European Work in Progress and International Film Distribution Summit focus on sustainability management

23-09-2025

European Work in Progress and International Film Distribution Summit focus on sustainability management

By FNE Staff

The two industry events European Work in Progress (EWIP) and International Film Distribution Summit (IFDS) will take place in Hamburg for the first time. From 29 September to 2 October 2025, European films and projects will be presented as part of the Filmfest Hamburg Industry Days, and filmmakers will be brought into contact with potential partners from the industry. The implementation of environmentally friendly measures also plays a role in the organisation of these events. “The green transformation has long since begun in the film industry,” says Torsten Frehse, Managing Director of EWIP and IFDS. “We strive to minimise and further optimise the environmental impact of our events.” A sustainability strategy is being developed to ensure that energy and resources are used as efficiently as possible.

Consulting and development of the sustainability strategy is being carried out by two Hamburg-based companies, KIRIA Advisory and Green Film Shooting, which are recording the direct and indirect impacts of the two events and assessing them against key sustainability criteria. To this end, participating industry players are being asked to provide their input in the form of a short, anonymous online survey.

KIRIA Advisory has many years of experience in management consulting with a special focus on ESG challenges. "Events such as EWIP and IFDS clearly show that the sustainable orientation of projects and organisations always involves multi-stakeholder challenges. We welcome the organisers' initiative to set this new standard in the industry with a strategic approach,” explains Sven Grönwoldt, Managing Director of KIRIA Advisory. “We have a diverse portfolio of environmentally friendly solutions for the film and media industry,” says Birgit Heidsiek, Managing Director of Green Film Shooting.

The aim is to identify the environmental and social impacts of both events and to optimise them in collaboration with participants and other external stakeholders. Based on these baseline values, a standard for the sustainable implementation of the EWIP and IFDS will be developed.

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