Susann Schimk is a Berlin-based producer and founder of solo:film, since 2000. She is known for supporting bold debuts and distinctive artistic voices. Her credits include the award-winning BETTINA, WESTWIND, and 7 BRÜDER. A graduate of HFF Babelsberg and an EAVE alumna, she focuses on collaborative productions with emerging talents and European film schools. Her work centers on original storytelling, social relevance, and strong visual identities across fiction and documentary.
Geoffroy Grison is a screenwriter and script consultant. His recent writing credits include Champ de Bataille, directed by François Vautier and selected for the Immersive Competition at La Biennale di Venezia, as well as the official immersive selection for Cannes 2025. He also wrote The Dam, directed by Lebanese artist Ali Cherri and selected for the Quinzaine at Cannes 2022. He has also mentored various development programs, including Locarno Open Doors, LIM and the Berlinale Co-Production Market.
Having graduated with an MA in Cinematography in 2003, Nikolay Stefanov has experimented with different visual styles and forms in his cinematography work for films, series, and TV. He made his directing debut with the feature-length documentary No Place for You in Our Town, which premiered at CPH:DOX 2022. It was selected at nearly 30 international festivals and received 6 awards, including Best Documentary and Best Documentary Director Awards of the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers in 2023
Maria Averina studied Slavic Philology at Sofia University, made a Master’s degree in Film Directing at New Bulgarian University. Alumna of Sarajevo Talent Campus 2010, Berlinale Talent Campus 2013. Master’s degree in Documentary by Practice at Royal Holloway, University of London in 2016. Completed a PhD in archives editing at National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts “Kr. Sarafov” in Sofia, where she has been teaching since 2018. Maria Averina is a member of Bulgarian Filmmakers’ Union.
Laure Chichmanov is a screenwriter, director, and photographer. Half Bulgarian, she grew up in Russia and studied political science before transitioning to film as an assistant director. Based in Paris, she focuses on screenwriting for French TV series while preparing her directorial debut. She also works as a dialogue coach, supporting actors throughout filming and bringing her writing expertise to their performance.
She is part of the Bulgarian NGO Arte Urbana Collectif, where she develops film education programmes, and serves as artistic director of Meetings of Young European Cinema, the largest international film festival for children and youth in Bulgaria. She has worked with Doc Society in London, produced Eye on Film in Slovenia, and programmed for the Warsaw Film Festival and Sofia DocuMental. Founder of Cinefonia, she is creating concepts for cineconcerts, children’s workshops, and masterclasses for professionals.