Programme Outline
Learning is rooted in practice and exchange through impulse talks, interactive sessions, case studies, peer collaboration, a public industry talk, and networking. Individual mentoring and project-based guidance support participants throughout the three-day on-site programme, complemented by an online follow-up to ensure lasting impact and real-world implementation.
Future Ready follows a hybrid, multidisciplinary format designed for depth, flexibility, and real-world relevance. The programme consists of three days of in-person workshops in Vienna combined with an online module deepening participants’ engagement.
Future Ready can be attended as a stand-alone programme. It takes place immediately before the Hands-on AI Producers Lab in Vienna, which offers an opportunity to further explore selected topics through hands-on experimentation. While independent, the two programmes are designed to complement each other conceptually and practically.
Outcome
Participants will leave the programme equipped with:
- The ability to apply AI and immersive technologies to their production pipelines
- Skills to develop sustainable, ethically sound digital workflows
- Fluency in navigating legal frameworks relevant to digital content creation
- An understanding of cross-sector collaboration between creatives, technologists, and legal professionals
- Confidence to lead innovation and manage the risks and opportunities of emerging technologies
- A deeper awareness of diversity, ethics, and representation in digital tools and platforms
These outcomes are designed to empower participants not only to adapt but to shape the future of the European audiovisual industry.
Fees
Early Bird Fee:
594,- Euros excl. VAT
Early Bird Deadline: 23rd February 2026.
Regular Programme Fee:
660,- Euros excl. VAT
Participants who choose to attend both Future Ready and the Hands-on A.I. Producers Lab benefit from a reduced combined fee of 990,- Euros excl. VAT (Early Bird) or 1.150,- Euros excl. VAT (Regular Fee).
Members of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO) receive a 10% reduction on the regular combined participation fee if they take part in both Future Ready and the Hands-on A.I. Producers Lab.
For more information regarding fees, visit: Fees and Funding Support Page
Who is it for?
This intensive short programme has places for approximately 20 participants with at least two years of professional experience. It is tailored for professionals in the Film, TV, and Media industries, including:
- Producers
- Line producers
- Individuals in mid-level executive positions
- Senior and middle management professionals
- Production managers
- Freelancers
- Sales and distribution executives
- Development executives
- Script editors
- Festival programmers
- Cinema practitioners
- Forward-thinking decision-makers and dynamic change-makers shaping the future of the industry
The speaking language of the programme is English; therefore, a good working proficiency is recommended. Applications are welcome from individuals of all nationalities.
Please note that the selection process also aims to maintain diversity across participating companies, which may affect placement decisions when more than one applicant applies from the same organisation.
Programme Director
Eva Fischer
Programme Director - Future Ready & Hands-on AI Producers Lab | 2026 Curator, Festival Director & Cultural Manager | IndependantEva Fischer is a specialist in immersive media, AI, and experimental art, known for her pioneering work at the intersection of creativity and technology. Her experience bridges artistic practice, innovation strategy, and university-level teaching, ensuring that digital transformation is handled with nuance and ethics. As an independent curator, festival director, and cultural manager, she has been director of the media art festival Civa since 2021 and the sound:frame – festival for audiovisual art, which she initiated in 2007. Between 2016 and 2019, she led the production of the Diagonale film festival in Graz and was COO of the International Screen Institute in Vienna between 2023 and 2025. She has been teaching experimental media and immersive art at various universities since 2011.
SPEAKERS
The speakers of this year will be announced soon.