2015 Schedule

TUESDAY, DEC 1, 2015

10:00 AM Editorial Committee Nominations Open
On-site nominations for the Editorial Committee can be submitted at the Registration and Information Desk until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2.

10:00 AM - 6:30 PM Registration and Information Desk Open
The registration and information desk is open for pass pick up and general inquires.

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Walking Tour of Vienna
Meet at the Registration and Information Desk Join representatives from the Vienna Film Commission on a walking tour of important and historic locations in Vienna. The tour will begin and end at the Congress host hotel, the InterContinental Vienna. Advance sign-up is required. Sign-up is now closed. Presented in partnership with the Vienna Film Commission.

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM WCSFP Member Lounge
Ballsaal 4-5

12:15 PM - 12:45 PM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: ZDF Enterprises GmbH
Salon Schubert Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required. Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 11:00 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer:
Stephanie McArthur

Moderator:
Anne Pick

Speakers:
Georg Graffe
Nikolas Hülbusch

1:15 PM - 1:45 PM
Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: ORF
Salon Schubert Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required. Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 11:00 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer:
Stephanie McArthur

Moderator:
Rebecca Rodrigues

Speakers:
Franz Fuchs
Tom Matzek
Andrew Solomon

2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: France Télévisions
Salon Schubert Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required. Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 11:00 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer & Moderator:
Stephanie McArthur

Speakers:
Caroline Behar
Thierry Mino
Perrine Poubeau
Joanna Pozzo
Coraline Roch

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Getting to Know You
Salon Kaunitz Come and pop your WCSFP cherry at this invaluable session where Congress veteran Dan Chambers will welcome you into the bosom of our community while giving some Congress virgins the opportunity to introduce their company to the audience. Meanwhile, a sprinkling of WCSFP old-timers will be in attendance to share their top tips on how to get the best out of your first time.

Session Producer:
Lilla Hurst

Moderator:
Dan Chambers

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Boosting Your Content Development: Wellcome Trust
Salon Schubert and Salon Lehar Whether it's inspiring your next ambitious series or building on an existing production, this session will cover the opportunities offered by the Wellcome Trust for aiding creative innovation ‎within your company. Find out how to access resources, expertise and support to free up that creative brainspace. The ScreenWellcome panel will present recent work as they discuss how they can help you produce great entertainment inspired by the human condition.

Micro-Meetings offer members the opportunity to meet with sponsors of the WCSFP in a small group setting to learn more about the companies and their work.

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Meet the Austrians
Salon Kaunitz and Salon Vier Jahreszeiten Join us for a drink and meet with local Austrian Producers in our first mix and mingle of the 23rd edition of the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers.

Sponsored by Austrian Film Fund (RTR), Austrian Film Institute, Film and Music Austria (FAMA) and Film Austria.

8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Welcome to Vienna
Natural History Museum, Upper Dome | Naturhistorisches Museum Wien Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna (Use the visitor’s entrance on Maria-Theresien-Platz) Welcome to Vienna! Celebrate the 2015 Congress with our opening night cocktail in Vienna’s majestic Natural History Museum. With imperial origins dating back to Emperor Franz Joseph I, who used the museum as a home for his private collections, this stunning architectural masterpiece offers the perfect setting to open an incredibly memorable event.

Before joining us for this cocktail, leave yourself a bit of time to take in one of Vienna’s most celebrated traditions at the Christmas market located between the Natural History Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts. Sponsored by National Geographic Channels.

WED DEC 2, 2015

7:45 AM - 8:45 AM
Breakfast With… CICC
Salon Lehar and Salon Schubert Breakfast With… CICC is an opportunity to explore potential partnership with China. CICC proudly presents the 2015 selections that are co-produced with world renowned media organizations. Come and join us to find out more about who CICC is and how to work with us to achieve common goals and outcomes. Pre-registration is required. Pre-registration now closed.

Breakfast With… sessions offer members the opportunity to meet with sponsors of the WCSFP in a small group setting to learn more about the companies and their work.

8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Registration and Information Desk Open
The registration and information desk is open for pass pick up and general inquires.

9:00 AM - 10:45 AM Welcome & What's the Buzz?
Ballsaal 1-4 It’s the Best of Times, It’s the Worst of Times... or, When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It TV is confronting unparalleled levels of choice and complexity, new platforms and pressures to make noise and stand out. It’s the Brand, stupid! Is this a time for content creators to take two aspirin, go to bed and “call me in the morning?” Or are we actually on the cusp of a new golden age with an explosion of creativity and innovation across the board? Don’t miss our annual roundup of the trends, what’s working, what’s not and the breakthrough factual programs of the year. Welcome to What’s the Buzz?: The 2015 Edition. Sponsored by ORF. Additional support provided by The Bell Fund.

Session Producers:
Dietmar Lyssy
Nikolaus Wirth

Moderator:
Stephen Hunter

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM Coffee Break
Conference Floor Join your fellow members for a break with refreshments.

11:00 AM - 5:00 PM WCSFP Member Lounge
Ballsaal 4-6

11:15 AM - 11:45 AM Sparks of Inspiration: Johannes Grenzfurthner
Ballsaal 1 & 2 Award-winning artist, writer, filmmaker, provocateur and long-time nerd Johannes Grenzfurthner has dedicated his career to challenging the status quo. His latest target is the not-so-brave new world run by digital natives. Additional support provided by The Bell Fund.

Session Producer:
Josephine Wright

Moderator:
Kate Quilton

Speaker:
Johannes Grenzfurthner

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Branded
Ballsaal 3 A stellar panel of senior industry players brings their thoughts and experience to the latest industry game-changer: branded content. No longer a passing phase or in its infancy, this new funding formula turns industry editorial paradigms on their heads as it opens a whole new way of funding and working. Some fear it, some loathe it, but others reach for the pot of gold as they see new audiences and new opportunities for brand new storytelling. Our panel will provide an insightful guide to this new galaxy.

Session Producer:
Judy Rymer

Moderator:
Jonathan Hewes

Speakers:
Richard Bradley
Vikram Channa
Charlie Parsons
Sara Ramsden
Mark Wood

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: NHK
Salon Schubert Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer:
Stephanie McArthur

Moderator:
Rebecca Rodrigues

Speaker:
Takeshi Shibasaki

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM When YouTube Meets the Dinosaur
Ballsaal 1 & 2 With online video delivering science to millions of millennials, the old world order of science TV is shifting. So what happens when you take a YouTube science superstar and make him the host of a public broadcaster TV series? What goes wonderfully right and horribly wrong? Can these two worlds crossbreed in a way that’s beneficial to everyone, or are they entirely different beasts? International series Uranium—Twisting the Dragon’s Tail (Genepool Productions) is a case in point. With the goal of fusing hard science, radioactive locations and radically different approaches to production, they deliberately chose a high profile host: Dr. Derek Muller, physicist and creator of popular YouTube channel Veritasium.

With a myriad of new threats to public broadcaster science commissioning, this session asks how to make a three-part doc series on hard physics that will be compelling to audiences, and whether YouTube is a threat to global long-form science TV or key to its survival?

Session Producer:
Daniella Ortega

Moderator:
Wendy Zukerman

Speakers:
Linde Dehner
Bill Gardner
Joseph Maxwell
Derek Muller
Sonya Pemberton

12:45 PM - 1:15 PM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: National Geographic Channel
Salon Lehar Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer & Moderator:
Stephanie McArthur

Speaker:
Charlie Parsons

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Lunch
Parlour Restaurant, Salon Kaunitz and Salon Vier Jahreszeiten Join your fellow members for lunch.

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: Discovery Networks International
Salon Beethoven Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer & Moderator:
Stephanie McArthur

Speakers:
Ed Sayer

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: NOVA
Salon Schubert Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer:
Stephanie McArthur

Moderator:
Hoda Elatawi

Speakers:
Paula S. Apsell, Melanie Wallace

1:45 PM - 2:15 PM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: BBC Worldwide
Salon Lehar Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer:
Stephanie McArthur

Moderator:
Rebecca Rodrigues

Speakers:
John Lindley
Suzanne McKenna

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: National Geographic Channels International
Salon Schubert Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer:
Stephanie McArthur

Moderator:
Anne Pick

Speakers:
Simon Young

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Hitchhikers Guide to the Digital Galaxy
Ballsaal 1 & 2 Specialist factual has experienced its very own online big bang, and it is rapidly gaining velocity. Michael Stevens, presenter and originator of one of YouTube’s most successful educational channels, Vsauce, shares his insights on how and why he has over nine million subscribers. Along with Anna Rothschild, author and presenter of Gross Science, an original web series from NOVA, our digital pioneers take us on a tour of the top science and factual content in the online universe.

Sponsored by The Bell Fund.

Session Producer & Moderator:
Sam Barcroft

Speakers:
Anna Rothschild
Michael Stevens

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM The Story Behind...Big Blue Live & Your Inner Fish
Ballsaal 3 Meet the teams behind two ground-breaking series: Big Blue Live and Your Inner Fish. For Big Blue Live, PBS and BBC joined forces to freshen up natural history. Crews, from above and below the ocean, broadcast live for days the marine mammal feast that takes place annually at Monterey Bay, California. Hear about the massive logistics involved, the social media generated and the back-up plans that were in place in case the animals didn’t show up.

Bringing the book Your Inner Fish to the screen as a three-part series for PBS was a triumph of ingenuity. The creators at Windfall Films turned author Dr. Neil Shubin into a top presenter and the series won this year’s Emmy for Outstanding Graphic Design and Art Direction.

Session Producer & Moderator:
Sally Ingleton

Speakers:
Tom Brass
David Dugan
Bill Margol
Tom McDonald\

3:15 PM - 3:45 PM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: Discovery Canada
Salon Lehar Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer & Moderator:
Stephanie McArthur

Speaker:
Ken MacDonald

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Coffee Break
Conference Floor Join your fellow members for a break with refreshments.

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM Five Ways Freud Changed the Way We See the World
Ballsaal 1 & 2 In a short illustrated talk, psychoanalyst Dr. Daru Huppert provides insight into the lasting legacy of Vienna’s most famous émigré.

Session Producer & Moderator:
Philip Armstrong-Dampier

Speaker:
Daru Huppert

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Pluto Rocks
Ballsaal 3 It was the biggest science event of the year—NASA’s New Horizons fly-by of Pluto. The tiny ball of rock, not even big enough to be called a planet anymore, captured the headlines. Live images flashed across the world, social media was captivated, pop culture buzzed about it for days and there were TV programs galore. Congress will unpack what made New Horizons a break-out hit, and the strategies that turned a stream of content into an enhanced experience for viewers across multiple platforms.

Sponsored by Great Pacific Television.

Session Producer:
Sarah Chow

Moderator:
Mark Miller

Speakers:
Laurie Cantillo
Allison Eck
Zoe Heron
Takeshi Shibasaki
Bert Ulrich

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM On the Therapist's Couch
Ballsaal 1 & 2 In Vienna, Dr. David "Sigmund" Glover will analyse the dreams, nightmares, fears and anxieties that afflict so many of our members as our world of television changes beyond recognition. Sponsored by ZDF Enterprises GmbH.\

Session Producer:
Georgina Stewart

Speaker:
David Glover

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM Speed Dating
Salon Kaunitz and Salon Vier Jahreszeiten Speed Dating is a great way for independent producers to have a one-on-one chat with decision makers to whom they wouldn’t otherwise have easy access. Congress staff conducts preliminary matchmaking to make the encounters more rewarding for both parties. However, in keeping with the spirit of WCSFP, which is more about building networks and contacts than an actual market, we have asked the participating decision makers to pre-select the projects that they find interesting—but they won’t know who or where they came from until their face-to-face meeting. Pre-application required.

Session Producer:
Rebecca Rodrigues

5:00 PM Editorial Committee Nominations Close
On-site nominations for the Editorial Committee can be submitted at the Registration and Information Desk until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2.

6:30 PM - 11:59 PM A Celebration of Viennese Charm
Vienna City Hall | Rathaus Litchenfelgasse 2, Feststiege 1, 1010 Vienna Continue to fall under the spell and charm of Vienna as you soak in the beautiful Neo-Gothic architecture at this year’s dinner and dance at Vienna’s City Hall. Join us for a special evening filled with elements of graceful Viennese traditions including dinner, entertainment, and an opportunity to show us your best Viennese waltz as you glide across the dance floor.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The dinner will begin at 7:00 p.m. Seating is first come, first served; please arrive early. Formal attire is encouraged. Sponsored by ORF.

THURS DEC 3, 2015

7:45 AM - 8:45 AM Breakfast With… Discovery Canada and EPI
Salon Lehar and Salon Schubert Join Vice-President and General Manager Ken MacDonald and Head of Worldwide Program Distribution Tony Leadman for a networking breakfast and a sneak peek of some of Discovery Channel and EPI’s exciting original content. Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity! Pre-registration is required. Pre-registration now closed. Breakfast With… sessions offer members the opportunity to meet with sponsors of the WCSFP in a small group setting to learn more about the companies and their work.

8:30 AM Editorial Committee Voting Opens
Voting to fill 2016 WCSFP Editorial Committee vacancies opens at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 3. A list of candidates will be posted at the Registration and Information Desk and ballots will be distributed to any attending member who intends to vote.

Voting closes at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 4. Results are announced at the Members Plenary.

8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Registration and Information Desk Open
The Registration and Information Desk is open for pass pick up and general inquires.

8:30 AM - 5:00 PM WCSFP Member Lounge
Ballsall 4-6

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Pioneers or Pie in the Sky?
Ballsaal 1 & 2 Meet the industry trailblazers promising top-quality content on demand—anytime, anywhere—on a plethora of new platforms, channels and networks and changing the shape of our industry beyond recognition. Sponsored by ORF Enterprises.

Session Producer:
Dinah Lord

Session Co-Producer:
John Anderson

Moderators:
Jennifer Cummins
Joseph Maxwell

Speakers:
Steve Burns Beatrice Cox-Riesenfelder
Flore Deroose
Juliet Riddell
Yonni Usiskin

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM The 11 Commandments for Success With Online Content
Ballsaal 3 Making successful content for online audiences is easier than ever. Following years of trial and error, best practices and digital grammar have now emerged. Don’t miss these top tips for delivering spellbinding shareable video for YouTube and other platforms.

Sponsored by PBS, NOVA, PBS International.

Session Producer:
Amy Maher

Moderator:
Sam Barcroft

Speakers:
Rosie Allimonos
Vanessa Hill
Lauren Saks

9:30 AM - 10:15 AM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: BBC
Salon Beethoven Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer & Moderator:
Stephanie McArthur

Speakers:
Martin Davidson
Craig Hunter
Tom McDonald
Rachel Morgan

10:15 AM - 11:00 AM Sparks of Inspiration: André Borschberg
Ballsaal 1 & 2 Co-pilot of Solar Impulse 2, the first plane ever to attempt a round-the-world flight powered entirely by the sun’s energy, André Borschberg will make a special diversion from the Paris Climate Summit to share with Congress members his stories of this incredible journey and why he has devoted 12 years of his life to this project. Sponsored by Tangled Bank Studios.

Session Producers:
Stéphane Millière
Josephine Wright

Moderator:
Kate Quilton

Speaker:
André Borschberg

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM Coffee Break
Conference Floor Join your fellow members for a break with refreshments.

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: CCTV9
Salon Lehar Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer:
Stephanie McArthur

Moderator:
Rebecca Rodrigues

Speakers:
Minghuan Zhang
Yiqian Zhang
Yan Zhou

11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Little Gems
Ballsaal 3 Little Gems is a celebration and examination of factual programs and films that succeeded, sometimes against all odds. We’ll look at little gems in science, history, knowledge and discovery—programs with style, wit and flair, even without mega blockbuster budgets. Filmmakers will show clips and discuss why their program broke though.

Featured Gems Great Danish Scientists (Denmark) Quarx (UK) Small Hands in a Big War (Germany, Netherlands, Poland, UK) The Chocolate Diet - A Scientific Hoax Goes Viral (Germany, France, USA) The Real Noah's Ark (UK, Cnaada) Judging Petain (France) Sugar Blues (Czech Republic) The Islands of the Future (France, Germany) How We Got to Now with Steven Johnson (US/UK) Gambling on Extinction (Germany/Canada)

Sponsored by Terranoa.

Session Producer:
Josephine Wright

Session Producer & Moderator:
Fabrice Esteve

Moderator:
Catherine Alvaresse

11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Surviving the Next Five Years: A Disaster Movie?
Ballsaal 1 & 2 Five years ago WCSFP wondered: “Is factual f@&%#d? Are our broadcasters just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic?” Well, it’s time to revisit these questions. The iceberg called Netflix has scraped down the hull, the one called “cord cutting” has holed the engine room and advertising-related share price collapse has sheared the rudder off for-profit networks, while public broadcasters face cuts in funding and an identity crisis. Is it time to take to the lifeboats? Is there anyone out there with a plan? Or shall we just shake hands and say, “It’s been a pleasure playing with you, gentlemen....”

In an open-ended session, we promise debates, votes, name calling and just possibly, some useful takeaways. Bring life jackets.

Sponsored by Discovery Canada and Exploration Production Inc.

Session Producer:
Emma Parkins

Moderator:
John Farren

Speakers:
Alan Eyres, Cassian Harrison, Chris Hoelzl, Mikael Österby

12:15 PM - 12:45 PM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: PBS
Salon Schubert Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer & Moderator:
Stephanie McArthur

Speaker:
Bill Margol

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Lunch
Parlour Restaurant, Salon Kaunitz and Salon Vier Jahreszeiten Join your fellow members for lunch.

1:15 PM - 2:15 PM Working With Austria
Ballsaal 3 Austria is a small country with a sophisticated, forward-looking Specialist Factual sector. Broadcasters, distributors, production companies, and national and regional funding bodies all actively originate or participate in international co-productions.

Co-producing with Austria means benefiting from Austria's high technical standards (now routinely 4K), skilled and experienced technicians and prizewinning writers and directors. Austria has an especially high reputation for wildlife and natural history production; great depth (unsurprisingly) in musicians and composers, and world-class CGI companies.

This session explores, with clips and mini case studies, all the ways to develop successful partnerships with the Austrian Specialist Factual industry.

Sponsored by Austrian Film Fund (RTR), Austrian Film Institute, Film and Music Austria (FAMA) and Film Austria.

Session Producer:
Werner Müller

Moderator:
Andrew Solomon

Speakers:
Walter Köhler
Tom Matzek
Heinrich Mayer-Moroni
Nikolaus Wisiak

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: Channel 4
Salon Beethoven Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer:
Stephanie McArthur

Moderator:
Rebecca Rodrigues

Speakers:
Robert Coldstream
John Hay
Sara Ramsden

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: Science Channel
Salon Schubert Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer:
Stephanie McArthur

Moderator:
Hoda Elatawi

Speaker:
Brad Kohlenstein

1:45 PM - 2:15 PM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: ARTE
Salon Lehar Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer & Moderator:
Stephanie McArthur

Speakers:
Catherine Alvaresse, Marie Beuzard, Hélène Coldefy

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: WDR
Salon Schubert Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer & Moderator:
Stephanie McArthur

Speakers:
Christiane Hinz
Daniele Jörg

2:30 PM - 3:45 PM More Bloody Romans
Ballsaal 1 & 2 We all know that TV is business that follows fashions like no other, and it can’t have escaped anyone’s notice that the ancient world is back with a vengeance—Romans, Greeks and ancient Egyptians are everywhere. Is any of it new, better or truly visionary in its approach? Or is it the same old ideas spouted by beautifully back-lit posh white men wandering through ruins, occasional dodgy recon, a rickety recreation of a Roman war machine and a “brand new theory?” Renowned academic, TV historian and doyenne of the ancient world Mary Beard will review clips of the latest attempts at shedding new light on the past and give us her honest opinion about what she loves and hates about the latest offerings. We promise a lively debate with the help of some leading producers and commissioners in the field. Hold onto your togas, this one’s going to be fun.

Sponsored by the Lower Austrian Film Commission and the Lower Austrian Ministry of Science and Research.

Session Producers:
Clare Birks
Alice Keens-Soper

Moderator:
Thomas Viner

Speakers:
Mary Beard
Martin Davidson
Heinrich Mayer-Moroni
Caterina Turroni

2:30 PM - 3:45 PM Who Are You, Where Do You Come From? Bringing a Fresh Perspective to the Refugee Crisis
Ballsaal 3 The world is in the grip of the largest mass migration in recent history. For many months tens of thousands of refugees have flooded in to Europe via Vienna and they keep coming. Vienna has seen this all before; across the centuries, millions of people have moved across ever-changing frontiers and each time Vienna has been at the heart of it. How are factual producers responding to the challenge of creating programs that go over and above straight reportage to bring context and historical perspective to this massively important issue? Is it possible to excite and entertain, as well as change the national mood or conversation?

Sponsored by NHK.

Session Producer:
Müge Dilmaghani

Session Producer & Moderator:
Andreas Gutzeit

Speakers:
Peter Arens
Frederick Baker
John Godfrey
Stephan Lamby
Waltraud Langer
Andreas Mannsberger
Rachel Morgan
Stefan Pannen
Abdulmajid Raslan
Marco Visalberghi

3:15 PM - 3:45 PM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: SBS
Salon Lehar Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer:
Stephanie McArthur

Moderator:
Hoda Elatawi

Speaker:
Krishan Arora

3:45 PM - 4:00 PM A Special Announcement From NHK
Ballsaal 3 Join NHK for a very special announcement.

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM Coffee Break
Conference Floor Join your fellow members for a break with refreshments. Sponsored by NHK.

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Speed Dating
Salon Kaunitz and Salon Vier Jahreszeiten Speed Dating is a great way for independent producers to have a one-on-one chat with decision makers to whom they wouldn’t otherwise have easy access. Congress staff conducts preliminary matchmaking to make the encounters more rewarding for both parties. However, in keeping with the spirit of WCSFP, which is more about building networks and contacts than an actual market, we have asked the participating decision makers to pre-select the projects that they find interesting—but they won’t know who or where they came from until their face-to-face meeting. Pre-application required.

Session Producer:
Rebecca Rodrigues

4:30 PM - 5:45 PM The Rise of Multi-Platforms—Telling Stories in New Ways
Ballsaal 3 After 10 years of experimentation, the advent of new technologies and the multiplication of providers have made new media a reality. Now the rush is on. Producers and broadcasters are scrambling to hop on the transmedia bandwagon, but questions still remain: How do we create new forms of storytelling? Who is paying and who is watching? In this show-and-tell session, come and hear our panelists explain how they manage to do it. Bring your phones and tablets so you can experience it live.

Sponsored by The Bell Fund.

Session Producer:
Christine Le Goff

Moderator:
Patrick Hörl

Speakers:
Paula S. Apsell
Christian Beetz
Marie Beuzard
Liz Courtney
Ina Fichman

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
When Worlds Collide: Science Fact Meets Science Fiction
Ballsaal 1 & 2 Science fiction has always had an uncanny ability to predict the future. Arthur C. Clarke predicted the iPad, Isaac Asimov foresaw online education and Ray Bradbury took us to Mars. But the time gap between fantastic vision and technological reality is closing...fast, perhaps too fast.

Meet the makers of DxM, the soon-to-be-released cinema drama about mind control, and Humans, the hit Channel 4 TV drama series where a cast of lifelike humanoids bring sci-fi to suburbia. In this session, we’ll explore the science that inspired the fiction and find out how close their disturbing scenarios are to becoming reality.

Sponsored by Terra Mater Factual Studios.

Session Producer:
Ruth Berry

Moderator:
Sara Ramsden

Speakers:
Markus Mooslechner
Joanne Reay
Derek Wax

5:45 PM - 6:00 PM A Special Announcement From CICC
Ballsaal 1 & 2 Join representatives from CICC as they make a very special announcement exclusive to the 2015 WCSFP. Don't miss your opportunity to hear about this exciting new launch! Celebratory drinks and snacks to follow.

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Happy Hour
Salon Kaunitz and Salon Vier Jahreszeiten End your day with a drink and snacks with fellow members, as well as a special announcement from CICC. Sponsored by CICC.

8:30 PM - 2:00 AM (Friday, December 4, 2015) An Evening With Terra Mater Factual Studios
Aux Gazelles, Rahlgasse 5, 1060 Vienna Spend the night with Terra Mater Factual Studios for an evening of European and North African influences at Aux Gazelles. Catch up with friends and colleagues while enjoying music, drinks and delectable exotic passed plates in one of the city’s hottest nightclubs. This is the evening to dance into the early hours of the morning! Hosted by Terra Mater Factual Studios.

FRI DEC 4, 2015

8:30 AM - 2:00 PM Registration and Information Desk Open
The Registration and Information Desk is open for pass pick up and general inquires.

8:30 AM - 2:00 PM WCSFP Member Lounge
Ballsaal 4-6

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Beyond Reality
Ballsaal 3 Not so much a session as an experience, we present the most exciting new work in virtual and augmented reality, from onstage dinosaurs to try-your-own coma, and explore whether this is the next big thing that will revolutionize how we tell stories or another passing fad that’s about as exciting as 3D. Plus, get an opportunity to network with the VR experts and find out the best way to take your projects beyond the screen and into viewers’ heads. Bring your phone (Android or iOS only, most recent software versions please), get your free cardboard viewer, and step 'beyond reality.'

Please download the following apps pre-session, or I’m afraid you will be forced to remain in the real world forever…

GOOGLE CARDBOARD VRSE YOUTUBE (Android)/IN360TUBE (iOS) Download App Info Sheet

Session Producer:
Thomas Viner

Moderator:
Chris Hoelzl

Speakers:
Oscar Bastiaens
Barnabas Nanay
Thomas Wallner

Demonstators:
Caroline Behar
Beth Hoppe
John Smithson

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Biggest... Boldest... Craziest... Deadliest... Raising the Stakes of Factual TV
Ballsaal 1 & 2 Broadcasters are encouraging producers to venture into places they've never dared go before—to think up wilder, more dangerous, more jaw-dropping projects. Now it has to be raw, real and risky. Using recent case histories, we ask a panel of commissioners and producers just how far they are prepared to go.

Session Producer & Moderator:
David Dugan

Speakers:
Antje Boehmert
Alan Eyres
John Godfrey
John Hay
Adam Bullmore

10:00 AM Editorial Committee Voting Closes
Voting to fill 2016 WCSFP Editorial Committee vacancies opens at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 3. A list of candidates will be posted at the Registration and Information Desk and ballots will be distributed to any attending member who intends to vote.

Voting closes at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 4. Results are announced at the Members Plenary.

10:15 AM - 10:45 AM Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: CICC
Salon Schubert Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer:
Stephanie McArthur

Moderator:
Anne Pick

Speaker:
Yuanyuan Wang

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM Coffee Break
Conference Floor Join your fellow members for a break with refreshments.

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM Can Film Change Minds?
Ballsaal 1 & 2 You’ve toiled and sweated over your latest film. You’ve spent hours and days checking and re-checking the factual takeaway for the audience, and you expect they’ll learn a lot. Dream on. Scientific research shows that most viewers only experience the sensation of learning without actually taking much away from a program. What to do? Is it time to throw in the towel or are there some specific techniques to increase how much they actually take in?

With a PhD in this very topic, YouTube sensation Dr. Derek Muller will take us on an interactive and fun-filled journey through the surprising and often counter-intuitive world of communicating effectively with your audience. Sponsored by Terra Mater Factual Studios.

Session Producer:
Josephine Wright

Session Producer & Moderator:
Margie Bryant

Speaker:
Derek Muller

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Close Encounters of the Funding Kind: SVT
Salon Lehar Close Encounters are small group meetings with commissioning editors and media executives who either commission programs from independent producers outside their own territories or provide significant funding. Sign-up required.

Sign-up forms available at the Registration and Information Desk beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session.

Session Producer & Moderator:
Stephanie McArthur

Speaker:
Henrik Ekman

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM Sparks of Inspiration: Jason Silva
Ballsaal 1 & 2 Jason Silva is the Emmy-nominated host of National Geographic Channel's hit series Brain Games, seen in over 100 countries. Described as part Timothy Leary, part Ray Kurzweil, and part Neo from The Matrix, Jason will celebrate the power of ideas and creativity in a world where content is king.

Session Producer:
Josephine Wright

Moderator:
Margie Bryant

Speaker: Jason Silva

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WCSFP Members Plenary
Ballsaal 1 & 2 Members are invited to join the Board of Directors and the newly formed 2016 Editorial Committee for a special farewell. Editorial Committee election results will be announced at the start of the session.

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Lunch
Parlour Restaurant, Salon Kaunitz and Salon Vier Jahreszeiten Join your fellow members for lunch.

2:30 PM - 6:00 PM The Third Man Tour of Vienna
Meet at the Registration and Information Desk Filmed in Vienna at the height of the Cold War, The Third Man is a cinematic masterpiece forever a credit to its director Carol Reed and stars Orson Welles, Alida Valli, Joseph Cotten and Trevor Howard. But the real star of the film is Vienna, at the time a bombed city full of refugees and gangsters. Join documentary filmmaker Frederick Baker for an exclusive tour inspired by the film. Beginning with a reception and live zither performance at the Third Man Museum, the tour includes many iconic locations from the film, including the sewers and sites in Vienna’s first district.

Details and sign-up are available at the Registration and Information Desk. Space is limited and tickets are €20 per ticket (cash only).

Presented in partnership with the Vienna Film Commission.

4:30 PM - 6:00 PM Meet the Austrian Scientists Cocktail Old Campus, Vienna University of Economics and Business Augasse 2-6, 1090 Vienna As a part of the European Science Film Festival, sf², the “Young Academy” of the Austrian Academy of Sciences exclusively invites attendees of the WCSFP to a social get-together with Austrian scientists. Founded in 1847 as a learned society, today the OeAW has over 770 members dedicated to innovative basic research, interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge and the dissemination of new insights, with the aim of contributing to progress in science and society as a whole. We offer you the possibility to exchange ideas or network with some of the most significant Austrian scientists from a range of different departments. Pre-registration is required. Members can pre-register online or at the Registration and Information Desk.