From Hamburg, Germany, Maren is an academic and researcher specialising in the domain of cinema, with a focus on the convergence of performance, representation, and contemporary political influences on artistic expression. Maren’s academic roles include Lecturer at the University of Westminster, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California, and an Education Advisor at Queen Mary University of London. She co-hosts and produces the thought-provoking podcast "Performance Anxiety." Her written contributions can be found in publications such as spiked, RT, and Prospect Magazine, where they dissect the profound impact of cinema and culture. By working for. MCC Brussels she hopes to open up new debates around the relationship between freedom, performance, representation, and the ways these ideas are being politicised in Brussels.