Jennifer Stahl

Born in Berlin, studied Cultural Anthropology and Sociology (B.A.) in Mainz and Riga and Sociocultural Studies (M.A.) at the European University Viadrina. She worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Culture / Theater / Film at Johannes Gutenberg University and later at the Institute for Comparative Political Sociology in Frankfurt (Oder). Jennifer Stahl worked for the Berlin International Film Festival since 2015. She took over the program coordination of the Perspektive Deutsches Kino until 2020 and was involved in the selection and direction of the newcomer section alongside Linda Söffker. Other activities at the Berlinale included moderating film talks and coordinating the Lola at Berlinale series organized with the German Film Academy and the European Film Market. In 2020, together with Anne Ballschmieter, she took over the management of FIRST STEPS and thus the strategic and content-related direction of the most renowned initiative for young filmmakers. In her tenure, she has implemented three successful editions of the awards ceremony with actress Nilam Farooq, comedian Aurel Mertz and actor Hassan Akkouch. She has helped shape FIRST STEPS as a year-long industry program and sustainably expand the network between young and established filmmakers. Since April 2023, she has been responsible for the management of the PAIQ Producer Alliance Initiative for Qualification and drives the topics of promoting young talent and attracting skilled workers. This includes, among other things, the cooperation for the NewMotion project. She is a member of the European Film Academy.