Handbook “Consensus-Based Working in Film Projects”
How can decisions in film productions be made in a participatory, transparent and yet practical way? The handbook “Consensus-Based Working in Film Projects” provides practical answers to this question. It brings together methods, reflections and concrete scenarios for dealing with decisions, different interests and conflicts in collaborative production processes.
The handbook emerged from the practical exploration of consensus-based working methods in the short film project Konsens-Filmproduktion, followed by a workshop with consensus democracy coach Uwe Lübbermann. Below, we provide a brief introduction to the project and the workshop from which this practical guide emerged.
→ [Download the handbook “Consensus-Based Working in Film Projects” as a PDF [English Version]
Konsens-Filmproduktion – An Inclusive Short Film Project as a Starting Point
Konsens-Filmproduktion is a project by Sofumedia in cooperation with Filmhaus Frankfurt. As part of an inclusive short film production, the project explores how participatory and consensus-based working methods can be applied to a creative production process. At the same time, the project aims to reduce barriers within the film industry and enable greater participation – particularly for people with migration backgrounds, people with disabilities, and people with family responsibilities. The different experiences and life circumstances of those involved are consciously incorporated into the production process.
Consensus-based working means more than simply making decisions together. Wherever possible, decisions are intended to take into account the different perspectives and interests of those involved. At the same time, the project explores which decisions need to be made collectively and where individual responsibilities, delegation or other decision-making procedures are more appropriate.
Outcomes and Insights from the Workshop with Uwe Lübbermann
An important component of the project was the workshop with consensus democracy coach Uwe Lübbermann on 11 July 2026. Lübbermann has been supporting organisations in developing consensus-based working methods for many years and had already contributed to the launch event of “Konsens im Film” in October 2025.
The workshop addressed concrete decision-making situations from film production and explored them through practical group exercises. Topics included dealing with different interests, well-founded objections, responsibilities and conflicts. Together, participants examined which decision-making procedures are suitable for different situations and where the opportunities and limitations of consensus-based approaches lie within film production.
The handbook “Consensus-Based Working in Film Projects” emerged from the content and experiences of this workshop as a practical guide. It does not document the workshop verbatim; instead, it brings together key methods, reflections and practical examples.
The handbook is aimed at filmmakers and anyone who wants to make decision-making processes in creative or collaborative working environments more conscious, transparent and participatory.
→ [Download the handbook “Consensus-Based Working in Film Projects” as a PDF [English Version]
Consensus-Based Working in Film Projects
Methods and decision-making procedures from the workshop with Uwe Lübbermann on 11 July 2026
This handbook is published as an open-source document under the Creative Commons licence CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution – NonCommercial – ShareAlike).
You are explicitly encouraged to share and distribute the handbook!
For more information about the Shortfilm-project, visit www.filmhaus-frankfurt.de and www.sofumedia.eu, or join the Consensus Discord server.
The workshop “Konsens-Filmproduktion – Inclusive Short Film Project and Workshop” was part of the project “Konsens im Film”, supported by:
