WILD AT HEART: The TEDDY as a Catalyst
Abschnitt Info
Queer cinema is a particle accelerator, and queer festivals work as catalysts. Emerging from local collectives and evolving into major community events, side by side with indie theatres, these festivals have long functioned as essential distribution circuits for queer filmmaking. The TEDDY itself grew out of the LGBT Film Festival collective, whose annual gatherings at the Berlinale not only sparked the creation of the award but also fostered a space where festivals could exchange ideas, expand their programmes and amplify their films through the visibility the TEDDY conferred. This raises crucial questions about cultural infrastructure and influence. Did this additional spotlight lend greater gravitas to queer festivals, enabling them to grow, professionalise and sustain their programming over time? In what ways has the TEDDY strengthened the international network of queer film festivals and how has it inspired, shaped or materially supported the evolution of this global ecosystem?
Date: Sundy, 15 February 2026
Venue: Deutsche Kinemathek - Museum für Film und Fernsehen I Mauerstraße 79, 10117 Berlin
Time: 11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Free admission
Moderation:
Bartholomew Sammut
Panorama Programme Manager, Senior Programmer & TEDDY Award Coordinator
Pronouns: they/them
Is a Maltese-Australian, non-binary film programmer who founded the XPOSED Queer Film Festival, which they directed until 2021 also establishing the Queer Short Film Fund. They joined Panorama in 2009 and since 2019 work as both Program Manager and member of the Programming Advisory Committee.
Panelist:
Allegra Madsen
Programmer, Executive Director, Frameline
Pronouns: she/her
Allegra Madsen leads Frameline, San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, as Executive Director and Programmer. Since joining Frameline in 2021, she has expanded the festival's reach and impact, bringing groundbreaking queer cinema to diverse audiences. Her dedication to inclusive cultural programming has strengthened community connections through the power of film, with a particular focus on emerging LGBTQ+ voices and transgressive storytelling. Under her leadership, she has fostered invaluable partnerships with international film festivals and cultural institutions, while championing accessible programming that ignites meaningful cultural dialogue. Madsen has been a frequent speaker on the future of queer cinema at forums worldwide.
@restlesslegsss @framelinefest
Hui Chen Huang
Film Director, Producer
Pronouns: she/her
Hui-Chen Huang is an independent filmmaker and producer. Born into a working-class family, her work is deeply informed by her background and years of social activism.
Her debut feature, Small Talk, won the Teddy Award for Best Essay Film at the 2017 Berlinale. She is currently producing her second feature, LOMÁ, an 18-year observational journey exploring identity and the meaning of home.
In 2024, she founded her production company, Your Sister Films. As an emerging producer, her projects have been selected by Clermont-Ferrand, HIFF, Yamagata, and BIFF.
@huichen1978
Jürgen Brüning
Producer, Director, Curator
Pronomen: tunte
Jürgen Brüning is a Berlin-based film producer and director. Helming projects by queer luminaries like Dennis Cooper, Cheryl Dunye, Thunska Pansittivorakul, G.B. Jones, Shu Lea Cheang, Maria Beatty, Emilie Jouvet, Lior Shamriz, and Ela Troyano, Brüning produced Bruce LaBruce’s debut feature, No Skin Off My Ass and most of the filmmaker’s subsequent projects. He is part of the global filmmakers' collective movement Cinema of Disobedience.
@juergenanger
Popo Fan
Committee Member, Beijing Queer Film Festival, Guest Curator, Sinema Transtopia
Pronouns: he/him
As a filmmaker, Popo Fan has made a significant impact on Chinese society through his queer documentary work since 2009. In 2017, he relocated from Beijing to Berlin, where he shifted his focus toward writing and directing narrative films. His work explores intersectional themes such as migration and gender, often incorporating genre elements including comedy and thriller. After releasing several short films in Germany, Popo is currently developing his debut narrative feature film, while also working as a guest curator at Sinema Transtopia in Berlin. He was selected for Berlinale Talents in 2017 and served on the jury of the Teddy Award at the Berlinale in 2019. In 2023, he received the PorYes Feminist Porn Award in Berlin. Popo remains actively engaged in queer advocacy in China. He continues to serve as a trainer for the Queer University Video Camp and has been involved in the organization of the Beijing Queer Film Festival for nearly two decades.
@popofan
Sylvie Cachin
Film Director, Artistic Director, Everybody’s Perfect
Pronouns: she/her
Sylvie Cachin is a film director whose award-winning films enjoyed success at numerous festivals before she joined Everybody’s Perfect – Geneva International Queer Film Festival as the artistic and general director in 2017. She has worked in her own company, Lunafilm, as a screenwriter, cinematographer, editor and producer. Driven by a sense of exploration and freedom, she is radically committed to auteur cinema and to queer and feminist gazes. Passionate about experiencing and sharing a wide range of artistic moments, her programming aims at offering a new magic every year.
@cylainsta @everybodysperfect_official