AI in the Film and Audiovisual Sector: a Threat or a Tool?
Authorship sits at the centre of the debate over artificial intelligence in film and audiovisual production. Film professionals, producers and rights organisations will examine where these tools can support creative work and where safeguards are required to preserve consent, attribution, remuneration and control. The discussion will also address the uneven conditions of adoption across Europe. Producers and authors in Southeast Europe may gain access to capabilities previously beyond their budgets, but they often operate with fewer institutional protections and less bargaining power than colleagues in larger markets. Rather than framing AI as either inevitable progress or a singular threat, the session asks what responsible use should look like in practice. Which decisions must remain with authors and creative teams? What forms of transparency should be required from technology providers and employers? And how can Europe encourage useful innovation without allowing efficiency to erode the rights, skills and professional ecosystems on which original screen work depends?
SPEAKERS
Sonja Prosenc
Writer, Director (SI)
Jana Vozarova
CEO, LITA (SK)
Sashko Potter Micevski
Film Editor, Director of Film Fund, North Macedonian Film Agency (MK)
Joanna Szymanska
Producer/CEO, Shipsboy (PL)
Emma Openshaw
Olsberg SPI (UK)
MODERATED BY
TIME
August 20th, 2026
12:00 – 13:00 (CET)
LOCATION
Festival Garden
Sonja Prosenc
Sonja Prosenc is a writer, director, and producer whose films are recognised for their distinctive visual language and emotionally layered storytelling. Her three feature films The Tree (2014), History of Love (2018), and Family Therapy (2024), all premiered at major international festivals, won numerous awards, and were selected as Slovenia's official submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Her most recent film, Family Therapy (2024), was acquired by Tribeca Enterprises for global distribution and was selected by The New York Times as its Pick of the Month. Prosenc is a co-founder of MONOO, where she develops auteur-driven films and international co-productions while mentoring and supporting emerging filmmaking talents.
Jana Vozarova
Jana Vozárová is Director of LITA, the Society of Authors in Slovakia. She has worked for LITA in various positions since 2001. She is a lawyer who specialises in copyright and collective management. Currently, she is member of the SAA Board of Directors, Chair of IFRRO’s Legal Issues Forum, and a member of the CISAC DLV Repertoire Group.
Sashko Potter Micevski
M.A. Sashko Potter Micevski is the Director of the Film Agency of North Macedonia. A film editor, sound designer and cultural policy expert, he combines creative industry experience with executive leadership. He holds a Master's degree from the National Film and Television School (NFTS), UK, after graduating from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Skopje. Throughout his career, he has collaborated on international productions, including projects with the BBC and Pinewood Studios. As Director, he is committed to strengthening the national film sector through transparency, international cooperation, sustainable growth and greater global visibility for Macedonian cinema.
Joanna Szymanska
Joanna Szymańska is a Warsaw-based film producer, founder of Shipsboy, and co-editor of The Sideletters — a business podcast about the European audiovisual market. Her credits include Dust (Berlinale Competition 2026), Operation Hyacinth (a Netflix Original), two installments of the successful Polish family franchise Detective Bruno, and Red Path — an international co-production that won awards at the Warsaw Film Festival and the Red Sea International Film Festival. An alum of Berlinale Talents, EAVE, and ACE, she serves as Chair of the Producers Guild of Poland and is a former Deputy Chair of the European Film Academy Board. She is currently completing her PhD at the Łódź Film School and lectures at universities in Poland and abroad.
Emma Openshaw
Emma Openshaw is Senior Research Analyst at Olsberg SPI, where she works across the firm’s screen-sector portfolios, combining analytical evaluations with extensive hands‑on production experience. Since joining SPI in 2021, she has contributed to projects including Creative England’s Local Economic Impact Toolkit, bespoke capacity assessments for sectors in the United States, and workforce skills forecasting for the BFI. Her work spans global markets, from studies for the Netherlands Film Fund to economic impact analysis in Fiji, the Gulf, and Southern Africa. Openshaw also has expertise in virtual production, AI applications, and forecasting emerging technology trends that are shaping the screen industries. Previously, she was Broadcast Director and Senior Producer at WildEarth, as well as a producer across television and feature films in South Africa. She holds an MBA from the University of Oxford and an honours degree in Screen Production from the University of Cape Town.