The Berlin Film Festival’s parent org the KBB, which oversees state-backed cultural events in the German capital, has posted job ads for four key executive roles ahead of the arrival of the event’s new director Tricia Tuttle in April.
They include a new Chief of Staff role which is described as a key management level position within the Berlinale leadership team.
The appointee will give close support to Tuttle, who will be Berlinale’s sole director after the ditching of the dual directorship structure tried out with departed Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian and MD Mariette Rissenbeek.
As per the ad, the Chief of Staff’s duties will include “proactive and effective selection, prioritization and control of all communication from the festival management to ensure a smooth exchange of information.”
Getting the Berlinale’s communication strategy on track will be a priority for the new management team, after a difficult 74th edition in which Chatrian and Rissenbeek came under fire, internally and externally, for the way they dealt with and communicated on a row around invites for Germany’s far-right AfD party and the debate around the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Chief of Staff will also represent management at meetings with the KBB and Germany Culture Minister, the BKM, when and if necessary.
German film industry insiders have suggested that dealing with these two bodies could be one of the trickier aspects of the director’s role for Tuttle, as she gets to grips with local politics and the German language.
KBB is also advertizing for “an inspiring and motivating leader” for the role of Director Berlinale Pro.
This position replaces that of European Film Market (EFM) Director position recently held by Dennis Ruh, who ran four editions of the market from the fall of 2020 and left at the end of the 2024 edition after his contract was not renewed.
The new post will include the position of Director of the European Film Market and as well as developing joint medium and long-term strategies for the Berlinale Pro consortium, encompassing the EFM, the Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents and World Cinema Fund.
Deadline has heard of a few professionals mulling throwing their cap into the EFM ring, however, the stipulation of a strong level of spoken and written German alongside English will likely prove an obstacle for some experienced candidates.
The EFM was previously headed by Dutch-born Matthijs Wouter Knol from 2014 to 2020. He is now the CEO and Director of the Berlin-based European Film Academy.
Prior to that, the market was spearheaded by Istanbul-born, Swiss industry expert Beki Probst, who launched the EFM in 1988, on the back of the festival’s then low-key, decade-old film fair.
The other two roles comprise Director of Program Operations and Production, and Director of Finance and Business Operations.
The Director of Program Operation and Production will oversee the implementation of the audience program, ensuring production and security services at red carpet events and other venues, guest accreditation and protocol.
They will also liaise with TV and radio stations covering the festival, develop new partnerships with cinema venues and maintaining relationships with existing sites.
In its job description for Director of Finance and Business Operations, KBB said the exec would be responsible for financial management of the Berlinale, revealing an annual turnover of roughly €30M ($32M).
The role will also include supporting the management of the IT department, with the modernization of the festival’s IT and data systems described as “an important focus” over the next three years.
All the posts come with a maximum five-year term and require a high level of spoken and written German and English.
The application deadline is April 16, apart from for the Director Berlinale Pro, which is April 7.
