Jolinde Sawahn appointed deputy FFA board member

The Administrative Board of the German Federal Film Board (FFA) has appointed Jolinde Sawahn as Deputy Director and Head of Funding of the FFA as of 1 April 2025. According to the press release Jolinde Sawahn succeeds Sarah Duve-Schmid in this position, who will move to Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg as Managing Director and Spokesperson in the course of the coming year.

"I am very pleased that with Jolinde Sawahn as deputy FFA board member and head of our funding programme, we have not only been able to appoint an excellent lawyer, but also a profound expert on the German Federal Film Board and its current and future tasks," explained FFA President and former Minister of State Bernd Neumann. "As project manager of the FFA's contract administration, she is currently responsible for all BKM film funding programmes, which are to be implemented under the responsibility and umbrella of the FFA in the future. In this role, she is also the link between the FFA, BKM and the industry, is deeply involved in the implementation of the film funding reform and will be a valuable driving force in shaping the future of the FFA."

About Jolinde Sawahn: After studying law in Constance, Freiburg and Cape Town and holding various positions as a lawyer and corporate lawyer, she joined the German Federal Film Board as a legal advisor in 2013. Since 2019, Sawahn has headed the FFA's department responsible for implementing the BKM funding programmes Cultural Film Funding, German Federal Film Fund, German Motion Picture Fund, Future Cinema Programme and the federal and state coronavirus default funds.