Tanja Meissner, a seasoned film executive with a long track record in international sales, has been appointed as the director of Berlinale Pro and the European Film Market (EFM).
Meissner replaces Dennis Ruh, who stepped down after this year’s edition of the EFM. The role has been reshaped and Meissner will be part of Berlinale festival director Tricia Tuttle’s executive team. It encompasses the directorship of the EFM and Meissner will also take a strategic lead in developing the Berlinale Pro consortium, together with the heads of the Berlinale co-production market, Berlinale Talents and World Cinema Fund, who will report directly to her.
A German-French dual citizen, Meissner has some 25 years of experience across the production, distribution and exhibition sectors. Her experience as a sales agent includes stints at Celluloid Dreams and Memento Films. Meissner will take up her role on May 13 and attend the Cannes Film Festival with the Berlinale team.
Popular on Variety
Tuttle succeeded Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek, who co-led the Berlinale as artistic and executive directors since 2020 and stepped down after this year’s edition.
Tuttle said: “Tanja Meissner is immensely well regarded in the international film industry, for her integrity, great taste and shrewd business sense. She offers a rare combination of experience at the highest level in sales and distribution while also combining it with an understanding of how to nurture new talent and support green shoots in the industry. All of this is anchored by a genuine and deep passion for cinema. I am eager to use our platforms at the Berlinale to support the whole ecosystem from filmmakers and rights holders through to distributors, cinemas and audiences. And I can’t think of a better first Executive appointment to help achieve this.”
Meissner added: “I’m truly thrilled with this new opportunity, joining a fabulous and highly dedicated team already in place. I hold the Berlinale deeply to my heart, having started my professional career working at Panorama in the 1990s. Over the years I have participated in the festival in various capacities, such as team member, industry representative or guest, thus combining a maybe unusual 360° perspective. This new chapter brings together everything that I’m passionate about and that I have been cultivating over the years.”
