Prof Lilian Klages, Producer, Parka Pictures Aps

CEO & Executive Producer of the German based companies Dreamin’ Dolphin Film/Munich GmbH and Zooper Film/Ludwigsburg and the Danish based company Parka Pictures Aps.

Originally trained as a city planner/sociologist, Lilian began her career in animation in 1995 as a producer during the animated feature film productions „ The Fearless Four“, „Help I am a Fish „ and „Tobias Totz in the studio of Munich Animation. Since then she has focused on international animated feature films, both 2d and CGI and animated tv series overseeing the development and financing during various productions worldwide.

Her credits over the years include a variety of animated feature films as “Asterix and The Vikings”, „The Dolphin: Story of a Dreamer“, “Help I’m a Fish” and “The Fearless Four”  and also highly acclaimed tv series such as LEGO „Chima“. The animated feature film „Latte and the magic waterstone“ is her most recent film, released worldwide in cinemas the 11th of December 2019.

Lilian Klages is a professor at the film school in Ludwigsburg where she serves as a head of the study line „Animation Producing“ and a censor for the Animation Workshop in Viborg/Denmark. She is a curator for the case study conference part of the Animation Production Days and is a founding member of Women in Animation/Germany.

Jiayan Chen, Producer, Animationsinstitut

Jiayan Chen is currently studying Animation Effects Producing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and works in parallel as a freelance producer. From 2014 to 2018, she studied Audiovisual Media (focused on 3D animation) at the Stuttgart Media University. During this time, she worked as a 3D generalist on various animation projects. In 2013, she completed her first Bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Communication in China.

Edward Noeltner, Licensing and distribution executive, Cinema Management Group

Edward Noeltner is a seasoned and well-respected executive in the field of international motion picture licensing and distribution. Over the past 30 years, he has licensed worldwide major Academy Award winning features and a number of prestigious film libraries.   He founded Cinema Management Group (CMG), an International Sales Agency, in 2003 with the worldwide Box Office hit HOODWINKED which went on to gross over US$ 110million worldwide. CMG licensed titles include Oscar® and Golden Globe® Nominee LOVING VINCENT (worldwide box-office over US$ 42million); Cannes Official Selection SEARCHING FOR INGMAR BERGMAN, TIFF Official Selection BORN TO DANCE and STILL MINE; SXSW Audience, Jury and Emerging Women Award winner EDEN; Academy Award® Nominee GASLAND, and Annecy Official Selections ADVENTURES IN ZAMBEZIA, KHUMBA, SALMA’S BIG WISH, and Annecy Contrechamp Winner AWAY.  In addition to licensing new titles around the world, CMG is also currently executive producing a number of feature films both animated and live action.

Richard Claus, Cool Beans BV

Richard Claus is a producer, writer and director and runs the Amsterdam based production company Cool Beans and the animation studio Katuni together with Chantal Nissen and the German Comet Film. Richard is a German citizen living and working predominantly in The Netherlands. Richard has also worked and lived in the United States of America and in South Africa. With his companies he has produced more than 20 theatrical feature films.

He is known for international productions such as: MUTE WITNESS (1994), THE LITTLE VAMPIRE (2000) BLACK BUTTERFLIES (2010), AN ACT OF DEFIANCE (BRAM FISCHER) (2017). On some of his family entertainment productions Richard also served as a writer and director, including the following: THE THIEF LORD (2004), THE LITTLE VAMPIRE 3D (2017), AINBO (2020), PANDA BEAR IN AFRICA (2021/22).