Marijana Stoisits was born in Austria in 1960. She studied cultural anthropology (PhD), art history and cultural management in Vienna, Hamburg and Berlin. From 1982 – 1991 she worked for the German TV channel NDR as a freelance journalist. During that period of time she directed and produced the documentary “Und damit tanzen sie noch immer – Stinjacke Cizme” (Austria 1986), which was screened at numerous film festivals. From 1993 – 1997 she was host, editor and later editor-in-chief for the TV department of the popular German news magazine “Der Spiegel”, based in Hamburg/ Germany. Following her maternity leave from 1997 – 1998 she worked as PR-consultant and freelance journalist for TV & Print. From 2004 – 2008 Marijana was manager and editor-in-chief at the Vienna office of “Spiegel TV”. Since 2009 she is holding the position of founding CEO of the Vienna Film Commission. She is currently 2nd Vice-Chairwoman of the AFCI Board. Marijana is also a member of the European Film Academy.

Since I started the Vienna Film Commission more than nine years ago my team and I have achieved many successes and positive changes to make it easier to shoot in our city, streamlining the process of shooting permits and establishing more efficient subsidies in Vienna. During the last years as a board member I have learned a lot from our global AFCI members, through conversations and observations. I am known for being pro-active, creative and outspoken in areas that can help to further enhance the AFCI. I am willing and happy to invest my time and knowledge in order to give the best service possible as dedicated AFCI board member and to help expand and strengthen this organization. Being annually at international Film Festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance, Busan) as well as attending the AFCI Week gives me the opportunity to connect with members globally, to be up-to-date with new industry developments and to bring in an international perspective in the AFCI Board.

The entertainment industry is rapidly and constantly changing. It’s important for us film commissioners to observe, to have an eye on the industry and to ideally get a step ahead in offering services needed by productions around the world. Technical developments have massive influence in our work and we need to be informed to efficiently interact with those developments. The floating shift between cinema and TV and streaming plattforms forces us to anticipate new trends in our industry and pass it on to AFCI members. AFCI should be more and more an inspiring organization to its membership around the world. Bringing our members from all continents together in order to share experiences and ideas is paramount to me. As European I would continue to bring in a “European view” to the AFCI board, while being open, listening and learning from all other point-of-views.

Working with people from all over the world with one common goal. Being inspired by very different approaches to identify and solve problems. Use the knowledge and input from other board members to make our work as AFCI film commissioners more visible and present ourselves as a strong partner to the global film industry. What motivates me is to continue what we as a board started throughout the last years for the AFCI.

There is still some room to expand and reach out to additional International Film Festivals and markets and improve AFCI’s global footprint. I annually attend the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival, as well as AFCI Week and I went several times to industry events in Asian countries. Being at these festivals gives me the opportunity to connect with other members globally, to listen and communicate and to be up-to-date with new industry developments to bring in the international perspective in the board of the AFCI.