Kristin Schlotman, Film Cincinnati CEO Photo: Courtesy of Film Cincinnati

Film Cincinnati CEO Kristen Schlotman will represent the Queen City and our film industry on an international scale this May.

Schlotman was selected to serve on an Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) panel at the Cannes Film Festival in France next month. The panel, “Driving Production for 50 Years—Celebrating a Legacy with Association of Film Commissioners International,” will highlight the work of film commissioners over the last half-century. It’s happening on May 17 on the main stage at the Palais des Festivals at 2:40 p.m. Central European Time or 8:40 a.m. our time. According to the Association of Film Commissioners International, you can watch the panel live here on afci.org.

“This is not only a chance to highlight how film commissioners work with the movie industry, it’s an international showcase for the local resources we have for moviemakers in Greater Cincinnati,” Schlotman said in a press release. “I’m proud to represent Film Cincinnati at such a prestigious event at the iconic Cannes Film Festival.”

Bavi Yassin of the Kurdistan Film Commission, head of the Rio Film Commission Daniel Celli, secretary general and film commissioner of the Japan Film Commission Ruriko Sekine and Melissa Heuer from Amazon MGM Studios will join Schlotman on the panel. Edmonton Screen CEO Luke Azevedo will moderate.

Schlotman will also be at the festival for the world-premiere screening of The Mastermind, a crime drama filmed entirely on location in Cincinnati in 2024. Directed by Kelly Reichardt, the film was nominated for the Palme d’Or, the top movie award at Cannes.

Later this year, Cincinnati will host the 2025 AFCI Cineposium, which will bring top filmmakers and executives from around the world to the Queen City from Sept. 15-18. AFCI is the only nonprofit professional organization that represents city, state, regional, provincial and national film commission members across six continents.

The Cannes Film Festival runs May 13-24. Learn more about Film Cincinnati at filmcincinnati.com.

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This article appears in Apr 16-29, 2025.

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Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she...