Projects with a lasting impact
My personal and professional life has been most influenced by three film culture projects for which I worked for several years. My six years as festival manager of goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film was followed by the Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Stiftung for International Cooperation, which I coordinated for eleven years. In its early years, the Film Prize focused on emerging talents from Germany and Eastern Europe. After the Arab Spring, the program has expanded to include German-Arab collaboration and has been continuously developed until its end. Afterwards, I was appointed the Executive Director of two festival editions of ALFILM – Arab Film Festival Berlin. During this time I established the new festival section: the ALFILM ATELIER.
To this day, my life has been enriched by the many years of cooperation with the partners, the many trips to different countries, regions and cultures, and the friendships I have made.
What I particularly appreciated about these projects is the international exchange that builds bridges between the cultures, opens up new perspectives and collaborations, invites to reflect and immerse into different life patterns, and thus creates an important dialogue.
Working with the filmmakers and partners from the Arab World left a very special and unforgettable impression. I experienced the values of respectful treatment, hospitality and cordiality, reliable partnership, and honest friendship, as well as encounters at eye level.
Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Stiftung
goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film
Other projects I have been involved
What I particularly like about my job is the variety with the cultural work I can immerse myself in. These are projects that reflect my values of an open, tolerant and fair world and make an important social and sustainable contribution.
A selection
▸ Aug 2023 – today: Website and print media design
In the run-up to the UEFA European Football Championship EURO 2024 in Germany, On Screen will be showing selected European football short films as part of the official art and culture programme in 24 small and large cities across Germany from the end of February until the EURO 2024 final.
▸ Oct 2022 – Apr 2023 Fundraising Management
Poetenpack Theatre is a free professional theatre with an ensemble of selected freelance artists for its various in-house productions. The theatre is particularly appreciated for its excellent language culture. Since 2006, the theatre has been touring the German-speaking world.
Classical productions form the core of the theatre’s diverse repertoire, which is complemented by modern chamber plays and musical-literary programmes. The Sanssouci Theatre Summer in the historic Heckentheater at the Neues Palais in Potsdam and the Summer Theatre in the Möllenvogtei in Magdeburg have become permanent fixtures.
▸ Editorial support for the German cined.eu website, layout with Indesign of the German-language education materials and worksheets for the films on the platform. | 2021, 2022 and 2023
Through its unique open pedagogy, CinEd aims at providing access to the wealth and diversity of European cinema by developing young people’s ability to watch and listen, to compare and connect. Cined fosters the development of critical analysis skills, the understanding of cinematographic techniques and language, openness and curiosity for what is other.
CinEd is designed for a large range of participants: teachers from all specialities and levels, cultural mediators, and cinema and audiovisual professionals who want to work towards building European culture and educate young people about European cinema
▸ Organisation, Coordination, financial controlling of the Film Education Group Retreat to Define Courses | 2022
Der Hauptverband der Cinephilie promotes and disseminates film art and culture. The association provides information and knowledge in order to achieve the production, screening and distribution of artistically valuable films for the promotion and education of diversity, international understanding and the art of film on the widest possible scale.
A selection
▸ Organisation and technical coordination | 2016
The sudden increase in refugees led to numerous offers to provide help and integration services across Germany. Many German film institutions, filmmakers and film educators quickly created numerous and diverse projects. Which is a good thing: As a highly accessible medium, film has the ability to bring together different groups of people, whether during production or in movie theatres. Furthermore, there is an increased interest from educational and cultural policy makers for cultural institutions to engage more in the socially challenging integration.
The conference »Film, Flight and Interculturality« invites film educators to join us for critical reflection as we consider our past and future work. Lectures, screenings and workshops facilitate an exchange of experiences and a productive environment to develop practical guidelines and approaches to film literacy.
A cooperation between Deutsches Filminstitut, as sponsoring authority for LUCAS – International Festival for young Film Lovers, and the Federal Agency for Civic Education in collaboration with Goethe-Institut.
▸ Program Coordinator 2010 and 2011
The FILMKUNSTFEST MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN is held annually during the first week of May in the state capital of Schwerin in Filmpalast Capitol, which boasts six screens, including historic Auditorium 1, one of the most beautiful cinema auditoriums in Germany. Drawing around 18,000 visitors annually – including 200 accredited film industry professionals such as filmmakers, actors, producers and journalists – with roughly 150 feature films, documentaries and shorts, FILMKUNSTFEST MV is one of the biggest public festivals in eastern Germany.
▸ Guest Management 2010
65th anniversary of the liberation of Holocaust survivors
▸ Administrative coordination, general organisation and public relations on behalf of the Berliner Kulturveranstaltungs-GmbH in cooperation with the ICMA. | 2000
The ICMC is held annually in a different host country. Berlin was the host in 2000.
The International Computer Music Association is an international association of individuals and institutions concerned with the technical, creative and performance aspects of computer music.
▸ Catalogue editor | 2000 and 2001
▸ Assistance of the Artistic Director | 1999
transmediale is an annual festival bringing together international artists, researchers, thinkers, and activists, working on art, digital culture, and socio-political transformation.
Voices of colleagues along the way
Andreas Hueck, Artistic Director, Theater Poetenpack: 7 months of working together has been a good time. It was characterised by open, emphatic and very goal-oriented communication. We were able to use Karin’s work very profitably for the theatre. This collaboration can perhaps be described more precisely: straightforward and interested, fun with design questions and very effective with paperwork, good interaction with everyone in the team, approachable and critical at the same time, humorous and valuable, characterised by a calm balance. It was a pleasure! Thank you very much.
Deema Azar, Producer and Script Consultant, Co-Founder & Managing Partner – TaleBox
Jordan: What a pleasure it has been to work with Karin over the span of many years and in different capacities of my involvement with the Robert Bosch Stiftung Film Prize Program! Karin’s unique insight, outstanding human and professional skills, exceptional sense of responsibility, diverse and rich cultural aptitudes and remarkable character have been pivotal to the success of the program throughout its lifetime. She is an incredible person to know and to work with, and I feel extremely lucky to have had this privilege.
Christine Kopf, Head of Film Education department, DFF – Deutsches Filministitut & Filmmuseum: There is no need to communicate one’s own high standards of content quality, liability towards others, respectful and trusting collaboration. Karin’s standards are even higher :). But this does not lead to a cramped perfection. Her sense of humour, immense flexibility and patience, knowledge of human nature and life experience make working together to achieve great results a lot of fun. You can’t do better.
Irit Neidhardt, film distributor and writer, curator and film agent: It is her extremely good organisation and flexibility that makes working with Karin Schyle so relaxed and refreshing. As coordinator and co-curator of the Robert Bosch Stiftung film prize for many years, she has always had an eye for the changes that are necessary to make this important intercultural project a success for all sides. As a result of this experience, the ALFILM ATELIER has been an important space for Arab filmmakers in exile.
Marianne Khoury, Misr International Films, Egypt: I was lucky to meet Karin in 2016 on the international Film Prize program initiated by the Robert Bosch Stiftung. It was a four-year collaboration to develop film projects between young producers from Germany and emerging filmmakers from the Arab World. We started with the Producers Meeting (2016 and 2017) in Dahshur, which developed into the Project Lab (2018 and 2019) and continued online throughout the Corona pandemic. Karin was an exceptional coordinator and co-curator of the program. She dealt with several nationalities from the Arab World with a lot of understanding of the subtleties of the different cultures. I would very much look forward to collaborate with Karin again in the future.
Frank Albers, former Senior Project Manager at the Robert Bosch Stiftung: In the long-term good cooperation with the numerous talents and partners, Karin Schyle’s talent for international cultural work is particularly evident. With her open nature, her great understanding for the needs of artists, her high resilience, but above all through her respectful and her ever binding professional conduct, this results in solid relationships of trust. […] We especially appreciate Karin Schyle for her reliability, her sincerity and professional competence as well as her special ability to always keep an overview, to manage the funds entrusted to her economically and to master all challenges with confidence. […] We can unreservedly recommend Karin Schyle for any activity in an international cultural field.