Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. Hosted by curator-producer Nadia Denton and industry analyst Johanna Koljonen, it delves deep into the rapidly evolving film industry.

This episode, featuring guest speakers Mike Musante, Tiffany Lin and Mbali Ndhlovu, deals with the subject of equity and inclusion in the creative tech industries by exploring the intersections of marginalised professionals and creatives with tech platforms, organisations and communities. From algorithms to blockchain and from the giants of Silicone Valley to the start-up tech scenes of the Global South, this episode begs the important questions of how tech can be decolonised by removing its embedded biases, how it can be used to democratize access and how it can provide a platform for previously underserved and unheard communities.

Mike Musante is the head of Film Production and Acquisitions at American Zoetrope. He is an attorney, admitted to practice in New York. He practiced corporate law for 10 years before becoming a full-time creative film producer in 2013. He has collaborated closely with such film greats as Roman Coppola, Gia Coppola, Ted Kotcheff, Martha Coolidge, Fred Roos, Richard Chew, and Stellan Skarsgård. During his tenure at American Zoetrope, he has guided the team through the productions of Mainstream, On the Rocks, The Godfather 50th Anniversary, The Outsiders Musical, The Complete Novel of The Outsiders film, as well as several other films that are about to drop! And of course, co-founding Decentralized Pictures with Roman Coppola and Leo Matchett. Decentralized Pictures (DCP) is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization based on an idea that artistic talent may be discovered in innovative ways. Through user consensus we have set up a democratic film fund and online community of creatives, film-fans, and industry professionals who will decide which projects audiences most want to see and support. Submit your idea, and if the world is excited about your vision, we’ll help you make it. We’ll help finance it, and introduce you to the people who will help you execute your project in a professional way. We love to discover great talent and curate content. We hope you do too.

Tiffany Lin is a Taiwanese-American filmmaker born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. A 2020 graduate of USC’s film and television production program, Tiffany has worked extensively across live action, animation, and virtual reality. Her work has been recognized at festivals both domestically and abroad; a short film she wrote was also a semifinalist for the 2020 Student Academy Awards. Her most recent short POACHERSwas the winner of the 2021 Decentralized Pictures Alumni Beta Test, a new decentralized film funding platform backed by American Zoetrope. Through her films, Tiffany is interested in exploring unconventional and nuanced perspectives on the American Dream.

Mbali Ndhlovu is a certified digital and communications strategist based in Johannesburg with a passion for digital connection and community. Born and raised in the historically and culturally rich Soweto and currently residing in Rosebank, Johannesburg, she has been active in the digital space for more than 14 years. Mbali has worked with some of the largest tech companies, whilst at the same time working towards empowering others like her in the sector. As a social entrepreneur, data researcher and founder of the youth platform I Know A Guy, her milestones include winning Facebook’s Icon for Change award in 2019, her work as South Africa’s national equality and inclusion ambassador in the tech industries for the Startupgrind as well as founding RebuildSA to to coordinate over 69 000 volunteers and donors to dispatch aid and assistance during South Africa’s major civil unrest in July 2021. Alongside her passion for networking, pretending to understand code and creating strategic partnerships, she also co-heads the communities, the Startupgrind (Johannesburg chapter), She Said So (South Africa), TWAA, Adanian Labs, Media Plug and Cartel Thinktank. Mbali’s work has been profiled across Forbes Africa, SABC, BBC Radio, CNBCAfrica as well as the Sunday Times, and she has been a speaker at a plethora of events hosted by Facebook, TikTok, Google for Startups, Nestlé (All4Youth) and Uber (Tech4Safety).

This podcast episode has been curated in partnership with Goethe-Institut.

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 produced in cooperation with Goethe-Institut and co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.