Exploring Comedy through Two Different Cultures

NASER AL AZZEH

12 July 12:30AM EST / 4:30AM CET / 10:00AM IST

Naser will be discussing the creation of Jordindian from a multicultural aspect and the similarities of Indian and Arab culture. He will delve into ideation of concepts taken from instances of everyday life and creating content that's relatable to the world. 

The Hunt For Relatability

JABY KOAY

12 July 12:30AM EST / 4:30AM CET / 10:00AM IST

How exploring entertainment from another culture reveals universal human themes, our own ignorances and teaches us acceptance.

Music and Language

LUBOMIR JABBANDA

12 July 7:00 AM EST / 11:00 AM CET / 4:30 PM IST

Lubomir will be talking about how the lines for languages are blurred in music, and how non-judgemental we can become to content that is in language we don't understand and just absorb its musicality.

Unity Through Diversity

ACHARA KIRK

12 July 1:30 AM EST / 5:30 AM CET / 11:00 AM IST

An exploration into why representation matters and how sharing diverse stories can promote a sense of compassion, empathy and unity through shared human experience.

Tell Stories Only You Can Tell

PHILIP JAMAL RASHID

12 July 4:00 AM EST / 8:00 AM CET / 1:30 PM IST

Philip Jamal Rachid will talk about his journey into arts, how he broke through in Dutch film and TV being Bulgarian/Kurdish and how he broke the stereotype. He will explore the transition from in-front-of-the-camera to behind-the-camera and will share his passion and urge to tell humanitarian stories.

Directing Commercials Far from Home

MARCO GRANDIA

12 July 10:00 AM EST / 2:00 PM CET / 7:30 PM IST

Marco will talk about shooting with international crews and clients, directing Sharukh Khan in Dubai, working with Kobe and Messi on two different continents for one commercial and filming in India for a Bollywood commercial.

In Conversation with Boryana Ivanova

MOLLY CRABAPPLE

12 JULY 1:00 PM EST / 5:00 PM CET / 10:30 PM IST

Molly Crapapple will talk about mixed identities, New York, polyglottal cities, working class cosmopolitanism and how all this affects the way artists make art.

A Stranger Everywhere: Migration, Identity, and Origins

HERVÉ GUERRISI

12 July 8:00 AM EST / 12:00 PM CET / 5:30 PM IST

Hervé talks about his experience creating documentary theater to challenge the debate on identity and origins. He explores the (ir)relevance of the notions of inheritance and integration and shares insights on producing art with social and human implications.

Multiculturalism's Impact on Creativity and Innovation in the UAE

NAHLA AL FAHAD

12 July 11:00 AM EST / 3:00 PM CET / 8:30 PM IST

Innovators and creators are always looking for an environment that honors them, appreciates their efforts, and considers their sacrifices and giving. With more than 200 nationalities, the UAE has become a shelter to anyone looking for a homeland for creativity.

Perspectives, Simultaneously From the Outside and the Inside

FRANK SCHLICHTMANN

12 July 5:00 AM EST / 9:00 AM CET / 2:30 PM IST

Creativity comes from a particular perspective, which is a reflection of a person's experience in the world. There is a view that the more 'rooted' one is in a culture and heritage, the more secure one feels in his or her expressions. But for a growing number of people who are of mixed-cultural backgrounds, it is impossible to fall back on such 'secure' forms of expression.

Creative Inspiration from a Multicultural Environment

IVOR GRACIAS

12 July 9:00 AM EST / 1:00 PM CET / 6:30 PM IST

Ivor will delve into his filmmaking work in the Middle East and share the impact of multicultural collaborations on his creative process. He will look at the various sources of inspiration that fuel his career as a producer, actor and casting director.

Creativity Within: Each Person is a Special Kind of Artist

KARUNA JENKINS

12 July 6:00 AM EST / 10:00 AM CET / 3:30 PM IST

Karuna Jenkins explores (re)connecting to the creative source within through somatic work, self-inquiry, healing trauma and spending time with nature. She examines the concepts of integration and remembrance to authentic selves as access points to the creative source.

Building Bridges between England and the Arab World

SAMEERA ASIR

12 July 12:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM CET / 9:30 PM IST

Sameera will be discussing her work as an actress in the Middle East and England and how to run a British Theater in an Arab setting. She further explores the creation of political pieces of art that both sides would understand.

The Journey of Understanding and Working with Hemp

TARON CARL SAPRU

12 July 3:00 AM EST / 7:00 AM CET / 12:30 PM IST

Taron Carl Sapru will talk about the taboo related to cannabis from a cultural standpoint and understanding its benefits and uses through the years since historic times. He will take the audience on a journey between Hindu mythology and the modern day.

Creative Europe MEDIA Funding Possibilities for Immersive Technologies

DELPHINE DUMON

June 27 3:40 PM CET

Get to know the Creative Europe MEDIA programme and its funding possibilities in the context of immersive technologies. Discover MEDIA supported trainings and industry events with a focus on Virtual Reality and interactive content & get inspired!

Distribution Models for VR

CAITLIN ROBINSON

27 June 4:20 PM CET

Distributing premium content is just as important as creating it. And yet this final stage of production often gets overlooked. In her talk, Caitlin Robinson will lay out a practical roadmap to getting your immersive content across to a wide audience.

I Give Myself Permission to Be an Artist: One Black Woman’s Journey

MARTA EFFINGER-CRICHLOW

27 June 5:40 PM CET

Marta, who is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher, will discuss how the women from her childhood continue to influence why and how she tells stories.

Communities Organize Around Collective Stories

AMELIA WINGER-BEARSKIN

27 June 5:40 PM CET

We’ve been embedding our stories into physical landscapes and objects, on pages and screens. What is physical is now transcending in the virtual space. The digital is no less powerful or real. Wherever ideas are brought together is where our attention and care will go. Hence we need to inscribe our values within the algorithms and the digital worlds we create.

Decolonizing African Storytelling

NYASHA KADANDARA

27 June 6:20 PM CET

How do we open space for non-traditional storytellers in an industry that has been dominated by white males? After we cross that barrier, how to create content for an African audience when as storytellers we have been conditioned to create stories for a Western audience?

Impact by Design: How To Make Advocacy Media Like a Startup

MARY JOYCE

27 June 9:00 PM CET

In filmmaking, social impact is too often left to chance and good intentions. The impact design cycle can change that. Borrowing from tech and human-centered design, this new way of working centers the audience and integrates them in the creative process to generate more resonant work. The virtual reality project VR Action Lab is presented as a case study where the target impact is diversity, both in front of and behind the camera.

Audience and VR: Remembering the Reasons We Tell Stories

TULANANA BOHELA

28 June 3 PM CET

Insights from introducing VR into African spaces. How do we create clear transition lines from linear to immersive content?

Full Body Drama: A Discussion of Narrative Storytelling in VR

LAURA WEXLER

28 June 5:40 PM CET

This lecture will explore the issues of creating fictional narratives in VR, considering fascinating questions such as: What is the difference between creating a narrative and designing an experience? What is the relationship between physical engagement and emotional engagement? Audience participation encouraged!

Beyond 3D - the Perspective of a Woman, Artist and CEO

HERMIONE FLYNN

28 June 6:20 PM CET

This talk will begin with Flynn's personal journey, from practicing performance artist, to CEO of a leading 3D character studio. Punctuated with intimate stories featuring encounters with Kanye West, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marina Abramovic (to name a few), and concluding with an artists perspective on the 3D medium and it's creative potential.

“Why Do You Have to Do Something?”: Embedding Interaction into Immersive Media

BIANCA WRIGHT

28 June 5:00 PM CET

Immersive media have the ability to offer users agency, choice and power to transform them from passive viewers to active participants in the film space. Drawing on lessons from a number of film, education and journalism project, Bianca Wright examines the opportunities and challenges of good interaction design in immersive film-making and argues that elements of gamification can be used to engage users in new and intriguing ways.

Algorithm and Blues

DIONNE WALKER

28 June 3:40 PM CET

In her talk, Dionne will question the truth of social and news media through the lens of the Film or TV story. She will review The Hard Stop & Black Mirror.

Bridging Cultural Diversity Through the Magic of Animation

CINZIA ANGELINI

27 June 7:00 PM CET

Throughout her years in the animation industry, Cinzia Angelini learned many things. The greatest lesson was the magical impact that animation has on people. She wonders if one could use this powerful magic to go beyond entertainment, and introduce children to diversity at an early age.