The Berlinale has appointed Sata Cissokho, former head of acquisitions at France’s Paradise City Sales, as the new head of its World Cinema Fund and Toolbox program.
The World Cinema Fund helps realize theatrical projects that otherwise might never get made, backing the production and distribution of films from Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific region, Africa, the Middle East, Central and Southeast Asia, the Caucasus, as well as Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia and Sri Lanka.
Cissokho will replace current WCF chief Vincenzo Bugno who will complete his current mandate at the end of 2025 after 21 years in the role which started with the fund’s inception.
The Toolbox program was established by the Berlinale’s European Film Market (EFM) in 2022, to offer resources, training, and connections to filmmakers, especially from underrepresented groups and the Global South, to help them navigate and succeed in the international film industry. Toolbox beneficiaries include Leah Baker, producer of this year Cannes Caméra d’Or winner “The President’s Cake.”
At Paradise, formerly known as Memento Intl., Cissokho helped build the international careers of directors such as Gabriel Mascaro, Pedro Pinho, Haifaa Al-Mansour, Małgorzata Szumowska, Chaitanya Tamhane, Lemohang Mosese and Baloji.
Cissokho, who started out in the industry as a theatrical releases assistant at New York’s Zeitgeist Films, has served on many film commissions, selection committees and juries, including for the French CNC Aide aux cinémas du monde; Marrakech Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops; and Rotterdam’s CineMart. She has also been a mentor and industry expert for initiatives such as the Cannes’ Producers Network, TorinoFilmLab, EAVE and Creative Producer Indaba.
“Sata Cissokho’s unparalleled experience and dedication make her the ideal person to lead the next chapter of the WCF and the Toolbox Programme,” said Tanja Meissner, director of Berlinale Pro, which oversees the EFM.
Commented Cissokho: “The World Cinema Fund has been a leading force behind diversity in the global cinema landscape, defending urgent films with a strong artistic, political and cultural impact, and I am honoured and excited to take over its leadership.”
The WCF to date has funded 370 projects through different schemes. They range from Asghar Farahdi’s Oscar-winner “A Separation” to this year’s Un Certain Regard winner “The Mysterious Gaze Of The Flamingo” by Diego Céspedes.
