ADAMI TALKS 2020: CAN WE CHANGE THE WORLD?

This year’s ADAMI TALKS event has been recorded for students of media faculties and young journalists and filmmakers as a virtual seminar

The ADAMI Media Prize invited three celebrated journalists and filmmakers from Germany, the Netherlands and Australia, who shared their experiences and thoughts on whether and how we can have an impact with what we do.

CAN WE CHANGE THE WORLD? – DO WE HAVE AN IMPACT?

With Udo Lielischkies we had one of the most knowledgeable German TV journalists on the post-Soviet space among our panelists this year. During his more than 30 years as a correspondent he was not only the head of the Moscow office of Germany’s main TV channel ARD for many years, but also covered many regions and conflicts in our six Eastern Partnership countries. In his ADAMI TALKS speech he will open up his approach of trying not to reflect the positions of governments and powerful groups in a society, but taking on the “angle of the weak”. He shared some of his “tricks” how to take interviewees out of their comfort zones, and how the visual dimension can help you get your message out.

The importance for filmmakers to tell their story from the heart and from a unique standpoint was a key message of the presentation of Margje de Koning from Amsterdam, who is not only a well-known editor for documentaries in Europe, but has been heading one of the Dutch Public Broadcasting stations before quitting her well-paid job to become the artistic director of “Movies that Matters”, an annual film festival in The Hague. This festival doesn’t only show films with an impact, but supports film initiatives around the world, which fight for human rights or for getting justice. Margje talked about the importance of keeping up a vision – and of sticking to authenticity. For her, the film will have an impact if the filmmaker strongly believes in his or her story.

Our third guest was Mike Charlton, who combines a career as filmmaker, cameraman and producer. Born in Australia and having lived long in England and the Emirates, he has produced documentary TV series for the BBC and the US market, like for the National Geographic. One of the experiences he will share with us dates back to the war in Bosnia, when he was part of a team that was the first to film the horrible shelling in Sarajevo. That getting the news out finally led to the peace agreement of Dayton and had an influence on ending the war proved to him, that sometimes the media really can make a difference.

Three top experts from the international media scene at ADAMI TALKS – in English and with Russian translation.

Moderated by ADAMI Media Prize program director Stefan Tolz and former Reuter’s Caucasus Office Chief producer Nino Ivanishvili – an open stage to reflect upon the impacts of the profession young journalists and filmmakers have chosen for their lives.

With participation of George Shervashidze, rector of Tbilisi State University – and the Ambassadors of Germany and The Netherlands in Georgia.