The former director and president of the European Film Market (EFM), Beki Probst, has been awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Verdienstkreuz am Bande der Bundesrepublik Deutschland).
Under her direction, the Berlinale’s European Film Market developed into one of the largest and most important trade fairs for cinema on the international scene.
In 2018, on the occasion of the Berlinale Camera Award, Dieter Kosslick congratulated his long-time colleague and friend on 30 years of successful work: “Without Beki Probst and her contacts worldwide, her charm and cosmopolitan gift for combining business and culture, the EFM would never have become such a successful platform and the strong backbone of the festival.”
Probst was born in Istanbul, where she first worked as a journalist after completing her studies in law and journalism. In 1960, Probst moved to Switzerland, where she became the general manager of the Probst-Kinobetriebe, known today as Quinnie Cinemas. From 1981 to 1988, she served as the Berlin Film Festival’s official delegate for Turkey and Greece. Up until 1995 she also served as a member of the selection committee for Locarno International Film Festival.
From 1988 to 2014, she directed the Berlinale’s European Film Market. She rebranded the former “film fair” as the European Film Market and subsequently transformed the event into one of the most significant industry meet-ups for the international film business. In addition, from 1988 to 1996 Probst was artistic director of the Geneva-based festival “Stars de Démain”. She has served as a jury member on multiple occasions at international film festivals, including appearances in Toronto, Jerusalem and San Sebastián. In 1992 Beki Probst was decorated as Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture, and was honoured with the Berlinale Camera in 2018 and in 2019 with the Honorary Award of the Swiss Film Award.
