New artistic director of the Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek

The Deutsche Kinemathek Foundation, one of Europe’s leading film heritage institutions, has a new artistic director: On June 1, 2025, Heleen Gerritsen will take up her new role. Following a public tender, she was appointed artistic director on October 9, 2024 at the proposal of the Commissioner for Cultural and Media Affairs and a selection committee made up of members of the board of trustees. Heleen Gerritsen succeeds Dr. Rainer Rother, who will retire on April 30, 2025 after 19 years at the helm of the Deutsche Kinemathek — Museum für Film und Fernsehen.

The Minister of State for Culture and the Media, Claudia Roth, said: “With Heleen Gerritsen’s appointment, the Foundation is expanding its national and international network, and her knowledge and commitment will further raise the profile of the Deutsche Kinemathek. Through her work in the area of Eastern European film, her interdisciplinary approach, and her keen grasp of current cultural and socio-political challenges, she is excellently qualified to develop the role of the Deutsche Kinemathek and make film heritage accessible across borders.”

Heleen Gerritsen has extensive experience and expertise in the fields of European film and festival management. Since 2017, she has been director of the goEast — Festival of Central and Eastern European Film in Wiesbaden during which she has changed the festival’s emphasis, making it an important platform for intercultural dialogue. Gerritsen has also curated various symposia on film historical topics for the festival organized by the DFF — Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum. She is particularly committed to making marginalized voices heard and promoting emerging talent.

Gerritsen studied Slavic Languages, Eastern European History and Economics in Amsterdam and St. Petersburg. In 2003, she moved to Germany, where she trained as a film producer. Since then, she has worked as a freelance film producer, archive researcher, and film festival manager. Over the last two decades, she has worked in various film and cultural institutions in Germany, the Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe. In the future, she will collaborate with the entire team to further promote the Deutsche Kinemathek as a place for meeting and exchanging ideas, as well as forging new formats that demonstrate the importance of film in social discourse.

“The Deutsche Kinemathek plays an important role not only in Berlin but in the international scene – as a cultural institution, a meeting place for the film industry, and an innovative source of inspiration for film and media education. After the 25th edition of goEast — Festival of Central and Eastern European Film, I will take up my position as artistic director of the Deutsche Kinemathek. In this new role, I aim to make film and television heritage accessible to a wide audience, while continuing to expand cooperation with other institutions and in higher education. I am very much looking forward to this new challenge!” says Heleen Gerritsen.