Michael Bohnenstingl, Director & Writer

Michael Bohnenstingl is a writer and director specializing in animation for both German and international markets. His latest works include the adapted screenplay for Julia Donaldson's Tiddler, premiering on the BBC at Christmas 2024, and his first live-action TV movie which aired on ZDF also during the holidays. His graduation short Slouch won awards at festivals worldwide, and he previously directed and wrote for the series adaption of the beloved "Rasmus Klump".
He occasionally hosts the cult film event Night of Shame and is a guest lecturer at Animationsinstitut of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg with a focus on story development.
Michael is currently developing features both for live-action and animation.

Claire Matz, Animation Artist, Creative Producer

After exploring multimedia storytelling via music and video games, Claire decided to specialize in animation and entered Gobelins, Paris. Trained there as an animation film director and technician, she was the recipient of the first Netflix X Gobelins Post-Graduate Fellowship. Developing animated projects at Netflix Japan as well as in multiple Japanese studios, Claire became a Production & Art Supervisor in Netflix' Creative Production team (Onimusha, B the Beginning, Spriggan...). Once back in France, she worked as an independent producer for a few years. Now Claire develops her own projects, puts her technical, editorial, and artistic skills at the service of studios and production companies, and teaches various animation specialties at schools around the world (2D animation, visual development, project pitching, etc.).

Eliza Plocieniak-Alvarez, Creative Producer & Director, Blaue Pampelmuse

Eliza Płocieniak-Alvarez, born in Poland, is an animation director and creative producer at Blaue Pampelmuse in Leipzig. With a Master's degree in Hispanic Literature and over 14 years of experience in the animation industry, ranging from commercials to VFX for feature films, she has lived in Spain, Norway, Portugal, and Mexico before coming to Germany to study at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.  

Her graduation film, "Nitso and the Very Hairy Alphabet," was adapted into a children's series by Eagle Eye Filmproduktion in collaboration with KiKA. Eliza co-founded the studio Blaue Pampelmuse in Leipzig together with Carol Ratajczak. Her original series "Kito & Maja" was produced by Blaue Pampelmuse with Sandmann (German TV). They are currently developing a new original TV series, "Emotsters – The Monstrously Good Feelings," and their first feature film, "Onno & Ontje – Friends Are the Best Gift."  

Eliza is also active as a juror at festivals such as Goldener Spatz and Zlín, and as an expert at Cartoon Springboard. Committed to quality craftsmanship, her aim is not only to create meaningful stories for young viewers, but also to promote the visual education of young audiences.

Ivan Zuber, Producer, Laïdak Films

Ivan Zuber studied film production with a major in animation film at Gobelins School of Visual Communication in Paris. After graduating, he spent some time in Paris and Vancouver, Canada, working in the industry for various films and production companies.

In 2012 he relocated to Berlin to work at 22D Music Group, an international film music publishing company.

In 2015, he joins the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris, a one-year continuous education program funded by the European Union, which focuses on international coproduction.

That same year, he co-founds Laïdak Films, a Franco-German production company based in Dieulefit, France, and Berlin, Germany. Their goal is to develop films regardless of format, length, or genre.

In 2022, Ivan established the International MIFA Campus Production program on behalf of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. This program aims to promote the profession of animation film producer in countries with growing animation industries. To this end, he regularly organizes workshops in various locations, including Nigeria, Mexico, Bolivia, and Uganda. 

Since 2019, Ivan has been an elected member of the board of the Franco-German Film Academy. Based in Berlin but traveling the world, he gives prominence to international and intercultural projects.