During the filming of THE LOST DAUGTHER with Olivia Colman in 2020, for which Inbal Weinberg spent many weeks on Spetses in her role as Production Designer, the magical place for a first "Gathering" was found. What a crazy idea to take colleagues from all over the world to a small island where cars are not even allowed to drive. Spetses, the island of spices, because ships coming from the Orient stopped there with their precious goods on board.
Today I find scraps of words in my notebook from that time on the island, written down during various panels by colleagues such as the incredible Jeannine Oppewall, who one day had a large banner hung up in her office with the words: "THINGS CHANGE" to put a stop to the complainers who were complaining about exactly that. Yes, this is film: THINGS CHANGE! She also spoke of "happy accident meetings" in corridors or at the photocopier, where sometimes the all-important things are discussed.
The colleagues responsible for LA LA LAND emphasised the importance of respect for the team, e.g. by asking for the birthdays of all employees at the start of a production.
Or Fiona's advice - break through a story - to then find your own language with the means you have because we also tell a story with pictures. There was talk about building connections, building worlds, building relationships, building interactions, or the tip to draw every day because it means dreaming on paper.

The dramaturgical highlight on Spetses took place shortly before the closing party. There was a walk up a hill that offered an overview of the island. Production Designers engrossed in conversation made their way up the hill like a procession. We found ourselves back in an ancient theatre. We sat down on the stone steps in the semi-circular theatre. At that moment, a memory from my childhood came over me. At school, Shakespeare's "The Tempest" was being performed in the large, beautiful theatre hall. I was probably in the 3rd grade. There was a procession on stage: ghosts appeared and served the shipwrecked a feast on the island. I see a richly laid table appear, today I know that the table was pulled onto the stage with the help of strings. At the time, I was a victim of my own imagination, confused the performance with the real world and felt a strong impulse to jump onto the stage, to join the banquet and see how the world went on behind the scenes. My career aspiration was born.