Minister of State for Culture and the Media
The Minister of State for Culture and the Media (BKM), Claudia Roth, is responsible for the German government's cultural and media-related affairs. Film support constitutes a central aspect of the BKM’s media policy - providing the legal and political framework for the German film industry and filmmakers, preserving the country’s film heritage, fostering the federal government’s economic and cultural support for the film industry and maintaining international relationships in the world of film.
As a globally renowned platform for filmmaking talent, Berlinale Talents exemplifies the idea of international cultural exchange and long-term support for cinema and its creative practitioners. We are happy to have worked together for another successful edition in 2024 and look forward to working together again in the upcoming edition in 2025.
Find out more about the Minister of State for Culture and the Media here.
Words of Welcome 2025
"As the
Minister of State for Culture and the Media, I am delighted to welcome you all
to Berlinale Talents. For the last 23 years, Berlinale Talents has served as a
vibrant forum where filmmakers from all around the world meet and learn from
each other. I trust that you will leave Berlin with lots of new ideas, but
also—and just as importantly—new friendships that will continue long after the
festival is over. At a time when room for dialogue and empathy is so much
needed, this initiative is crucial for both the future of cinema and our world.
This year’s thematic focus could hardly be more relevant to our troubled times. Listening is not just an indispensable ingredient for great storytelling; it is one of our most powerful antidotes against fear and ignorance. With that in mind, I encourage you, and all of us together, to embrace the chance to speak to each other, and to keep our ears and hearts open to all manner of voices, narratives, and stories—especially those that will invite you to challenge your own assumptions and worldviews. May Berlin, Berlinale, and Berlinale Talents be the place where your careers and lives will embark on new, creative paths."
Minister of State Claudia Roth, Member of the German Bundestag
Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
Before Berlinale Talents 2023 began, the Minister was kind enough to share some words of welcome and encouragement for our 203 Talents.
In 2022, Minister of State for Culture and the Media Claudia Roth joined us for the first time and delivered an inspiring message of encouragement for Berlinale Talents, all our participants, the festival as a whole and beyond, a clarion call for culture.
The BKM social media team also met virtually with a number of our alumni from the last 20 years of Berlinale Talents and created this wonderful birthday compilation for us.
The BKM social media team visited us in 2020 for the following interviews with alumna Leonie Krippendorff, whose Script Station project "Cocoon" opened Berlinale Generation that year, and with two of the 2020 participants, Maka Gogaladze from Georgia and Dominic Sangma from India.