The Neisse Film Festival introduces its new dual leadership: Clemens Meyer is taking over as co-festival director, succeeding Ola Staszel. With him, the festival in the border triangle on the Neisse River gains a film enthusiast, committed networker, and creative strategist who has been working for years to effectively bring together film, talent, and audiences.

Clemens (born in 1998 in Lutherstadt Wittenberg) is co-founder and co-director of the ENCOURAGE Film Talents initiative, which connects young film talents throughout the German-speaking world and makes them visible through pitchings, panels, and industry meetings at leading film festivals—including the Berlinale, Filmfest Hamburg, the Braunschweig International Film Festival, achtung berlin, and Vienna Shorts. Previously, as co-director of the Sehsüchte International Student Film Festival, he was responsible for one of the largest young talent film festivals in Europe. There, he not only significantly expanded the budget, but also the curatorial focus, led a large team, and was involved in integrating new perspectives on sustainability and diversity. Through his work in distribution, film funding, cinema, and film festivals, Clemens brings a broad practical knowledge of all areas of the film industry. He is also an alumnus of the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF and the Cannes Makers Program of the Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival. “With Clemens, we are bringing a young personality into the management team and thus sending an important signal for the future of the NFF,” says the board of Kunstbauerkino e.V., the organizer of the Neisse Film Festival. “He understands film culture as a living process and is committed to ensuring that festivals remain places of dialogue, discovery, and social relevance.”

With his professional expertise—including brand building in the arthouse sector, festival strategies in times of crisis, and current developments in the industry—his experience in talent promotion, and his extensive network in the DACH region, he will bring new perspectives to the festival's work. Co-festival director Andreas Friedrich is looking forward to the collaboration: “Clemens combines enthusiasm, analytical acumen, and practical experience and will provide important impetus.”

Clemens himself emphasizes the importance of the festival for the region and the uniqueness of its tri-national profile: "For me, the Neisse Film Festival is a place where films transcend borders and bring people together. Together with the team, I want to develop the festival to be artistically bold, politically relevant, and close to the people. What I find particularly appealing is the opportunity to involve young filmmakers even more and to inspire new audiences for cinema."