Room 4

Valerio Ruiz
Italy

Valerio Ruiz wrote, co-produced and directed the documentary film Behind the White Glasses (2015), dedicated to the life and career of Honorary Oscar Winner Lina Wertmüller. The film premiered at 72nd Venice Film Festival in the competitive Venice Classics section. It received a nomination to the Silver Ribbon Award and was distributed in several European Countries and in the USA. Valerio previously was Wertmüller’s first assistant director and screenwriter collaborator on several projects, among them the documentary film Rome, Naples and Venice in a Rossini Crescendo (2014) produced by Rai.

Valerio is also a stage director. He co-directed with Wertmüller two stage productions: Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth (2016, Teatro Municipale Giuseppe Verdi, Salerno) with Daniel Oren conducting the orchestra, and the play What are men for (2019, Teatro Quirino, Rome).

Anna Katharina Brehm
Germany

Anna Katharina Brehm has over 15 years of experience in the film and TV industry. Driven by her curiosity for people and stories combined with passion for series she has worked in various positions for broadcasters, production companys and festivals always with the aim to inspire discussions, explore creative ways and fuel professional exchange.

She is an alumna of SERIAL EYES, Europe’s premier postgraduate training programme for television writers and producers. She lives in Munich, Germany.

Michelle Flevotomas
USA

An inspired adventurer and filmmaker Michelle Flevotomas started her career as a crime of passion when she moved to LA after having won and executed an internship with Mastercard & Universal Studios. Two years later the allure of LA wore off, only to lead to another truly inspired adventure from Michigan to Italy, Italy to Greece and back. Upon her return to Michigan, Michelle found herself amongst an incredible tax incentive that landed her on her first real movie set. From there she started her network of AD’s and eventually became a NY DGA trainee.

This prestigious program is what launched her career as an Assistant Director. She now resides in Astoria, NY – continuing to find the adventure and allure of storytelling, of making characters come to life, of perfecting the details, and ultimately of evoking emotion, after all, we all smile in the same language.