Workshop Mentors

Leena Pasanen started her career as a journalist in 1988 at the Finnish News Agency, first as a reporter and later on as a political commentator from the Parliament house. In 1993 she joined YLE, Finnish Broadcasting Company, where she worked as a reporter, political commentator, subeditor and TV presenter for the current affairs magazine programme on YLE TV1.

After that she was the Head of Documentaries for YLE TV1 in 1999-2000. When YLE launched new digital channels, she was chosen as the Head of Programmes responsible for cultural, factual and fiction programmes in YLE Teema, a channel focusing on culture, science and education. She stayed with the channel until November 2005, when she started working as the Director of EDN, European Documentary Network in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2008 she returned to YLE in Finland as Coordinator of Programmes and at YLE Fact and Culture and later as Coordinator and Senior Advisor at YLE Media and Customer Relations. In 2011 – 2014 she worked in Budapest, Hungary leading the Finnish Institute and also serving as cultural attaché at the Finnish Embassy in Budapest. Years 2015-2019 she was based in Leipzig, Germany directing DOK Leipzig, one of the world leading film festivals for documentaries and animations.

In January 2020 she took over the direction of Biografilm festival in Bologna, Italy. Biografilm festival focuses on current European creative, character driven fiction and documentary films and biopics. She has been a regular expert, tutor and lecturer at several training programmes, for example EDN, Discovery Campus, EURODOC and Television Business School. She was a EURODOC 1999 graduate and a member of the international advisory committee at Hot Docs. She has also been a board member of IDFA Forum, INPUT and the Bonnier’s Journalistic Award in Finland and served as a jury member at several international festivals, among others Sundance and IDFA. 

Stefano Tealdi was born in Johannesburg (South Africa) in 1955, and studied architecture in Turin, Italy. After graduating, he was responsible for film and TV production at the audiovisual laboratory of the Politecnico di Torino, working as the Head of Production. In 1986 he established Stefilm, where he develops, produces and directs documentary features and series.

To date Stefilm has worked with more than 40 television networks across the globe, and with over 50 partners, which include distributors, independent production companies and institutions. After having directed two films in Africa – Eritrea the Red Land and Tougher than the Rest, Stefano dedicated all of his time to the production of documentary one-offs and series.

He is now once again directing. His recent productions include: My Home, in Libya (Locarno FF, Chicago IFF, DOK Leipzig 2018, Trieste FF 2019 – winner of the Premio Solinas); The Strange Sound of Happiness (Special Mention Next Masters DOK Leipzig 2017); Wonderful Losers. A Different World (Best Doc Warsaw IFF and Minsk FF 2017, Trieste Film Festival 2018); The Queen of Silence (IDFA 2014, Best Doc at Krakow 2015), Char... No Man’s Island (Berlinale Forum 2013), Vinylmania: When Life Runs at 33 Revolutions per Minute (Rotterdam IFF 2012, Gothenburg IFF) and Mostar United (IDFA 2009). He directed: Food Markets – In the Belly of the City – a 15- part TV series (with ZDF/Arte), and the Global Food and Global Drinks TV series. He also produced Food Makers Go Global (5 x 26’ with MDR/Arte). Stefano is an EAVE graduate and was the European Documentary Network chair.

He is an expert in funding bodies, teaches documentary production at various schools and universities and tutors for Venice Biennale Cinema & VR College, Cannes Film Festival & Market, Documentary Campus, Dubai Film Connection, EDN, ESoDoc, Med Film Factory, La Fabrique Cinema, Ouga Film Lab, Scuola Holden, Films des 3Continents – Produire au Sud, Sud Ecriture, Torino Film Lab and Zelig, School of Documentary, TV and New Media.