In collaboration with the Mediengründerzentrum NRW, we are presenting an evening packed with compelling questions on the topics of production and women-led businesses. We look forward to a discussion with two influential producers who are challenging stereotypes and redefining roles both artistically and entrepreneurially: the multi-award-winning film producer Melanie Andernach (Made in Germany) and content producer Pocket Hazel.
Following the talk, there will be a reception at the festival centre in the Filmhaus Köln.
In cooperation with Sheroes run by the Mediengründerzentrum NRW
Prior to the discussion, we will be screening the latest production from Made in Germany: Eine Krankheit wie ein Gedicht by Jelena Ilić
Information and tickets
Melanie Andernach
Melanie Andernach has made a name for herself with her feature-length documentaries. In films such as Farewell Herr Schwarz (Yael Reuveny), Seven Winters in Teheran (Steffi Niederzoll) and Lonely Oaks (Fabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl, Jens Mühlhoff), she has demonstrated a marked talent for portraying complex themes on the screen. Her productions are distinguished by a high degree of precision. For all their factual analysis, however, they never stray from an empathetic tone, going straight to the heart of what are often fraught political issues. Most of Andernach’s productions have a strong international focus. Her films have addressed topics such as the post-war period in Afghanistan (Nothingwood, 2017), the civil war in Somalia (Global Family, 2018) and Sudanese cinema culture (Talking About Trees, 2019).
After studying entertainment law in Bonn and Paris, Andernach found her way into film production via the creative production course at ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln. In 2007, she founded the film production company Made in Germany together with Knut Losen in her hometown of Cologne. Today, she passes on her expertise and experience as a lecturer at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (television dramaturgy; creative television production) and ifs (creative production).
Pocket Hazel
The influencer Pocket Hazel, who was born in Vietnam, took a job at a tax consultancy at the age of 15 at the suggestion of her father. This early interest in financial education may be one reason for her contagious passion for all things financial. As she embarked on her business studies, she was already sharing her expertise on YouTube and meanwhile has 500,000 subscribers. Pocket Hazel has expanded her portfolio accordingly, no longer limiting her content to purely financial topics but interweaving additional, socially relevant issues with pop culture, everyday observations and a large dose of humour. Her bicultural background enables her to provide critical and illuminating insights into different cultures, a feature that is now an integral part of her formats.
At the age of five, Pocket Hazel moved with her family from Vietnam to Berlin, where she later studied business administration. In addition to launching successful channels on YouTube and Instagram, she has worked as a presenter for various formats (from 2019 to 2021 for the youth programme »funk« and from 2022 for Hessischer Rundfunk). She published her first book in 2021.
