Archive material creates new spaces. It opens our eyes to lived experiences and build bridges from the past to the presence. Cinemathographic translation of history, social movements, global crises or wars. Are films a useful political tool to change society, to make you feel the subjects’ realities of life and develop empathy? In this panel filmmakers discuss their different experiences and cinematic possibilities working with archive.

Farahnaz Sharifi is a successful Iranian documentary filmmaker and film editor, with outstanding films as Profession: Documentarist (2013) and Missing (2016). She creatively combines public and private archives with her personal narrative. Her film “Stolen Planet“ screens at Berlinale this year. She tells the story of Farah, an Iranian woman, forced to migrate to her private planet to be free. She buys other people's memories in form of super 8mm films and records and archives her own, to create an alternative history of Iran.

Andres Veiel directs documentaries, feature films and theatre productions. He is well known through award-winning films such as Black Box BRD (2001), Der Kick (2006), Wer wenn nicht wir (2011) and Beuys (2017). Psychological questions are characteristic of his work, dealing with individual biographies with regard to violence and German history. He is currently working on "Riefenstahl", an 100% Archive documentary based on the private estate of the controversial filmmaker, who trivialized her closeness to the Nazi regime all her life.

Monika Preischl has worked for many years as an archive producer for documentary and fictional film productions worldwide. In 2019, she was honoured with the Focal Award for her work on "Kulenkampffs Schuhe" and in 2023 for "Gladbeck". She is chairwoman of the newly founded professional association "GRAP", which represents the interests of archive researchers and archive producers vis-à-vis broadcasters and producers. She is working on the documentary „Riefenstahl“ since 2018.

The moderator Elizabeth Klinck leads workshops and produces industry sessions at international markets and film festivals world wide. She is a well known archive producer and music clearance specialist on numerous international documentaries and fiction films that have garnered Emmy, BAFTA, CSA, Peabody, and Oscar awards.