industries who lend their support to the course. Without their input, knowledge and experience we would not be able to achieve the success we enjoy year after year.”

Inside Pictures receives widespread industry support and participation from many of the highest-level industry professionals in America and Europe. See the website www.inside-pictures.com for the most up to date list of speakers, who include:

In Europe:

Andrew Orr – Managing Director, Independent
Hamish Moseley – Head of Distribution, Altitude Film Entertainment
Matt Baker – Head of Acquisitions, HanWay Films
John Letham – Founder & Director, Considered Thinking
Bobby Allen – VP of Content, MUBI
Lilla Hurst – Joint Managing Director, Drive
Jill Tandy- Executive Producer, Inside Pictures
Gráinne McKenna – Partner, Wiggin LLP
Tom Grievson – Head of Distribution and Marketing, HanWay Films
Paul Miller – Producer, Escape Pictures
Leontine Petit –  CEO & Producer, Lemming Film
Malte Grunert – Managing Director, Amusement Park Films
Poonam Sahota – VP Worldwide Acquisitions, Home Entertainment, Entertainment One
Benjamina Mirnik-Voges, Managing Director, Film – Germany, Entertainment One
Duncan Clarke – President of Distribution, Universal Pictures International
Claire Beswick – Founder, The Living Room Cinema
Reno Antoniades – Manager Partner, Lee & Thompson LLP
Tim Bevan - Co-Chairman and Co-Founder, Working Title Films
Steve Knibbs - COO, VUE Entertainment
Christos Michaels - Partner, Lee & Thompson LLP
James Shirras - Joint Managing Director, Film Finances Ltd
Sune Lind Thomsen - Head of Theatrical Distribution, Release & Marketing, SF Film A/S
Susan Wendt, Head of Sales, TrustNordisk ApS
Mark Woolley - Finance & Commercial Director, Ecosse Films

In Los Angeles:

Sean McKittrick – Producer & Partner, QC Entertainment
Ray Mansfield – Producer & Partner, QC Entertainment
Rebecca Kearey- President, International Marketing and Distribution, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Steve Golin – Founder & CEO, Anonymous Content
David Koplan – President of Production, Red Granite
Bonnie Voland – Head of Worldwide Marketing and Publicity, AGC Studios
Orian Williams – Producer, Northsee
Tracey Becker – Producer, Beachfront Films
J Todd Harris – President, Branded Pictures Entertainment
Anne Thompson – Editor-at-Large, IndieWire
Marc Gareton – EVP Digital Distribution, Warner Bros. Entertainment
Netflix
Alan Brunswick – Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP
Kieran Breen - EVP International Marketing, 20th Century Fox
Eddie Cunningham - President, Universal Pictures Worldwide Home Entertainment
CAA
Rich Delia – Casting Director/Owner, Rich Delia Casting
Craig Emanuel - Partner, Loeb & Loeb LLP
Hannah Minghella – President, TriStar Productions
Amotz Zakai – Vice President, Echo Lake Productions
Ann Johnson – SVP, Littlefield Company

The programme is also grateful for the support it receives from the Film Distributors Association, Ingenious Media, Lee & Thompson LLP and Pulse Films.

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