Coffee Break

The venue opens at 9:00 am.  

Get ready for CICLOPE Festival 2025. We encourage you to arrive with enough time to collect your Festival badge and catch up with friends new and old over a coffee at UdK.

Director Jovan Todorović (SMUGGLER) will delve into presence, joy, and trust in the creative journey, in a talk inspired by David Foster Wallace’s “two fish” parable.

Through behind-the-scenes stories and hard-earned lessons from music video and commercial productions, he’ll encourage those in the creative field to embrace chaos, reject cynicism, lead with love, and be their own toughest critic. 

A new language is emerging in filmmaking – one where directors don’t just block scenes and choose lenses, but compose with words that sculpt images.

In this roundtable, Eliza McNitt (Chromista) and John Soat (Google Creative Lab), the creators of ANCESTRA – a generative short film that was produced in collaboration with Google DeepMind and Creative Lab – open up a deeply personal conversation about how poetic language became the creative foundation of their process.

Enjoy conversations with industry peers over barista coffee at the venue.

Introducing a new initiative that flips the script, and places young talent at the heart of the conversation around the future of creative work.

FutureFrames is designed to create space for bold, necessary conversations between the industry’s top emerging talent, and its most influential leaders.

Young directors Tanner K. Williams (magna studios), Renee Maria Osubu (Somesuch), and Shapxo (Caviar) will guide the discussion around what they expect from the industry and how they plan their careers amongst its changes, in this session moderated by Florence Jacob (Caviar Paris).

Dive into the six-month journey of creating Volem La Pilota, an eight-minute film that celebrates 125 years of FC Barcelona.

ProdCo’s Leigh Powis and Zico Judge will delve into how strict creative constraints—such as relying solely on natural light—sparked innovation, shaped the film’s visual language, and fostered an immersive on-set atmosphere; so that the film captures not only the history of a legendary football club, but the heartbeat of an entire city. This discussion will be moderated by Rebecca Rowntree (Get Sh*t Done).

As brand experiences become more important to audiences and clients, creatives have to keep up. Court Williams from DE–YAN, a brand experience studio out of NYC, leads this masterclass in brand experience creative.

Expect real examples, honest takeaways, and tools and strategies for making your next big story something people do, not just something they watch.

Delegates are welcome to explore the many cafes and restaurants nearby – browse a list of our recommended spots in the area.

Please note that food is not permitted at the venue.

From the Sphere in Las Vegas to the Outernet in London, large-scale architectural screens are enabling storytellers to move beyond traditional framing, crafting experiences that engage audiences in entirely new ways.

Moderator Anthony Austin (Lead EP, Nexus Studios) will be joined by Fiona Pearce (Marketing Director, Disney), and Shynola’s Richard “Kenny” Kenworthy (Director, UFC 306 at the Las Vegas Sphere, ABBA Voyage), to explore how these projects combine ambition, craft, and technical ingenuity.

As the advertising content landscape becomes increasingly competitive, the ability for independent production companies to thrive — and for brands to access fresh, diverse storytelling — depends on forging new kinds of partnerships.

In a timely discussion moderated by Jillian Gibbs (APR), panelists Steve Davies (APA), Florence Jacob (Caviar Paris), and Matt Miller (AICP) will explore how direct relationships between brands and independent producers can serve as a powerful counterbalance to the attempts of monopolization, while opening doors to innovation, and authentic audience engagement.

Enjoy conversations with industry peers over barista coffee at the venue.

Kim Gehrig (Somesuch) is one of the most boundary-breaking and stereotype-smashing directors working in the world of commercials today. Her internationally acclaimed work celebrates humanity through its use of captivating visuals, infused with musicality and humour.

Join Kim as she shares wisdom gleaned across her career as creative-turned-director, sure to be delivered with her signature honesty and wit.