Stefanie Schneider was born in Sindelfingen and studied Romance and German language and literature at the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen. After holding various positions at different private broadcasters, she joined what was then Südwestfunk, where she worked at SWF1 in the Tübingen regional studio. After working as programme manager and wave director at SWR4 BW, she headed strategic corporate development within SWR. She has been State Broadcasting Director BW and Deputy Director General since 2014.

Outside of SWR, Stefanie Schneider has been involved with the French Film Festival in Tübingen for over 30 years.

Producer and director Valentin Thurn became internationally recognised with "Taste the Waste - Global Food Waste" and "10 Billion - How can we feed everyone?" Both cinema documentaries were big hits with audiences and won numerous awards at home and abroad. At the same time, the books "Die Essensvernichter" (Spiegel bestseller) and "Harte Kost" were published.

With his production company ThurnFilm GmbH, he has realised over 60 documentaries in the last 20 years, mainly for ARD, ZDF and ARTE, as well as several international co-productions.

He was founding chairman of the "International Federation of Environmental Journalists", the Foodsharing e.V., the Cologne Food Council and is a board member of the documentary film working group AGdok.

Die Produzentin und Medienmanagerin Mariette Rissenbeek leitete von 2019 bis 2024 als Geschäftsführerin die Internationalen Filmfestspiele in Berlin und ist seit 2025 als freie Filmproduzentin und Jurymitglied tätig. Nach fast zehnjähriger Tätigkeit bei Tobis Filmverleih in Berlin wechselte Mariette 1995 in die Filmproduktion, bevor sie 2003 bei German Films, der Auslandsvertretung des deutschen Films, die Öffentlichkeits- und Festivalarbeit und im Anschluss die Geschäftsführung übernahm.