The Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) has announced the appointment of Sata Cissokho as the new head of the World Cinema Fund (WCF) and the Toolbox program, succeeding Vincenzo Bugno, who will step down at the end of 2025 after more than two decades leading the initiative. Bugno, who took charge of the fund from its inception 21 years ago, concludes a cycle in which the WCF became a fundamental pillar in supporting film projects that might otherwise never have been realized. To date, the program has backed 370 productions, including Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar-winning A Separation and Diego Céspedes’ The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, winner of the Un Certain Regard prize in Cannes this year.

Cissokho takes on the role following a solid career as head of acquisitions at Paradise City Sales (formerly Memento International), where she helped boost the international careers of filmmakers such as Gabriel Mascaro, Pedro Pinho, Haifaa Al-Mansour, Małgorzata Szumowska, Chaitanya Tamhane, Lemohang Mosese and Baloji. She began her career in the industry at Zeitgeist Films in New York, and has since served on numerous selection committees and juries, including the CNC Aide aux cinémas du monde in France, the Marrakech Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops and Rotterdam’s CineMart. She has also contributed as a mentor and industry expert for major initiatives such as the Cannes Producers Network, TorinoFilmLab, EAVE and the Creative Producer Indaba.

Since 2022, the Toolbox Programme, created by the Berlinale’s European Film Market (EFM), has offered training, resources and networking opportunities to filmmakers from the Global South and underrepresented communities. Among its beneficiaries is producer Leah Baker, behind The President’s Cake, which won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes this year.

For Tanja Meissner, director of Berlinale Pro, Cissokho’s appointment ensures a strong continuity: “Sata Cissokho’s experience and dedication make her the ideal person to lead the new chapter of the WCF and the Toolbox Programme.” For her part, the new director expressed her excitement about the challenge: “The World Cinema Fund has been an essential force for diversity within the global film landscape, championing urgent films with a strong artistic, political and cultural impact. I am honored and excited to take over its leadership.”