Festivals manager and sales agent, Totem Films
- Earned bachelors degree in politics, philosophy and economics and LLM in international law from Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
- Joined Loco Films in 2023
Rizk began her career working with local human-rights NGOs and as a political analyst at the International Criminal Court in The Hague before, in 2023, moving to Paris and joining Loco Films, initially as festival manager and in acquisitions.
Since 2024, she has been at Totem Films, where she served as head of festivals and marketing before transitioning into sales at the start of 2025. “I was always passionate about film and how it shaped my understanding of the world, but working in law I felt a bit disillusioned by institutions,” explains Rizk of her career pivot. “I decided to take a different path — one that allowed me to work closely with filmmakers and producers who are bringing new ways of seeing the world.”
Rizk, who grew up in Luxembourg in a French Lebanese family, draws on her multicultural background and international experience at Totem, where she has worked on titles such as Somali Austrian director Mo Harawe’s The Village Next To Paradise and Iranian filmmaking duo Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha’s My Favourite Cake.
While she is now on the sales track, Rizk notes that starting out as a festivals manager was a “great entry point into the industry and understanding the different stakeholders”.
“This industry is about taking opportunity and not being afraid to jump into the unknown,” she adds. “Whether it’s networking or onboarding a new project, you have to trust yourself and just embrace that you have no idea how it will turn out. But working alongside people that you admire and appreciate is making all these unpredictable moments worth it. That’s the magic of it all.”
Contact: Salome Rizk
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