Maren Heyn (she/her)
DOP, Green Consultant
My utopia is …
... to create a sustainable foundation on film sets that takes social and ecological aspects as seriously as economic ones. Money is an important tool, but not the only central point. I imagine a film industry in which sustainability is not treated as an isolated checklist item, but as part of a holistic dialogue that respects both the creative vision and the well-being of everyone involved.
Role in the inclusive media minds network
As a director of photography and green consultant, I see myself as a filmmaker who combines creative filmmaking with sustainable production practice. My work is about showing that ecological responsibility and artistic excellence do not contradict each other. They can strengthen each other. I want to help create spaces in which filmmakers feel supported in making conscious decisions without compromising their vision.
Personal positioning
For me, it is essential to create a foundation of listening. Sometimes not every aspect can be realized: the images in our heads, every sustainability goal, every ideal scenario. But a humane, benevolent exchange is the basis for entering into dialogue and finding solutions together that are cinematically valuable without subordinating individual needs. This attitude shapes my work on set, in workshops and in consulting.
Professional experience, expertise
- Projects include, for example:
- Knallrot Filme
- founder of Knallrot Filme UG, working as a cinematographer (DOP) and producer for sustainable and diverse film productions.
- “When I'm 67”
- a film about communal living in old age.
- “30 Gedanken zum Tod” (30 thoughts on death): a discourse project about death and the people and experts who accompany it.
- “Frau Schnipplers Reise zum Meer” (directed by Orlando Klaus): a feature film made with residents of a retirement home.
- “The Little Soul” (directed by Sarah Fürstenberg, WE LOVE artbuying GmbH): a commercial about miscarriage.
- ERASMUS project “Work at all Costs?”
- a film project about women in precarious work situations.
- MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein
- workshops and consulting on “green production” on behalf of the film funding body.
- Hamburg Media School
- teaching green production and green storytelling since 2023 for film students and in values-driven commercials.
- Among the many feature film productions and advertising campaigns supported:
- “The Teachers' Lounge” (directed by İlker Çatak)
- “Where's Wanda?”: the first German Apple TV series, produced by UFA
- “Legend of Wacken”: RTL series
- Clients include Google, Kleinanzeigen, Netflix and LEGO
- “Google: Every climate-friendly decision counts” (with SIMON & PAUL), awarded “Die Giraffe” 2023 for the most sustainable commercial production