film campus innsbruck 2026
edition IFFI
From 03-05 June, eight selected talents immersed themselves in the Film Campus edition IFFI. Through workshops, seminars and networking events, the participants were able to gain valuable insights into several aspects of the film industry, deepen their knowledge and skills and obtain feedback for their own projects.
experts
In this workshop, Lemohang Mosese reflects on his path into filmmaking, sharing personal insights on creativity, persistence, and navigating the industry. He offers practical advice on bringing films to festivals, while addressing the challenges and realities of sustaining an artistic voice in today’s global cinema landscape.
Lemohang Mosese is a Berlin-based filmmaker and visual artist from Lesotho. His works intricately examine identity and its fluid nature in relation to time. Mosese’s art is a layered exploration of the cycles of life, death, and rebirth, framed through the lens of human subjectivity. MOTHER, I AM SUFFOCATING. THIS IS MY LAST FILM ABOUT YOU premiered at the Berlinale in 2019. THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, IT’S A RESURRECTION won over 30 awards, including the Jury Award for Visionary Filmmaking at Sundance 2020. ANCESTRAL VISIONS OF THE FUTURE (2025) premiered at Berlinale. Mosese also works as a visual artist, creating installations for esteemed art institutions such as MoMA, Eye Museum, and HKW in Berlin.
In this lecture, Mahnaz Mohammadi discusses her film ROYA, exploring its themes, creative process, and social context. Drawing on her experience as a filmmaker working under challenging conditions, she reflects on storytelling as a form of resistance, the relationship between personal and political narratives, and the role of cinema in fostering dialogue and change.
The Iranian filmmaker and women’s rights activist Mahnaz Mohammadi has spent years documenting the struggles and resilience of women in Iran. She has faced repeated persecution for her films and activism, including multiple arrests and a seven-year prison sentence on charges of “endangering national security” and “propaganda against the regime”. She spent several months in Evin prison. Although the sentence was later overturned, she continues to live under surveillance and severe restrictions. Her passport was confiscated for ten years and, following her debut fiction feature, SON-MOTHER, she has not been permitted to make films. Made underground without official permission, ROYA is her second fiction feature. (Berlinale)
How does a debut feature come to life? In this lecture, Alex Bakri reflects on the making of HABIBI HUSSEIN (2025), discussing the artistic decisions, production hurdles and lessons learned along the way. An honest and practical look at the realities of developing and completing a first feature film.
Alex Bakri is a Palestinian filmmaker whose work spans cinematography, actng and editng. Over the past decade, he has built a career as an editor, contributing to acclaimed films such as TASTE OF CEMENT (2017) and the Oscar-nominated OF FATHERS AND SONS (2017). HABIBI HUSSEIN (2025) marks his directorial debut in feature filmmaking. (IFFR)
The emphasis will be on risk and uncertainty; exploring the balance between chaos and control, and the fine line between magic and disaster. Along the way we‘ll also touch on funding, distribution, gambling, house prices, and of course—sadly but inevitably—AI.
Shaun Finneran is a British producer who studied Physics and worked mainly as an engineer, before founding Animitas production company in 2021. ‘Olivia’, shot on 16 mm Ektachrome, in southernmost Argentina, with a crew of 6, and over 40 local non-professional actors, is his first feature film. It received support from the International Film Festival of Rotterdam‘s Hubert Bals Fund+Europe, and had its world premiere at the 78th Locarno Film Festival.
Sabine Gebetsroither, born in 1977 in Wels, studied German philology and journalism/film and communication studies at the University of Vienna and the University of Aarhus (Denmark). She has worked for renowned film festivals such as the FilmFestival Cottbus – Festival of Eastern European Film (Germany) and the Reykjavík International Film Festival (Iceland; BKA international scholarship for cultural managers), and has held various positions at the Crossing Europe Film Festival Linz since 2004. Since 2021, she has served as Co-Director of Crossing Europe (together with Katharina Riedler). Additionally, she was a member of the Upper Austria Film Commission from 2015 to 2021.
Sofía Petersen is an Argentine film director, writer and editor. She studied at the University of Cinema of Buenos Aires, and at Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola. Her short film Passing Place won the Grand Prix at the 25FPS Festival in 2021. Olivia, shot on 16 mm Ektachrome, in southernmost Argentina, with a crew of 6, and over 40 local non-professional actors, is her first feature film. It had its world premiere at the 78th Locarno Film Festival.
feedback
talents
Kaan Çelimli
Noah Berger
Mariia Lisovska
Peer Langenheim
Vojtěch Lukeš
Sofie Spreitzer
Yaela Gottlieb
Jelena Ratko
gallery
thanks
Stadt Innsbruck, Land Tirol, VdFS – Verwertungsgesellschaft der Filmschaffenden, FAMA – Fachverband der Film- und Musikwirtschaft, Peter Paul Mölk and Julia Zraunig (Innsbruck Tourismus), Angelika Pagitz (Cine Tirol Film Commission), Roland Teichmann (ÖFI – Österreichisches Filminstitut), TKI – Tiroler Kulturinitiativen, Theater praesent and Dino Bossnini @dinobossnini for the amazing photos!
Special thanks to all experts and participants <3