The international film industry is mourning the death of Christine Tröstrum, former project manager of Berlinale Talents, who has died suddenly aged 52.
Tröstrum began her career working for film festivals in Marseilles, Tübingen and Augsburg, as well as serving as project manager for the Europäisches Filmzentrum Babelsberg located on the Babelsberg studio lot. This included working on the CyberCinema pilot project initiated by the late filmmaker Peter Fleischmann.
Tröstrum was subsequently responsible for the organisation of the annual media conference of German regional film fund Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and the staging of the Cartoon Movie co-production market for animated feature films when it was held at the Babelsberg Studios.
During her 19 years at Berlinale Talents (originally known as Talent Campus) from 2004, Tröstrum was one of the initiators of the umbrella brand of Berlinale Film Residences, which is supported by the Berlinale as a cooperation partner. She was also a driving force behind the seven Talents International initiatives including Talents Durban, Talents Sarajevo, Talents Beirut and Talents Guadalajara.
She had a particularly close hand in the organisation with Japanese partners of Talents Tokyo which was launched in November 2011 during the Tokyo Filmex film festival.
She stepped down in early 2023 to concentrate on her position as a managing partner in Berlin-based consulting company biniasz und partner where she was offering seminars on such subjects as creative leadership and personality coaching.
Tröstrum said at the time: “Being able to help shape the programme from its beginnings with so many companions and wonderful film creatives from all around the globe was incredibly enriching for me.”
She maintained her links with the film industry as Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI) noted in a Facebook post at the weekend. “Just recently, Christine was part of a group of experts who worked with the DFMI to develop a mentorship programme [Future Mentors] where her contributions were significantly impactful. She led with a strong passion to nurture talent.”
“Christine was an influential figure, a warm and kind-hearted person who was passionate about developing leaders in the industry,” wrote her friends and colleagues in Durban.
The Future Mentors programme, in collaboration with Berlinale Talents and with backing from the DW Akademie, aims to support a capacity-building programme for seasoned professionals who possess a genuine desire to share their expertise with aspiring film practitioners.
Anyone who had met Christine over the years [this writer had known her since her involvement in the CyberCinema project] will always remember her smile and hearty laugh as well as the sight of her with her constant canine companion who would obediently lie at her feet when she was working in her office overlooking Potsdamer Platz.
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