At its yearly general assembly, Documentary Association of Europe (DAE) elected two new executive board members, Gugi Gumilang and Natalia Imaz (see bios below), while Marion Schmidt was re-elected for another term of three years.
The election saw a draw between Inka Achté and Natalia Imaz who received an equal number of votes. “Due to Inka’s busy schedule as an award-winning director, artistic director of DocPoint Helsinki and sales specialist with her company Raina Films, she graciously declined a recount or watershed re-election and will remain a dedicated and active DAE member, who has already been serving the association, for example giving seminars to our Story Room participants,” says DAE.
This brings DAE’s executive board to five people: Chairperson Julianna Ugrin and Brigid O’Shea, as founding board members will continue for another year.
The new board members complement the work of the DAE advisory board, Diana El Jeiroudi, Charlie Phillips, Adriek van Nieuwenhuyzen, Joanna Soleka and Biljana Tutorov.
Additionally, DAE presented their yearly activity report and budget to some 90 members who gathered online and onsite during their busy IDFA schedules.
Membership numbers are currently 500+ members from 55 countries.
Co-directors Marion Schmidt and Brigid O’Shea welcomed the two new executive board members: “We are so pleased to have additional support thanks to the generosity of Natalia and Gugi joining our executive board. We are very pleased that DAE is growing every day, and thus our need for guidance and support in this crucial period of growth is essential to the longevity of our association. Thank you also to all candidates who stood for election, especially Inka Achté, who graciously stepped out of the race after the historic deadlock in the election.”
“We hope our executive board is reflective of European documentary more generally: diverse in age, background, nationality, geographic location and specialisation, as we continue to strive to be a feminist, antiracist organisation,” they add.
Natalia Imaz commented: “I am delighted to have been elected to the executive board. I am excited for the chance to effect real change. I think we are operating in an entirely broken system and I look forward to taking on this challenge and sharing this task with my colleagues.”
Gugi Gumilang commented: “I am so glad for the opportunity to be part of DAE and I am looking forward to contributing my best to the organisation.”
Natalia Imaz – Doc Producer
Born in Spain but established in Germany since the late 90s, Natalia (she/her) holds a degree in Audiovisual Journalism and looks back at 20+ years of experience in film & TV in different positions in the areas of writing/directing and production. Today she produces under her own label, parabellum film, focusing on documentaries by women filmmakers, new talent and internationally-appealing stories at the intersection between history and (auto)biography, personal narratives and socio-political processes. Topics of special interest include: family, identity and gender, migration and the diaspora gaze, feminism and womanhood, etc.
Her work with parabellum has won different awards and screened internationally at festivals, online and on TV. While her projects regularly earn selections to industry events, markets and workshops, Natalia has also served as a jury member at international festivals and is regularly invited to international pitching events and markets as panelist / decision maker. Natalia’s current slate includes long and short documentary projects in different stages by women filmmakers from countries such as Moldova, Turkey, Venezuela, Uganda, Hungary and Germany. Member of DAE – Documentary Association of Europe, EWA – European Women’s Audiovisual Network, and NdM – Neue deutsche Medienmacher*innen (New German Media Makers).
Gugi Gumilang – Exec Director In-Docs/Docs By The Sea
Since 2021, Gugi has taken the lead as an Executive Director at In-Docs, a non-profit organisation that organised Docs by the Sea and Good Pitch Indonesia. His professional interest mainly centres around film projects with societal impacts. Gugi has several years of experience in film festival management and has served as a panelist, selection committee and juror for established international film festivals and film funds, including Cannes Docs, DOK Leipzig, Sunny Side of the Doc, IDFA, International Documentary Association and Purin Pictures.
