The discussion “(Re)Defining safety in the film industry” was held within the framework of the 27th TiDF, on Tuesday March 11th, at MOMus-Thessaloniki Photography Museum, in collaboration with #DocSafe and the support of Creative Europe Media Desk Greece. The panel, moderated by cultural manager and consultant Marion Schmidt, included holistic therapist Elena Christopoulou, producer at See Media Production Egypt and Seera Films GmbH Kesmat Elsayed, and Nora Philippe, Head of Program at EURODOC. The main issues brought forth revolved around the lack of clarity concerning the definition of safety, the absence of structures and accountability, professional burnout as a common phenomenon in the film industry, the political and cultural insecurity, as well as the need for financing, training and structural change.
Thanos Stavropoulos, Agora Manager, was the first to take the floor, underscoring the importance attached to the issue of safety, before passing on the baton to Anna Kassimati, Head of Creative Europe Media Desk Greece, and Andrea Coluccia, Project Officer στο Creative Europe Desk Media Italia, who addressed a greeting to the audience and the speakers. Marion Schmidt initially laid out the motivations and the history behind the #DocSafe initiative, informing the audience that the first spark was ignited thanks to an article written by Jane Mote, consultant and chief editor of The Wickers Fund, published at the International Documentary Association’s magazine. Marion Schmidt went on to underline the importance of cultural safety and the need for armoring against the indiscernible power threads. Elena Christopoulou came up next, placing emphasis on the need of placing mental health among the priorities in the film industry, while stressing the fundamental benefits of creating spaces that allow discharging, making mention of the Decompression Room launched by Agora at the Thessaloniki Cinema Museum.
Egyptian producer Kesmat Elsayed referred to the challenges one faces while working in a region of unstable political and social milieu, pointing out the need for consolidating a safety network and establishing the necessary protocols suited to provide solutions in such cases. The floor was then given to Nora Philippe, who focused on the positive changes already under way, as well as on the precious role played by BIPOC EURODOC educational programme, while clarifying that the very definition of safety is bound to differ depending on the specifics of each region, language and culture. The event concluded with a Q&A with the audience, which stressed once again the need for new structures, collaborations, partnerships and actions that will redefine the notion of safety in cinema, focusing on the protection and support offered to documentary filmmakers and all film industry professionals.
You can watch the entire talk HERE.
