The Board of Copenhagen Film Festivals (CFF) has appointed Birgitte Fredsby as Managing Director of the organization behind the three biggest Danish film festivals CPH:DOX, CPH PIX and BUSTER. From September 2021, Birgitte Fredsby – a former Head of Programming for Children & Youth at The Danish Broadcast Corporation – will be working in close corporation with Niklas Engstrøm who has been assigned as Artistic Director of the festivals.
Over the past 10 years, Fredsby has been working as director and creative partner of the Danish production companies We Love People and Made By Us. Before that, she was Head of Programming for Children & Youth at The Danish Broadcast Corporation where was responsible for media content for kids and youth, including the development and launch of the popular Danish TV channel, Ramasjang.
“With Birgitte Fredsby as new Managing Director, Copenhagen Film Festivals – the organization behind CPH:DOX, CPH PIX and BUSTER – has now implemented a new management structure ensuring that the film festivals can continue their ambitious development goals in the years to come,” says a statement released August 10.
Following the departure of former CEO, Tine Fischer, Copenhagen Film Festivals will now operate with a new shared management structure. The managerial tasks will be divided between Niklas Engstrøm (Artistic Director, appointed in May 2021), who will be responsible for the festival’s artistic vision, and Birgitte Fredsby (Managing Director) who will oversee the organization’s financial and administrative operations. The two directors will be working closely together.
Erik Stephensen, Chairman of the Board of Copenhagen Film Festivals, commented: “With Birgitte Fredsby on board, we have found a very talented and experienced managing director that combines creative business understanding with a deep insight in film production and management. We are confident that Birgitte Fredsby – in close collaboration with our new Artistic Director Niklas Engstrøm and the rest of the organization – can continue to develop and improve the festivals in a positive direction in the years to come.”
Birgitte Fredsby, new managing director of Copenhagen Film Festivals, said: “I’m really looking forward to becoming part of the festival organization. One of the important tasks will be to ensure that the financial framework of our organization will be strengthened, so we can continue to offer our audiences the best possible film experiences in the future. Our film festivals have great potential and impact, because we’re presenting films with high artistic ambitions – films that can change the world; films that can start new conversations and create new spaces for dialogue across our society – for all ages.”
