Kirstin Winkler joins the jury for Transatlantic Stars 2026

Reframe Collective co-founder Kirstin Winkler has been selected as a juror for the Transatlantic Stars 2026 Film Program, run by the European Union Delegation to the U.S.

The program supports EU film directors in building real creative and industry connections across the Atlantic, including a filmmaker retreat and showcase at the Berkshire International Film Festival and an industry immersion in Los Angeles. The jury selects five directors to take part in the 2026 cohort.

Kirstin joins jurors France Orsenne, Joy Jorgensen, Kelley Ryan Vickery and Steve Farneth in reviewing submissions from filmmakers across the EU.

It's a natural fit. Kirstin has spent over 20 years working across both Hollywood and Europe, with credits spanning studio films, independent features and premium international series, including 2012, 10,000 B.C., Anonymous, Girl You Know It's True and the Netflix series Crooks. She knows both sides of the Atlantic well, and has a genuine appreciation for the caliber of storytelling coming out of Europe right now.

That's part of what makes this program worth paying attention to. It gives talented European filmmakers a real, structured pathway into the U.S. industry, not just a door, but a guided way through it.

At Reframe Collective, that's exactly the kind of work Kirstin is already doing: helping strong projects find their audience, sharpen their positioning and travel further than they would on their own. As Kirstin says: "I'm really looking forward to welcoming the five finalists to Los Angeles. European filmmakers have incredible stories to tell, and the U.S. industry is genuinely hungry for that. But Hollywood has its own language, its own rhythms, and its own unwritten rules. Knowing them can make or break a meeting. Having spent years working on both sides of the Atlantic, I know exactly where those gaps are, and I feel honored to be the one who gets to sit down with these filmmakers and help them navigate it.”

Read more about the Transatlantic Rising Stars Project here.