Valérie Massadian is a self-taught franco-armenian filmmaker and photographer. Her first feature, Nana, received the Opera Prima Award in Festival del Film Locarno in 2011. Her second feature, Milla, as well as her short films, have been shown and awarded in International Film Festivals such as Locarno, Valdivia, Jeonju, Ficunam, Doc Lisboa... Her work focuses on female characters: their animality, their relation to the world and to nature. Nurtured over time with each protagonist, mixing fairy tale and realism, poetics and politics, her films play with the boundaries of fiction, drawing their own.

Founder and Co Director of Curtas Metragens Vila do Conde Film Festival from 1993 to 2013. Founder and General Director of PortoPostDoc Film Festival since 2014. Curator of several Video art exhibitions at Solar Galeria in Vila do Conde. Head of Film and Multimedia program at Porto 2001 European Capital of Culture. Head of program for Estaleiro Vila do Conde 2011/2012. Producer of several Documentaries and short films. Juri at several International Film Festivals. Coordinator of Roundtables and Seminars at Honk Kong International Film Festival. Responsible for acquisitions at Atalanta Filmes Portugal 2005/2006. Responsible for the music and film program at Porto International Jazz Festival 1999 to 2001. Teacher of Art education at Public National Education system and Film Studies at Escola das Artes Católica Porto University. Founder and Director of PortoPostDoc since first edition.

Iranian born Maryam Tafakory is an artist and filmmaker whose textual and filmic collages interweave poetry, documentary, archival, and found material. Her work has been exhibited internationally including at MoMA Doc Fortnight; IFF Rotterdam; EIFF Edinburgh; MIFF Melbourne; True/False; Pergamon Museum; M HKA; and Anthology Film Archives, amongst others. She has received several awards including the Ammodo Tiger Short at 51st IFFR, Barbara Hammer Feminist Film Award at 60th Ann Arbor Film Festival, the Jury Prize at Documenta Madrid, and the Best Short Film at Festival de Cine Lima Independiente. She was awarded the Flaherty/Colgate Distinguished Global Filmmaker in Residence (NY) in 2019, and a MacDowell Fellowship in 2022.

Shoshi Korman works at Cinephil, an international sales and advisory firm with a strong reputation for securing international distribution, broadcasting and financing deals for documentaries from around the world on behalf of producers and directors. Shoshi focuses on festival, release and awards campaigns. Recent titles she has worked on include three-time Academy Award nominee "FLEE', by Jonas Poher Rasmussen; two-time Academy Award nominee "Collective", by Alexander Nanau, "Gunda", by Victor Kossakovsky: Sundance winner and Academy Award nominee "A House Made of Splinters".

Rron Ginovci is an education activist, the founder and Executive Director of ORCA - Organization for Improving Quality in Education (2016 - current). Rron is active in the public life of Kosovo as a political commentator which he uses for advocacy for progressive social changes. As a civil society activist in Kosovo, Rron was a member of the Preparatory Team for Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Kosovo, an initiative of the Kosovo President's Office during 2017-2019. Previously Rron has worked for the Center for Research, Documentation and Publication, an NGO specialized in Transitional Justice and Dealing with the Past, as well as a freelance journalist for Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN - Kosovo). Rron volunteered as a non-formal extracurricular teacher for The Ideas Partnership, where he worked with a group of primary school students from Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.

Dina Pokrajac is a film critic, curator, and programmer. She majored in Journalism and Political Science and is a PHD candidate in Cultural Anthropology at University of Zagreb with a thesis on film archives and counter-memory practices. She works for Restart, an organization focused on the production, distribution, and exhibition of documentary films and is the manager of Dokukino KIC cinema. She is the artistic director of Subversive Festival, selector for ZagrebDox and has curated numerous interdisciplinary projects combining film and critical theory. She also works as a translator, having translated Lewis Mumford's Art and Technics, Flannery O'Connor's Mystery and Manners and Laura Mulvey's Afterimages among others. She is an editor for Jesenski i Turk and Bijeli val publishing houses and has edited over 20 books in the fields of philosophy, political science, and film theory. She was the winner of the Vladimir Vukovic Award for Best New Film Critic in 2017. She participated in the Sarajevo Talents 2020 and the Berlinale Talents 2021.

Cecilia has a Bachelor's in Communication from the Universidad de Córdoba and Master's in Documentary Filmmaking from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. She was artistic director of the Mar del Plata IF between 2018 and 2021, and a member of the festival's programming team since 2010. Cecilia had been a co-programmer for Neighboring Scenes: New Latin American Cinema at Film at Lincoln Center and program advisor for Antofacine in Chile. She was curator of Documenta Madrid and has curated special programs for UnionDocs, MACBA, Museo Reina Sofa and La Casa Encendida, among others. In 2020, she was awarded the honorary title of Chevalier of the Arts and Letters from the French Ministry of Culture. She has been a member of the Advisory Board for the Film Study Center at Harvard University as well as Visiting Scholars at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University.

Artan Sadiku is an anarchist philosopher, researcher and activist from Skopje and his interests are theories of the subject, queer thinking, political economy, underground culture and autonomous practices in society and arts. He is one of the founders of the Solidarnost movement, the autonomous Social Centre Dunja and the independent School for Politics and Critique in Skopje. For many years he was one of the editors of the philosophical journal Identities and contributor to Le Monde Diplomatique. He is currently researching experimental improvisations in images and sounds. His latest book Subjective Politics was published this year and is currently writing on theories of sexuality. Currently he is organizing the annual CRIC festival for Critical Culture that takes place in Skopje.

Viera Cákanyová was born in 1980 in Bratislava. She studied screenwriting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and documentary filmmaking at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. In her work she combines documentary, fiction and animation practices and explores the boundaries between these categories. With other colleagues she runs a production company guca films, based in Slovakia, focusing on producing films of young emerging directors from the region. Besides making her own films, she also collaborates on other inde pendent film projects as script editor and editor. Her recent films Frem (2019), White on White (2020) and Notes from the Eremocene (2023) have been presented at numerous international film festivals and won several awards. Frem and Notes from the Eremocene had their international premiere at Berlinale in the Forum section.

Tomás Hudák works at the Slovak Film Institute, where he is responsible for international promotion of Slovak cinema with a focus on documentaries, and serves as a Head of Bratislava Industry Days at Febiofest IFF. A graduate in Film History and Theory, he has been working for various film festivals for the past 13 years at positions that include programming and program co-ordination. His film criticism and interviews can be found in magazines such as Senses of Cinema, Desistfilm, or Dok.revue.

Emilia is a freelance short film programmer and industry expert based in the Netherlands. Since 2014, she has served as a programmer at the Short Waves Festival in Poland, eventually taking over as the festival director (2019-2022). Currently, Emilia works as the Head of Industry at Kaboom Animation Festival (the Netherlands) and holds positions as a selection committee member for Film Fest Gent (Belgium) and Glasgow Short Film Festival (Scotland). Emilia also sits on the board of Leiden Shorts and is a co-founder and strategic board member of Talking Shorts, an online film magazine focused on the short film medium.

Gugi is based in Jakarta and Berlin, where he is currently appointed as an Executive Director for an award-winning organisation: In-Docs, the non-profit behind Docs by the Sea and Good Pitch Indonesia. Moreover, the Documentary of Association of Europe (DAE) has elected him to its Executive Board since 2022. His work includes mentoring/consult-ing on projects and impact campaign strategies. He has also often delivered talks about equitable international co-production practices. In addition, Gugi has been involved as a guest programmer, selection committee and jury member for numerous reputable regional and international film festivals and film funds. The following are among them: International Documentary Association (IDA), Purin Pictures, DOK Leipzig, Sunny Side of the Doc, Cannes Docs, IDFA Forum, RIDM, CPH:DOX, Points North Institute etc.

Tomás Hudák works at the Slovak Film Institute, where he is responsible for international promotion of Slovak cinema with a focus on documentaries, and serves as a Head of Bratislava Industry Days at Febiofest IFF. A graduate in Film History and Theory, he has been working for various film festivals for the past 13 years at positions that include programming and program co-ordination. His film criticism and interviews can be found in magazines such as Senses of Cinema, Desistfilm, or Dok.revue.

Emilia is a freelance short film programmer and industry expert based in the Netherlands. Since 2014, she has served as a programmer at the Short Waves Festival in Poland, eventually taking over as the festival director (2019-2022). Currently, Emilia works as the Head of Industry at Kaboom Animation Festival (the Netherlands) and holds positions as a selection committee member for Film Fest Gent (Belgium) and Glasgow Short Film Festival (Scotland). Emilia also sits on the board of Leiden Shorts and is a co-founder and strategic board member of Talking Shorts, an online film magazine focused on the short film medium.

Gugi is based in Jakarta and Berlin, where he is currently appointed as an Executive Director for an award-winning organisation: In-Docs, the non-profit behind Docs by the Sea and Good Pitch Indonesia. Moreover, the Documentary of Association of Europe (DAE) has elected him to its Executive Board since 2022. His work includes mentoring/consult-ing on projects and impact campaign strategies. He has also often delivered talks about equitable international co-production practices. In addition, Gugi has been involved as a guest programmer, selection committee and jury member for numerous reputable regional and international film festivals and film funds. The following are among them: International Documentary Association (IDA), Purin Pictures, DOK Leipzig, Sunny Side of the Doc, Cannes Docs, IDFA Forum, RIDM, CPH:DOX, Points North Institute etc.

Dorian Jespers (born in Brussels, 1993) is a graduate of INSAS and KASK, and a former resident of Le Fresnoy. He creates works that combine absurdity, intimacy and various references in a great audiovisual effervescence. His film Sun Dog was inspired by a strange adventure in the Russian Arctic. It was elected Short Film of the Year 2020 by the Short Film Conference after qualifying for the Ensors, EAs, Oscars and it won numerous major awards around the world, including the Rotterdam festival tiger award. His work has also been shown in art institutions such as MoMA, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London and the Garage in Moscow. His new project « Loynes » (2024), set in 19th century Liverpool, was presented at the WiP section of Cannes film festival.

Nina Rodríguez counts on a vast experience curating international film festivals and industry events. She holds an MA in The Presentation and Preservation of the Moving Image from the University of Amsterdam in close collaboration with EYE Film Archive. Since 2006, Nina has been Head of Programming at the Guanajuato International Film Festival where she established several talent development initiatives. Having collaborated with the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in the past, she is currently also Industry Program Manager at Qumra, an initiative of the Doha Film Institute providing mentorship for international film projects from development through post-production. Nina also served as Academic Coordinator for the Pueblo Mágico Mexican Film Residency and was an executive producer on Viktor Jakovle skis Brimstone and Glory. In 2020, she founded Compartimento Cinematografico- an inde pendent cinema in San Miguel de Allende.

Simon's short films have screened at many festivals and received awards such as the International Jury Prize at Sundance, Best Short Film at the BIAs, and BAFTA and European Academy Award nominations. Working in fiction, animation, hybrid documentary and interactive, his work been presented collectively in dedicated retrospective shows at over 20 international film festivals. Simon continues to attend many festivals as either filmmaker or juror and has mentored short film directors in both the UK and overseas.

Maike Mia Höhne is a filmmaker, curator, mother. From 2007 to 2019 she was the curator and head of Berlinale Shorts. Now she is the artistic director the Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg. She works as a curator and jury member for film funds and festivals around the world. As a professor of film, she teaches at the University of Applied Sciences Europe in Hamburg. Her curatorial focus is on politics, sex and feminism.

Sabahet Meta has a background in project management, creative leadership and meaningful entrepreneurship and has been actively involved in cultural management since 2014. He is a co-founder of the Kulturalink organization based in Bern, whose main objective is to utilize artistic creation as a transformative and powerful tool for promoting socio-cultural understanding and nurturing critical thinking. Sabo is the artistic director of the Kino Kosova Film Festival. As an initiator and driving force behind the festival, Sabo has carved out a distinct and influential role. He has curated a platform that celebrates the power of cinema to provoke thought, challenge perspectives, and bring communities together.

Thelyia Petraki holds a BA in Filmmaking from CalArts (USA), and an MA in Visual Anthropology from UCL (UK). She is a Hellenic Film Academy awarded filmmaker and a European Film Awards finalist. In her works, the boundaries between memory, dreams and reality tend to blur. Her films are a perpetual gaze to the human behavior in an attempt to understand hu man condition through the cinematic lens. Lately, she combines and experiments with various analogue formats creating a recollective effect. She also tends to study the past in order to understand the future. Her mission is to fill out probable gaps that have been generated from the relics of the long-lasting male dominance in filmmaking and in contemporary society in general.

Sanne Jehoul is the programme director of Glasgow Short Film Festival, Scotland's leading short film event, and works across the short film slate of Vienna-based sales & festival distribution agency Square Eyes. She is on the selection committee of Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2023, and freelances across curation and writing. She was head of Vienna Shorts' 2022 industry programme, and a programmer and producer for Document Human Rights Film Festival (UK) in 2018 & 2019. In the past she worked in broadcast and event production as well as script reading. She sits on the board of Belgian short film platform Kortfilm.be.

From the 80's Ruggero Calich collaborated with the Istanbul Film Festival organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts as a jury translator, guest guide and moderator. Later on contributed as a catalogue writer to the same festival for which he is actually a documentary advisor. He was co-curator for the two editions of the documentary screenings in art.mov minifest organized by Trieste Contemporanea art gallery. He is also an advisor for the Human Rights Documentary Film Days organized in the city of izmir by the Foundation for Human Rights in Turkey. He has been a freelance film critic since 2012, mostly focusing on documentaries dealing with human rights from all around the world. His reviews, signed with various pen names, have been published in many internet sites, newspapers and magazines in Turkey. He is a member of SiYAD, the Association of Cinema Writers of Turkey and of FIPRESCI. He was a FIPRESCI jury member in the Istanbul Film Festival, in IDFA, in Zagreb Docs and in Visions du Réel.

Born in 1987 in Casablanca, Randa Maroufi is a graduate of the National Institute of Fine Arts, Tetouan, Morocco and the School of Fine Arts, Angers, France. She also earned a diploma from Le Fresnoy-Studio National des Arts Contemporains, Tourcoing, France. Randa Maroufi has been an Artist Member of Academy of France in Madrid at Casa de Velázquez in 2017-2018. Her recent group exhibitions include: Biennale de Lyon, Museo de Reina Sofía, New Museum, NY, MA Museum, Quebec, Biennale de Dakar, Sharjah Biennial, International Film Festival Rotterdam, African Photography Meeting, Bamako, the Marrakech Biennale, etc. She currently lives and works in Paris, France.

Marlene Edoyan is the artistic co-director of the RIDM - Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal, and a programmer for both the Festival and its industry Forum. With a background in Film & Media Studies, Marlene has been working in the Canadian film industry as a filmmaker and producer for over 15 years. With a keen interest in exploring concepts related to human geography and the relationship between societies and spaces, Marlene founded Fauve Film in 2017, to produce author-driven creative documentaries. Her films explore socio-political issues by combining original points of view with a powerful lens of cinematographic storytelling.

Srđan Kovačević was born in Zagreb, Croatia in 1982. In 2009 he received a MA degree in Cinematography from the Academy of Dramatic Arts, University of Zagreb. He has been working as a cameraman for various independent regional film and TV productions, and also shooting documentary films, TV-series and short films. His film Factory to the Workers was the winner of Balkan Dox Competition of DokuFest in 2022.

(xe/xem/xyr), Consulting Producer, Director, Screenwriter, Zeynep Güzel is a filmmaker, consultant and the head of Doc Station at Berlinale Talents. Zeynep was the head of the Yeni Film Fund of Turkey founded by Anadolu Kültür and ‘İf Istanbul Independent Films Festival’. Zeynep directed and produced the documentary Come Rain or Shine (2019) and produced two other documentaries Beginnings (2013) and Impressions of A Summer (2020). Zeynep works as a consultant on storytelling in its broadest sense, international grant writing, pitching and co-financing strategies. Zeynep was a fellow of the 2021 Berlin Artist in Residency (AiR) at Nipkow Program with xyr first narrative feature film When the Sun Comes Out. Zeynep has been a senior consultant at the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE) since its foundation.

Daniella Shireir is the founder and co-editor of Another Gaze, a journal of film and feminisms, and the creator of Another Screen, a free streaming platform that features ephemeral programmes and retrospectives of films by women filmmakers, available with subtitles in multiple languages and contextualised by interviews and new writing. This year, together with co-editor of Another Gaze, Missouri Williams, she will launch Another Gaze’s publishing imprint, Another Gaze Editions. She also works in film production and is a graphic designer, photographer and translator from the French, of texts including My Mother Laughs by Chantal Akerman (Silver Press), which won a PEN prize in 2019, and a forthcoming collection of texts by Marguerite Duras about her cinema.

Joost Daamen is a senior programmer at IDFA. He holds a MA degree in Film Studies from the University of Amsterdam. Since 2005, he has been working for IDFA’s Program department. Over the years, he has contributed to and programmed the main (non-)competition programs and Paradocs program, and he has (co-) curated focus programs.

Niklas Engstrøm helped launch CPH:DOX – Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Film Festival -together with former CEO Tine Fischer in 2003, and has since then beenworking on turning the festival’s programme into a relevant, ambitious and exciting take on the world, appealing to both a national audience as well as the international film industry. In 2015, Niklas took on the role as Head of Programme at CPH:DOX and since the summer of 2021 he has been Artistic Director of the Copenhagen FilmFestivals Foundation, including CPH:DOX and the children’s film festival Buster.

John Canciani is a film collector since he’s a teenager. He acquired his first experiences in curating films, when he founded and organised a film club in Winterthur. In 2009 he became member of the selection team and board member at the Swiss Youth Film Festival in Zurich. In 2009 he joined the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur and was, amongst others, Head of Youth Programme, Programmer of the International Competition and Assistant to the Artistic Director. John is also a film curator at Kino Cameo Winterthur, where he advices the programme manager, regularly curates film programmes and moderates film talks. He has a Master in Advanced Studies in Curating from ZHdK and was Editor of the Issue No. 23 of the magazine on-curating “The Future of Short Film”. He is Member of the Swiss and European Film Academy, Board Member at Pro Short and the Short Film Conference.

Maryam Tafakory from Iran is an artist and filmmaker whose textual and filmic collages interweave poetry, documentary, archival and found material. She is based between London and Shiraz. Themes such as poetry, politics, religion and existential explorations provide inspiration for her work. Tafakory’s films and installations have been screened and exhibited at dozens of European film festivals. She was nominated for a Tiger Award and Found Footage Award at the 47th IFFR, Best Short Award at 67th MIFF and she has received several other awards, including Best Short Film at Documenta Madrid, Best Short Film at Festival de Cine Lima Independiente, and twice the Aesthetica Emerging Art Prize UK. In 2019, she was awarded the Flaherty/Colgate Distinguished Global Filmmaker in Residence. Her short Nazarbazi, a world premiere at IFFR 2022 in the Ammodo Tiger Short Competition, explores imaginative proxies through which acts of intimacy can be suggested without being directly portrayed, referencing censorship rules within Iranian cinema.

Tevfik Rada is a researcher based in Prizren. He has a master degree on Sociology with a thesis on ‘the relation between railways and avant-garde cinema in the formation years of Soviet Union’. Rada has conducted several film programs as well as historical and artistic researches in Lumbardhi including ‘Nation Formation’, ‘Kinofiguration’ and ‘Kuhle Vampe’. He is a member and researcher in the publishing collective Pykë-Presje.

Samir Ljuma is acclaimed cinematographer and producer, whose focus is on capturing human behavior, intimate relations and authentic interaction. He’s able to draw multiple layered vivid canvases with his camera and his honest and heartfelt approach towards protagonists. Visible in various successful collaborations with macedonian and international directors like Sergej Georgiev Via Dinarica - the Macedonian adventure, Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov Lake of Apples, with whom he also told the double OSCAR nominee feature documentary Honeyland, which won three main awards on the Sundance Film Festival. Besides this he is founder of the film production company Diverse Film Production. Samir is the winner of the American Society of Cinematographers Award for best Documentary cinematography, IMAGO Award, IDA Award, Cinema Eye Honors Award, Sundance Special Jury Award for Best Cinematography.

Frida Mårtensson is a producer and runs the Stockholm-based production company Verket Produktion. Most recently she produced Successful Thawing of Mr Moro and The Night Train directed by Jerry Carlsson. Successful Thawing of Mr Moro had its international premiere at TIFF 2021. Her first short as producer, Shadow Animals by Jerry Carlsson, has screened at over 100 film festivals around the world and won awards at among others Clermont-Ferrand and Palm Springs Short Fest. Before starting at Verket Frida was Associate Producer at Garagefilm International, working on a number of critically acclaimed and award-winning features like Call Girl by Mikael Marcimain, Something Must Break by Ester Martin Bergsmark, Amateurs by Gabriela Pichler and The Heart by Fanni Metelius. Frida is currently in post production with The Year I Started Masturbating by Erika Wasserman at production company Gimme a break, and in development with among others the feature films Fires by Jerry Carlsson and Ugly by Johanna Pyykkö at Verket Produktion.

Linn Löffler (born 1983 in East Berlin) is a filmmaker, musician and has been active in the field of film production and cultural management since 2007. In addition she is a founding member of the independent film collective LaborBerlin. She has been working for Berlinale Shorts for 10 years, since 2019 as the programme coordinator of the section.

Rina Kika is a human rights lawyer and researcher. She successfully represented the case of Blert Morina, one of the first trans people to seek legal gender recognition in Kosovo. In 2020, she was awarded a Fellowship from Duke Law School and worked with Amnesty International, with whom she continues to closely collaborate. She works in different human rights issues with a strong focus on women’s rights, LGBTIQ+ rights and the rights of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian. Rina holds two master’s degrees, from the University of Zurich in Switzerland and Duke University in the U.S.

Heleen Gerritsen (The Netherlands, 1978) studied Slavonic Languages and Economics in Amsterdam and St. Petersburg. She moved to Germany in 2003 where she completed a course in film production and started freelancing as a documentary producer for various companies and broadcasters. Heleen curated film programs and produced award-winning experimental short films. In 2009 Heleen produced her first feature length documentary and set up her own production company. From 2014 to 2016 she was festival director of the European Documentary Film Festival dokumentART in Neubrandenburg. Since October 2017 Heleen is at the helm of goEast –Festival of Central and Eastern European Film which is organized by the German Film Institute (DFF). She is a founding member of the Documentary Association of Europe and a member of the European Film Academy.

Pieter Paul Mortier is one of the co-founders and the current artistic and financial director of Courtisane, a platform for film and audiovisual arts that organizes a yearly festival in Ghent (Belgium), many programs and screenings throughout the year and publishes Cahiers on a regular basis (www.courtisane.be). He studied Audiovisual Arts / experimental film & video (Sint-Lukas Brussels) and Media (Sandberg Institute Amsterdam). From 2005 to 2010 he taught a course Screenplay non-fiction at Sint-Lukas Brussels and is currently a teacher at the Media Arts department of KASK / School of Arts in Ghent. From 2005 to 2013 and in 2019 he worked as a curator for visual arts, media & sound art at STUK arts center in Leuven.

Rachel Caplan is a creative producer working at the intersection of Arts and Environment. In 2010, she created the San Francisco Green Film Festival and over ten years grew the festival into one of the largest and most influential events of its kind globally. Before this, Rachel held positions with the Edinburgh, London, and San Francisco Film Festivals, and was Festival Director of the International Ocean Film Festival, North America’s largest marine film showcase. She was guest curator for the 1st London Green Film Festival; is a guest lecturer on Environmental Communications at UC Berkeley; and is on the Green Film Network ‘s Special Projects Committee. In 2021, she produced Scotland’s Climate Festival, a nationwide events programme funded by the Scottish Government to engage the public in COP26.

Matthieu Darras designs and leads several programs of film/talent development and consultancy that are active worldwide: the First Cut Lab, the Pop Up Film Residency, and the Full Circle Lab. Previously, he founded and directed the European network NISI MASA, wrote for the magazine Positif, and acted as artistic director of the TorinoFilmLab. He also worked as a programmer and advisor for Cannes, San Sebastian, and Venice film festivals.

Jelena Maksimović graduated in Film editing from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. She has been teaching at the Faculty for Media and Communication in Belgrade, Digital Arts Department, since 2015. As an editor she worked on films such as The Load (2018), You Have the Night (2018), Celts (2021), and Landscapes of Resistance (2021) which screened in Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Locarno, Rotterdam, Toronto, and many others. She has directed two short and two feature films: Taurunum Boy (2018) and Homelands (2020). In addition to the film, she has achieved numerous collaborations in video works, spatial installations, and theatre performances.

Diana El Jeiroudi is a documentary filmmaker, editor and screenwriter whose films encapsulate socio-political tensions and contradictions and extend well over time. She started as a filmmaker at age 25 and is best known for her recent feature Republic of Silence (La Biennale di Venezia 2021). Over the years, Diana has supported many careers in cinema and tutored talents through professional film workshops as a long-term supporter of narrative documentary cinema. Her efforts in supporting and advancing the documentary community and culture, notably through establishing DOX BOX in Syria as the most prominent documentary film festival and campus in the region, and then as the Berlin-based documentary film support association, has earned her recognition. She’s a member of several film academies and professional networks and serves repeatedly on film funds committees and festivals juries, most notably the Cannes Film Festival Golden Eye Documentary Award.

Edhem Fočo was born in 1972 in Sarajevo. He studied in Sarajevo and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.He had a business career in Malaysia and has gained experience in various business sectors such as Consultancy, Oil & Gas, International Trade, Information Technology and Investments, as well as media. He is credited as the initiator of Al Jazeera’s entry into Balkans and has been a director of Al Jazeera Network in Sarajevo since 2010. In 2018, together with his colleagues, he has initiated AJB DOC, Al Jazeera Balkans International Documentary Film Festival, the most prominent festival of documentary films in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Wim Vanacker, after studying psychology in Belgium, Wim Vanacker moved to Dublin to work as a psychologist in the field of drug addiction. Three years later, he picked up studying again at EICAR where he made two shorts. After graduating, he discovered NISI MASA –European Network of Young Cinema where he became the Head of the Script Department and the Project manager of the MEDIA funded project, European Short Pitch. For the last five years, he’s been a member of the Selection Committee for the Official Short Film Competition of the Cannes Film Festival. Furthermore, he works as an Editorial Consultant for the First Cut Lab and he’s responsible for the Worksin-Progress in the context of the Red Sea International Film Festival. On the side, he works as a script consultant, creative advisor, programmer, curator and tutor for many workshops, film festivals and projects in development

Yll Uka is a Producer with an ability to envision the genesis of a creative idea and manage conceptual projects successfully from beginning to end. Resourceful and innovative, producing inspiring works with little resources and small budgets. Among his previous credits is HIVE who became the first film in Sundance history to win all three main awards in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition and Oscars2022 shortlist for Best International Feature.

Carka Vulpiani (b. 1989 - Adriatic coast) lives in Italy and Ireland. Alongside degrees in Cultural Studies and in Documentary Practice in Milan she started her career as a festival programmer and co-artistic director at Milano Film Festival. Producer for the Dubliner animation studio and maps and plans, she works as Sales Agent for Short Films for Varicoloured Holistic Film Agency and is advisor of programmes for TSFM and Venice International Film Festival - Orizzonti Short Film Competition.

Erenik Beqiri studied at the Academy of Arts, Tirana where he graduated with a Master degree in Film Directing. His last short film The Van, was part of the official competition in 72’s editions of Cannes Film Festival and was Oscar shortlisted in 2021. He’s currently developing his first feature film projects, which was part of Cinefondation and Torino Film Lab.

Ivan Ramljak është një kritik filmi, drejtor dhe kurator i pavarur. Që nga viti 2013, ai ka qenë duke kuruar një program filmash të shkurtër të quajtur Kratki utorak (‘Short Tuesday’) në kinemanë Tuškanac në Zagreb. Në vitin 2016, ai u bë drejtori artistik i Festivalit të Filmit Tabor në Veliki Tabor. Deri më tani, ai ka drejtuar nëntë filma të shkurtër, një të mesëm dhe një të metrazhit të gjatë, kryesisht dokumentarë. Filmat e tij u shfaqën në më shumë se 80 festivale ndërkombëtare në të gjithë botën dhe fituan disa çmime.

Norika Sefa është një regjisore e lindur në Kosovë. Filmat e saj janë heterogjenë në stil, duke shkrirë trillime dhe dokumentarë, pjesë që krijojnë atmosferë në vend që t’i përmbahen një tregimi konvencional. Sefa drejtoi filmin e shkurtër Desde Arriba (2020) të xhiruar nën drejtimin e Werner Herzog dhe Kiss me, tani (2020), të dy dokumentarë hibridë. Looking for Venera (2021) është filmi i saj i parë artistik, premierë në IFF Rotterdam, duke fituar Çmimin Special të Jurisë në Konkursin Tiger. Ftesat tashmë e çuan Norikën nëpër institucione të ndryshme prestigjioze të artit dhe kulturës, për të folur për qasjen e saj kinematografike. Norika së fundmi është ftuar për t’iu bashkuar Akademisë Evropiane të Filmit. Ajo tani po zhvillon filmin e saj të ardhshëm artistik.

Marko Stojiljković është një kritik filmi i pavarur dhe një kontribues i rregullt në media të ndryshme në Kroaci, Mal të Zi, Slloveni dhe Serbi, si dhe në media ndërkombëtare si Cineuropa dhe Asian Movie Pulse. Ai është një bashkëthemelues i Ubiquarian, një platformë ndërkombëtare e kritikës së filmit në gjuhën angleze kushtuar dokumentarëve, filmave eksperimentalë dhe të shkurtër.

Abby Sun është një artiste, programuese filmi dhe studiuese në MIT Open Documentary Lab, ku është studente e diplomuar në Studime Krahasuese të Medias dhe redakton Immerse. Kohët e fundit, Abby duke qenë Kuratore e DocYard, ka bashkë-kuruar My Sight is Lined with Visions: 1990s American American Film & Video with Keisha Knight. Duke u zgjeruar mbi nxitjet programore të këtij të fundit, Abby dhe Keisha lançuan Line of Sight, një suitë e aktiviteteve të zhvillimit të artistëve, në vitin 2021. Abby ka linja nënvizuese në Film Comment, Filmmaker Magazine, Film Quarterly, Hyperallergic, dhe publikime të tjera, ka shqyrtuar aplikimet për BGDM, NEA, SFFILM, LEF Foundation, Sundance Catalyst, si dhe u folën dhe u lehtësuan në panele në TIFF, NYFF dhe festivale të tjerë të filmit.

I lindur në Izmir, Gürcan Keltek studioi film në Universitetin Dokuz Eylül para se të drejtonte disa filma të shkurtëra përfshirë Overtime (2012), shfaqur në Visions Du Réel. Filmi i tij me gjatësi të mesme Colony (2015) u shfaq në FIDMarseille. Filmi i tij i parë artistik Meteorlar (2017) fitoi më shumë se njëzet çmime përfshirë Çmimin e Parë të Filmit të Lartë dhe Çmimin e Kritikëve të Filmit Boccolino d’Oro në Festivalin e Filmit në Lokarno. Ajo u shfaq në shumë festivale ndërkombëtare të filmit, përfshirë Roterdamin, BAFICI, Viennale, Bordo, Fajr, Hong Kong dhe Shoqërinë e Filmit të Artit të Realit të Qendrës Lincoln. Gulyabani (2018) u shfaq premierë në Festivalin e Shenjave të Jetës në Locarno dhe u shfaq në Tate Modern, Reykjavik, Rotterdam dhe Viennale. Projekti i tij i ardhshëm i filmit artistik New Dawn Fades u zgjodh në Festivalin e filmit L’Atelier of Cannes në 2019.

I diplomuar në National Film & Television School në Britani të Madhe, Mahdi Fleifel studioi Regji Trilluese me mentor si Stephen Frears dhe Pawel Pawlikowski. Në vitin 2010 ai themeloi kompaninë e filmave Nakba FilmWorks me bazë në Londër. Debutimi i Fleifel i vlerësuar në mënyrë kritike, ‘A WORLD NOT OURS’, mori mbi 30 çmime, përfshirë këtu edhe Berlinale Peace Prize, Edinburgh, Yamagata dhe DOC:NYC Grand Jury Prize. Në vitin 2016 Fleifel fitoi çmimin Silver Bear për filmin ‘A MAN RETURNED’. Vazhdimi i tij, ‘A DROWNING MAN’, ishte në Offical Competition në Cannes dhe u nominua për BAFTA. ‘I SIGNED THE PETITION’ fitoi Best Documentary Short në IDFA dhe ishte i nominuar për Europian Film Awards në vitin 2018.

Abby Sun është një artiste, programuese filmi dhe studiuese në MIT Open Documentary Lab, ku është studente e diplomuar në Studime Krahasuese të Medias dhe redakton Immerse. Kohët e fundit, Abby duke qenë Kuratore e DocYard, ka bashkë-kuruar My Sight is Lined with Visions: 1990s American American Film & Video with Keisha Knight. Duke u zgjeruar mbi nxitjet programore të këtij të fundit, Abby dhe Keisha lançuan Line of Sight, një suitë e aktiviteteve të zhvillimit të artistëve, në vitin 2021. Abby ka linja nënvizuese në Film Comment, Filmmaker Magazine, Film Quarterly, Hyperallergic, dhe publikime të tjera, ka shqyrtuar aplikimet për BGDM, NEA, SFFILM, LEF Foundation, Sundance Catalyst, si dhe u folën dhe u lehtësuan në panele në TIFF, NYFF dhe festivale të tjerë të filmit.

E lindur në Izmir, Gürcan Keltek studioi film në Universitetin Dokuz Eylül para se të drejtonte disa filma të shkurtëra përfshirë Overtime (2012), shfaqur në Visions Du Réel. Filmi i tij me gjatësi të mesme Colony (2015) u shfaq në FIDMarseille. Filmi i tij i parë artistik Meteorlar (2017) fitoi më shumë se njëzet çmime përfshirë Çmimin e Parë të Filmit të Lartë dhe Çmimin e Kritikëve të Filmit Boccolino d’Oro në Festivalin e Filmit në Lokarno. Ajo u shfaq në shumë festivale ndërkombëtare të filmit, përfshirë Roterdamin, BAFICI, Viennale, Bordo, Fajr, Hong Kong dhe Shoqërinë e Filmit të Artit të Realit të Qendrës Lincoln. Gulyabani (2018) u shfaq premierë në Festivalin e Shenjave të Jetës në Locarno dhe u shfaq në Tate Modern, Reykjavik, Rotterdam dhe Viennale. Projekti i tij i ardhshëm i filmit artistik New Dawn Fades u zgjodh në Festivalin e filmit L’Atelier of Cannes në 2019.

I diplomuar në National Film & Television School në Britani të Madhe, Mahdi Fleifel studioi Regji Trilluese me mentor si Stephen Frears dhe Pawel Pawlikowski. Në vitin 2010 ai themeloi kompaninë e filmave Nakba FilmWorks me bazë në Londër. Debutimi i Fleifel i vlerësuar në mënyrë kritike, ‘A WORLD NOT OURS’, mori mbi 30 çmime, përfshirë këtu edhe Berlinale Peace Prize, Edinburgh, Yamagata dhe DOC:NYC Grand Jury Prize. Në vitin 2016 Fleifel fitoi çmimin Silver Bear për filmin ‘A MAN RETURNED’. Vazhdimi i tij, ‘A DROWNING MAN’, ishte në Offical Competition në Cannes dhe u nominua për BAFTA. ‘I SIGNED THE PETITION’ fitoi Best Documentary Short në IDFA dhe ishte i nominuar për Europian Film Awards në vitin 2018.

Enis Saraçi filloi redaktimin e filmave në vitin 2011. Ai ka punuar në filma që kanë fituar çmime ndërkombëtare si “In Between” drejtuar nga Samir Karahoda, i cili pati premierën botërore në Berlinale, dhe “Hive” me regji të Blerta Basholli, një tre-fitues i kohës në “Sundance Festival” prestigjioz. Saraci’s gjithashtu ka punuar në filmin ‘Displaced’ të Karahoda, i cili ishte pjesë e konkursit zyrtar në kategorinë e filmave të shkurtër në Cannes Film Festival. Ai aktualisht është duke përfunduar studimet master në redaktimin e filmit në Akademinë ‘FAMU’ në Pragë, Republika Çeke.

Ruken Tekeş është një eksperte ndërkombëtare për të drejtat e njeriut, e cila ka punuar për disa vite për Kombet e Bashkuara, si dhe ka ligjëruar në Universitetin Koç. Ajo është një regjisore autodidakte, ku edhe ka filluar të shkruaj skenarë dhe të drejtojë për çështje sociale, politike dhe mjedisore në vitin 2015. Filmi i parë i saj i shkurtër me shumë çmime HEVÊRK / THE CIRCLE ka marrë pjesë në mbi dyqind festivale në mbarë botën dhe është nominuar për Europian Film Award – Europian Short Film 2017. Dokumentari i veçuar i saj AETHER debutoi në premieren e Internatioal Competition of Visions Du Reel 2019, ku edhe fitoi çmimin Golden Orange Jury në Antalya dhe vazhdoi me shfaqje të tjera dhe me çmime të tjera poashtu. Tekes është anëtar i Europian Film Academy.

Tom Grimshaw është një programues dhe kurator filmi i pavarur që aktualisht jeton në Berlin. Ai u diplomua nga Universiteti i Sussex në vitin 2008 me një diplomë në Studimet e Filmit dhe pastaj vazhdoi një MA në Kinematografinë e Dokumentarëve nga Kolegji i Komunikimit në Londër. Për pesë vjet, ai ishte programuesi i lartë në Festivalin e Filmit të Shkurtër në Londër, duke kuruar si programin ndërkombëtar të konkursit ashtu edhe ngjarjet speciale me fokus në kinemanë eksperimentale dhe imazhin lëvizës të artistit, duke paraqitur retrospektiva të kineastëve si Rainer Kohlberger, Anne Charlotte Robinson dhe Colectivo Los Ingrávidos. Ai gjithashtu ka shërbyer në komitetet përzgjedhëse si për Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur ashtu edhe për Filmfest Dresden.

Enis Saraçi filloi redaktimin e filmave në vitin 2011. Ai ka punuar në filma që kanë fituar çmime ndërkombëtare si “In Between” drejtuar nga Samir Karahoda, i cili pati premierën botërore në Berlinale, dhe “Hive” me regji të Blerta Basholli, një tre-fitues i kohës në “Sundance Festival” prestigjioz. Saraci’s gjithashtu ka punuar në filmin ‘Displaced’ të Karahoda, i cili ishte pjesë e konkursit zyrtar në kategorinë e filmave të shkurtër në Cannes Film Festival. Ai aktualisht është duke përfunduar studimet master në redaktimin e filmit në Akademinë ‘FAMU’ në Pragë, Republika Çeke.

Ruken Tekeş është një eksperte ndërkombëtare për të drejtat e njeriut, e cila ka punuar për disa vite për Kombet e Bashkuara, si dhe ka ligjëruar në Universitetin Koç. Ajo është një regjisore autodidakte, ku edhe ka filluar të shkruaj skenarë dhe të drejtojë për çështje sociale, politike dhe mjedisore në vitin 2015. Filmi i parë i saj i shkurtër me shumë çmime HEVÊRK / THE CIRCLE ka marrë pjesë në mbi dyqind festivale në mbarë botën dhe është nominuar për Europian Film Award – Europian Short Film 2017. Dokumentari i veçuar i saj AETHER debutoi në premieren e Internatioal Competition of Visions Du Reel 2019, ku edhe fitoi çmimin Golden Orange Jury në Antalya dhe vazhdoi me shfaqje të tjera dhe me çmime të tjera poashtu. Tekes është anëtar i Europian Film Academy.

Tom Grimshaw është një programues dhe kurator filmi i pavarur që aktualisht jeton në Berlin. Ai u diplomua nga Universiteti i Sussex në vitin 2008 me një diplomë në Studimet e Filmit dhe pastaj vazhdoi një MA në Kinematografinë e Dokumentarëve nga Kolegji i Komunikimit në Londër. Për pesë vjet, ai ishte programuesi i lartë në Festivalin e Filmit të Shkurtër në Londër, duke kuruar si programin ndërkombëtar të konkursit ashtu edhe ngjarjet speciale me fokus në kinemanë eksperimentale dhe imazhin lëvizës të artistit, duke paraqitur retrospektiva të kineastëve si Rainer Kohlberger, Anne Charlotte Robinson dhe Colectivo Los Ingrávidos. Ai gjithashtu ka shërbyer në komitetet përzgjedhëse si për Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur ashtu edhe për Filmfest Dresden.

Ass. Prof. Nita Luci është një studiuese feministe. Ajo jep mësim në Universitetin e Prishtinës ku kryeson Departamentin e Antropologjisë. Bursa e saj fokusohet në kryqëzimin e politikës kulturore nacionaliste, burrërisë, kujtesës dhe lëvizjeve politike. Ajo ka bashkëthemeluar Programin Universitar për Studime Gjinore - UP, dhe ka marrë grante të shumta kërkimore, bursa dhe ka udhëhequr projekte mësimore/kërkimore. Ajo gjithashtu ka punuar me nisma të artit pjesëmarrës dhe bashkëkohor, kohët e fundit si hetuese në projektin UKAHRC/GCRF Ndryshimi i Historisë, duke eksploruar mënyrat në të cilat artistët, organizatat artistike dhe nismat, mund të angazhojnë të rinjtë në edukimin qytetar, trashëgiminë dhe drejtësinë sociale.

Wouter Jansen është pronar i kompanisë së shitjes dhe shpërndarjes së festivaleve ‘Square Eyes’, e cila përfaqëson tipare të theksuara, të drejtuara nga autori dhe filma të shkurtër, dhe bashkëpunon ngushtë me kineastët për të hartuar strategji të shpërndarjes dhe shitjes të festivalit me porosi. Kjo ka rezultuar në një katalog të vogël të filmave që shfaqen në festivale prestigjioze dhe fitojnë çmime të shumta gjatë viteve të fundit në Kanë, TIFF, Berlin, Locarno dhe Clermont-Ferrand. Wouter ka ligjëruar në shkolla si Le Fresnoy, HEAD Geneva dhe Akademia e Filmit në Hollandë, si dhe ka moderuar dhe udhëhequr punëtori në festivale si IDFA, Locarno, True/False, Winterthur, VIS Vienna Shorts dhe të tjera. Ai është një alumni i Talents Berlinale.

Ziad Kalthoum është një regjisor sirian që aktualisht jeton në Berlin. Në dokumentarin e tij të parë ‘OH MY HEART’ ai portretizoi një grup të grave kurde që kanë zgjedhur të jetojnë në një shoqëri pa burra. Filmi u ndalua të shfaqet në Siri për arsye politike. Në vitin 2012, gjatë shpërthimit të revolucionit sirian, ai filloi të punonte në filmin e tij të parë të metrazhit të lartë, ‘THE IMMORTAL SERGEANT’, ndërsa shërbente një shërbim të detyrueshëm ushtarak. Filmi pati premierën e tij në Festivalin e Filmit në Locarno në 2014, ndërsa në 2015, ai fitoi Festivalin Arabik të BBC në kategorinë ‘Dokumentari më i mirë artistik’. Duke refuzuar të luftojë me njerëzit e tij, ai u largua nga Ushtria Siriane në vitin 2013 dhe iku në Bejrut, ku filloi të punojë në “Shije të çimentos”. Filmi ka udhëtuar nëpër festivale në të gjithë botën dhe ka fituar çmime të ndryshme, Golden Sesterce për Dokumentarin më të mirë në Visions du Réel është një prej tyre.

Ahmet Gürata është një akademik, kritik filmi dhe kurator i festivalit. Aktualisht, ai është një studiues i lartë vizitues në Institutin e Studimeve Turke të Universitetit të Stokholmit (SUITS). Ai ka botuar një kërkim mbi historinë e kinemasë turke, pritjet, xhirimet dhe dokumentarët në antologji dhe revista. Hulumtimi i tij aktual përfshin projekte mbi studimet arkivë dhe krahasuese të filmit. Ai gjithashtu punon si programues për Antalya Film Festival dhe Festival on Wheels.

Brigid O’Shea filloi karrierën e saj në Berlin International Film Festival, duke punuar me departamente të ndryshme duke përfshirë Berlinale Talents, Berlinale Co-Production Market dhe EFM. Ajo filloi të punojë për DOK Leipzig, së pari si koordinatore e Programit të Industrisë DOK në 2010 dhe më pas u emërua Shefe e Industrisë DOK në fund të vitit 2014. Ajo u largua nga ky post në 2021 për të krijuar Shoqatën Dokumentare të Evropës, për të futur në një të re brez profesionistësh dhe avokues në nivel pan-Evropian për kineastët e dokumentarëve. Aktualisht ajo shërben në bordet këshilluese të B2B Doc dhe DMZ Doc

Jeton Jagxhiu është artist grafik, menaxher dhe bashkëthemelues i “Punëtori Grafike”, një studio reklamash me bazë në Prizren dhe një shtypshkronjë. Ndër shumë gjëra të tjera, Jetoni shkruan për ushqimin, kulturën, identitetin dhe është gjithashtu një aktivist mjedisor dhe politik.

Claire Simon e lindur në Londër, filloi karrierën e saj duke drejtuar filma të shkurtër të pavarur. Pasi zbuloi praktikën e kinemasë direkte me Ateliers Varan, ajo pastaj bëri disa dokumentarë të tillë si Coûte que coûte dhe Récréations, të cilët morën çmime të shumta. Më pas, ajo shkroi dhe drejtoi tre filma artistikë të metrazhit të gjatë (Sinon oui, Ça brûle dhe Les Bureaux de dieu), të cilët u prezantuan në Dyjavëshin e Drejtorit në Kanë. Ndërsa shumë nga filmat e saj si Nord, Le Bois Dont les Rêves Sont Faits, Le Concours dhe Young Solitude kanë pasur premierat e tyre në festivale prestigjioze të filmit, ajo do të vazhdojë traditën e saj “premierë” me trillimin e saj të fundit artistik “I want to talk about Duras “, në San Sebastian 2021.

Dea Gjinovci është një regjisore-producente zvicerane-shqiptare me seli mes Parisit dhe Gjenevës. Ajo është një alum 2019 Sundance Talent Forum dhe Anëtar i Pavarur i Filmit. Dokumentari i shkurtër i saj i vlerësuar me çmime “Sans le Kosovo” fitoi Filmin më të Mirë Kombëtar në DokuFest në 2017, ndërsa dokumentari i saj debutues me metrazh të gjatë “Wake up on Mars” mori mbështetje nga Instituti i Filmit Sundance dhe Ford Foundation/JustFilms, si dhe fitoi çmimi i fushës “Perspectives d’un doc” në Visions du Réel 2018. Premiera u shfaq virtualisht në Festivalin e Filmit Tribeca 2020 dhe Visions du Réel në Zvicër. Gjinovci u vlerësua me “Best New Talent” në Festivalin Biografilm 2020 dhe Zagrebdox 2021, dhe Wake Up on Mars u nominua për çmimin prestigjioz “Prix de Soleure” dhe “Opera Prima” në Solothurner Tage 2021.

Svetla Turnin është bashkëthemeluese, Drejtore Ekzekutive dhe Shefe e Shpërndarjes së Kinema Politica, një ekspozitë dhe rrjet shpërndarës me bazë kanadeze për dokumentarë politikë në të gjithë botën, dhe platforma e transmetimit në internet CP On Demand. Në vitin 2016 ajo bashkë-themeloi Cinema Politica Productions, e cila është e përkushtuar për të mbështetur punën e grave në zhvillim dhe kineastëve queer, dhe aktualisht është duke prodhuar AGENT DYNAMO nga regjisorja bullgaro-kanadeze Lea Marinova. Svetla shkruan dhe boton për aktivizmin dokumentar, gratë në dokumentarë dhe festivale filmash. Ajo aktualisht është redaktore e ftuar për edicionin e ardhshëm mbi Kinema dhe Rezistencë për botimin e pavarur të majtë bullgar Dversia. Që nga viti 2016 ajo është duke kuruar konkursin e dokumentarëve në Festivalin Ndërkombëtar të Filmit në Sofje dhe është diplomuar në EURODOC 2018.

Alessandro Stellino (1973), film critic and festival programmer, is the artistic director of Festival dei Popoli and of IsReal - Festival di Cinema del Reale. He teaches film courses at the Civica Scuola di Cinema in Milano, NABA Milano and CISA Locarno. He founded the online film quarterly Filmidee (www. filmidee.it).

Melis Behlil is an Associate Professor of Cinema Studies and Chair of Radio, Television and Cinema Department at Kadir Has University in Istanbul, Turkey. She has been a Visiting Scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Research Associate at Stockholm University, and a founding member of European Network for Cinema and Media Studies (NECS). In addition to teaching and other academic duties, she writes film reviews for various publications, co-hosts a weekly radio show, and is a member of the Turkish Film Critics Association and FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics).

Marija Zidar is a Slovenian filmmaker. Her award-winning documentary Reconciliation premiered at CPH:DOX, and was selected for IDFA Best of Fests, Sydney FF, Sarajevo FF and ZINEBI, among others. The awards include Best Balkan Film at DokuFest Prizren, Best Female Director at Sofia DocuMental, and Best Documentary at the Festival of Slovenian Film. Her background is in Journalism (BA in Journalism; BA in English Language and Literature) and she has a PhD in Sociology at the University of Ljubljana. She is passionate about presenting thoroughly investigated social issue stories.