The DFF is part of the large-scale model program 360° – Fund for New City Cultures of the Federal Cultural Foundation, which supports 39 cultural institutions nationwide in opening up interculturally and reaching out to people that have typically not been addressed in the past. To achieve this goal, an outreach manager and a diversity manager have been working as 360° agents at the DFF since June 2019.
Under the guidance of the 360° agents, the DFF examines closely how it can best reflect society’s diversity in its staff, programming and audience engagement. The active involvement of the DFF staff in the process creates the preconditions for sustainable changes on the way to opening the house further to hitherto underrepresented groups.
Staff members from all departments of the DFF work in regular meetings on topics related to diversity, inclusion and equity, further their understanding with regard to human resources, discrimination, LGBTIQ, anti-bias, racism, plain language and framing, and expand the program of the house with online exhibitions, film series and workshops.
News
The expanded festival, now with new venues, is dedicated to the cinema of the global South with a focus on the theme of courage.
DFF Diversity Manager Rabih El-Khoury and goEast Film Festival Director Heleen Gerritsen talk about issues related to diversity and inclusion and what role film festivals can play in times of conflict.
»Are emerging diversity and inclusion initiatives enough to make the European film industry more inclusive?«
With Rabih El-Khoury (DFF)
The second edition of the film series, which ran from November 4 to 9, 2021, was dedicated to films from the Global South that revolved around the subject matter of mobility.
The first edition of the Southern Lights film series, which ran from October 29 to November 2, 2020, was dedicated to the cinema of the Global South with a focus on the perspectives of young people.
The online exhibition presents silent film posters from the 1920s from the DFF archive and takes a closer look at racist and sexist stereotypes. A project of the 360° team and the museum education staff.
The DFF podcast “Everything is Film” regularly features episodes on topics related to diversity & equity. Most episodes are in German.
Impressions
Outlook
The DFF’s commitment to the diverse urban community and its sustainable structural reorganization in personnel policy, exhibition and event planning, and audience engagement is a long-term process that requires the support of the entire team. Participation in working groups and training sessions aims to raise the team’s awareness of diversity issues. The measures outlined by the Diversity Working Group will be implemented gradually to ensure that the DFF remains a vibrant, open space for film culture for everyone.
The 360° Program
With the program 360° – Fund for New City Cultures, the Federal Cultural Foundation supports cultural institutions in dealing more concretely with migration and cultural diversity and in creating new access and visibility for groups in society that have not been adequately reached so far. To this end, the model program promotes a variety of approaches aimed at diversity-related openness in the areas of programming, audience and staff.
