Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. Hosted by editor and producer Matt Carey, it delves deep into the rapidly evolving film industry.

In this episode, two outstanding figures in the documentary filmmaking world share their perspectives on the current state of the non-fiction film industry.

Kazuhiro Sōda, director and jury member of the Berlinale Documentary Award 2025, offers insights into his own filmmaking process and presents his ten commandments for independent documentary filmmaking. He reflects on how to achieve creative freedom, the distribution challenges documentary filmmakers face, and the crucial role of film festivals, especially as theatrical distribution of non-fiction films declines. Sōda explains how he lets his projects come to him, without needing to prove a theme to anyone but himself, revealing his observational filmmaking style—evident in his signature inclusion of cats.

Lois Vossen, founding executive producer of Independent Lens on PBS, discusses how documentary filmmakers are finding innovative ways to distribute their films during this transitional period for the industry. Independent filmmakers with limited resources are creating works of international significance, strengthening the global documentary scene. She explains how Independent Lens selects projects and stories that need to be seen by American audiences, aiming to bridge divides by helping people see one another as they truly are.

Both guests also provide a preview of the upcoming non-fiction films at this year's Berlinale, promising a diverse and important range of perspectives on the rapidly changing world around us.

From February 14 to February 18, the EFM DocSalon will serve as an exclusive meeting point for the documentary industry, where all documentary activities, ranging from talks, networking, consultations and roundtables, will take place within the EFM Industry Sessions conference and networking programme. This all happens in the Café Connect in the Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation, just a three-minute walk from Gropius Bau. The Main Partner of the DocSalon ist FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, and Deadline is the Media Partner.

Born in Ashikaga, Japan, in 1970, Kazuhiro Soda studied directing at the School of Visual Arts in New York. From Campaign (2007) and Mental (2009) to Inland Sea (2018) and Zero (2020) and most recently The Cats of Gokogu Shrine (2024), a large number of his eleven documentaries to date have been shown at the Berlinale. In addition to the Ecumenical Jury Prize in the Forum for Zero, he has already been honoured with the Peabody Award, the Marek Nowicki Award from the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and prizes at the festivals in Busan and Hong Kong. His book 'Why I Make Documentaries' has been published in Japan, as well as in English, Korean and Chinese. He is a part of the Jury for the Berlinale Documentary Award 2025.

Lois Vossen has been the founding executive producer of Independent Lens on PBS since 2002. She leads the programming of a diverse slate of 25-30 original documentaries, made by independent filmmakers, with each season covering an array of social, political, and cultural issues, showcasing Independent Lens as an evolving multiplatform series.

The Host Matthew Carey serves as Documentary Editor at Deadline.com, covering the landscape of nonfiction film. He produces and co-hosts Deadline’s weekly Doc Talk podcast. Carey is the former Senior Producer at CNN, where he wrote and produced documentary specials. He earned two Peabody Awards and a DuPont-Columbia Award for his contributions to CNN’s coverage of politics and breaking news. He is based in Los Angeles.

This podcast episode has been developed in collaboration with Deadline.

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.