Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. Hosted by curator, moderator, and founder of The Catalysts, AC Coppens, it offers a fascinating deep dive into how the worlds of gaming and filmmaking intersect.

Join us for the latest episode of Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast. Today’s conversation, “Level Up: Bridging the Worlds of Gaming and Filmmaking” was recorded during the EFM Industry Sessions last February and explores how these two creative industries can learn from one another, collaborate, and push boundaries together.

As the gaming industry continues to flourish and captivate ever-growing audiences, its fast-evolving technologies and innovative practices are setting new standards for other creative fields. This session explores how filmmakers can draw inspiration from gaming’s approaches to storytelling, audience engagement, skill development, production pipelines, and business strategies to expand both creative and commercial horizons. Three special guests share their perspectives on how games and films can collaborate, inspire one another, and break down traditional silos. Together, they examine IP building, creative language, technological innovation, financing structures, and the skills needed to navigate converging industries. The panel also looks ahead to the future, considering how AI and emerging technologies will reshape both storytelling and production.

Christina Caspers is General Manager at TRIXTER and Executive Producer at the Cinesite Group, one of Europe’s leading VFX studios. She oversees productions from acquisition to delivery and drives the integration of cutting-edge technologies into creative workflows. Previously, she was Managing Director at Dark Bay, Europe’s largest virtual production stage, where she supervised projects including Netflix’s 1899. With a strong background in VFX and XR, Christina has contributed to major titles such as The Sandman, Loki, The Marvels, and Foundation. She is also co-founder of the Institute of Immersive Media (IIM), an NGO connecting creative and technical aspects of film production.

Igor Simic is a Serbian-American artist, who graduated from Columbia University in New York with a double-major in Film Studies and Philosophy. His short films were screened and awarded at film festivals, but also at art institutions, such as Kunsthalle Mainz, Ulm Museum, Chateau de Montsoreau, The Art Institute of Chicago, Hygiene Museum Dresden, etc. The short film Melancholic Drone received the First Prize at Loop Barcelona in 2016. Simic is represented by Gallery Anita Beckers in Frankfurt. As the creative director and CEO, Simic co-founded the gaming company Demagog Studio, which created Golf Club: Wasteland (aka Golf Club: Nostalgia) that was featured by Apple in 2018 and shown at Lo Schermo dell'arte in Florence, Manifesta 14, Klemm's gallery in Berlin and Smilers in New York. The studio created two more games in the same world: The Cub, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2022 and Highwater in 2023 for Netflix. Simic is a tutor and moderator for world-building at Berlinale Talents and at Sarajevo Film Festival's Innovation Forum.

Mafalda Duarte is an international community leader with a background in game development, transmedia storytelling, and studio leadership. Formerly Studio Director at Telescope Game Studios in Germany, she worked on multiple projects for the Whale Singer story universe and an award-winning demo for the new IP Summer Camp. She is Chair of IGDA Berlin and a Board Member of the IGDA HQ, where she supports global community initiatives and inclusive industry practices.

Maite Woköck has extensive experience in animated feature film and series development, financing and production. Her credits include PETRONELLA APPLEWITCH – THE SERIES (for Akkord Film / ZDF), TWO BY TWO and NIKO 2 – LITTLE BROTHER, BIG TROUBLE (for Ulysses Film) and many more. With her company Ella Film she produced the animated feature film MY FAIRY TROUBLEMAKER. She is a graduate of EAVE, EAVE+ and the Academy for Children’s Media. In 2021 she was nominated as Producer on the Move for Germany by European Film Promotion. Since 2022 she is the chairwoman for animation in the Producer’s Alliance Germany.

AC Coppens host of this episode, is the founder of THE CATALYSTS, a Berlin-based agency dedicated to supporting the growth of innovative and creative companies working at the intersection of digital media, technology, film, music, and design. Blending critical thinking, creative strategy, and future-oriented research, AC is a seasoned moderator and speaker at major international events.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market is the first international film market of the year, where the film industry starts its business. Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast puts a spotlight on highly topical and trendsetting industry issues, thereby creating a compass for the forthcoming film year. The year-round podcast is co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.