Mentors & Guest Speakers

Presenters at the Atelier are renowned festival directors and managers, experienced festival operators, professionals and artists. During their participation they not only act as lecturers, but also as true mentors as they engage in one-on-one discussions with the participants. They are present for various days, with some staying for the whole period of the training. They allow participants an honest and open insight into their careers, including both success stories and failures.

Hugo De Greef

General Coordinator and co-founder of The Festival Academy 

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Rania Elias

Director of the Yabous Cultural Centre and Jerusalem Festival, Palestine

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Bernard Faivre d’Arcier

President Lyon Biennial, former long-standing Director Avignon Festival, France

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Rose Fenton

Director Free Word, former Director LIFT London, UK

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Agnes Havas

Director of the Armel Opera Festival, Hungary

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Nele Hertling

Member of the strategy group ‘A Soul for Europe’, former vice-president Academy of Arts in Berlin, former Director Hebbel-Theatre Berlin, Germany

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Michal Merczyński

Director of the Malta Festival Poznan and founder and director of Nostalgia Festival Poznan, Poland.

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Jonathan Mills

Director of the Edinburgh International Culture Summit, former Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, UK

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Nele Hertling, mentor at various Ateliers for Young Festival Managers

The chance to see and experience new work can help to compare, to define the own artistic position and to offer the possibility to meet other artists and producers, to build contacts and enable co-productions. The festival has to gather people, to share a positive happy experience, to be together for a celebration, to communicate, to meet people, to become friends.