THE DIRECTORS

​BEATRICE BALDACCI
​Born in 1993 in Città di Castello (Italy), Beatrice Baldacci graduated in Cinema at the University of Fine Arts.
​In 2019 she won the Zavattini Award with the autobiographical documentary Superheroes without Superpowers, in the Orizzonti section of the 76th Venice Film Festival at the Venice Biennale.
In 2021 she was chosen by Biennale College Cinema as the only Italian director, financing her first feature film La Tana (2021), presented as a national premiere at the 78th Venice Biennale Film Festival.
La Tana won the Raffaella Fioretta Award for Best Italian Film at Alice Nella Città. The film was released in cinemas in 2022 and received a warm reception from critics. It also received a nomination for the Nastri D'argento 2022.
​In 2024, she wrote and directed the short film Comunque Bene, selected in the official Alice Nella Città competition in the Onde Corte section.
SAULIUS  BARADINSKAS
Saulius Baradinskas is a film & music video director from Vilnius, Lithuania (born on September 19, 1990). In 2013 Saulius graduated Architecture in Vilnius Arts Academy. In the 2018 annual music video awards Saulius won "the best director award” and "the best music video award”.
​In 2019, Saulius premiered his debut short film Golden Minutes. This short film was filmed on one take and the main role was created by famous Scottish actor Billy Boyd, who starred in Lord Of The Rings. The short film won various awards and traveled to more than 40 film festivals around the world. In 2020 Saulius was selected as one of the Berlinale Talents in the 70th Berlinale Film Festival.
​His second short film Techno, Mama premiered at the 78th Venice Film Festival in 2021.
​NIRARTHA BAS DIWANGKARA
​Nirartha Bas Diwangkara is a Balinese film director and producer based in Denpasar.
Nirartha holds a degree from Udayana University and received a scholarship to study basic digital filmmaking in the United States for almost a year. In his practice, he is interested in talking about his own island and its people, especially about gender, sexuality, toxic masculinity, and mental health topics that society often avoids discussing.
Nirartha has actively volunteered in film screening communities and local film festivals in Bali. In 2018, he co-founded Film Sarad, a film production community. His debut film, Insanely Infatuated with Someone at the Most Inappropriate Time / Tergila - Gila won the 2019 Bali Jani Festival and was featured in the 2019 S-Express Indonesia exchange program.
The film has been screened at various film festivals across Southeast Asia, such as the Thai Film and Video Festival, SEA Shorts, and Minikino Film Week, as well as the 2022 Bogoshorts International Short Film Festival in Bogota, Colombia.
His last short film, Where the Wild Frangipanis Growm had its world premiere in Busan International Film Festival 2023 and he just received the Prince Claus Seed Award 2023 to embrace his journey in developing new projects.  In addition to making fiction films, Nirartha has also worked on animations and documentary films that are supported by the Ministry of Culture and Education as well as The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.
​LEILA BASMA
Leila Basma is a Lebanese filmmaker and photographer currently based between Beirut and Prague.
She holds a BA in Audiovisual Arts from IESAV in Beirut, and an MA in Film Directing at FAMU. Through her work, she explores the themes of society, youth, womanhood, and identity.
Her second-year FAMU short documentary The Adam Basma Project was short-listed for the 48th annual Student Academy Awards (the Student Oscars) after touring various international documentary film festivals.
Her graduation film Sea Salt was selected to premiere at the 80th La Biennale Venice International Film Festival in the official Orizzonti Short Films Competition.
Leila is currently developing her feature documentary Dance with Me, winner of the Robert Bosch Stiftung development award, while working on various other projects.
​CANSU BAYDAR
​Cansu Baydar is an Istanbul-based filmmaker.
Baydar studied film at Bahçeşehir University. She has spent many years working as an assistant to directors and producers in the film industry. Her first short film, Neredeyse Kesinlikle Yanlış (Almost Certainly False), was selected for its premiere at the 81st La Biennale Venice International Film Festival, in the official Orizzonti Short Films Competition.
She focuses on exploring themes of identity, memory, boundaries, and borders in her work.
​​DEKEL BERENSON & PAUL WESLEY
Dekel Berenson is an award winning writer, director, and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Drawing inspiration from traveling to more than sixty countries, Dekel explores real-world social and humanitarian issues. His short film Anna premiered in Competition at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival, won the Best British Short award at the 22nd BIFA awards and was shortlisted for a BAFTA.
His short film Ashmina won numerous prizes, including Best Short
Film at the 59th Krakow Film Festival and Best Live Action Short at the 36th Jerusalem Film Festival, qualifying the film for Academy Awards consideration twice. The two films screened in more than 800 festivals.
Dekel holds a Master's degree in International Relations and European Studies. He is the recipient of a number of academic awards including an Outstanding Academic Achievement Award and the Best Thesis Award, which he received for his master's thesis "Biopolitics And EU Governance: Foucault, Agamben and The Production of a European People."

Paul Wesley is an actor and director born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to Polish immigrants Tomasz and Agnieszka Wasilewski.
Moving back and forth between the US and Poland until the age of 16, the experience of living in two countries has shaped his adult life.
Paul's recent directorial work includes various episodic television episodes and, as an activist for animal rights, a documentary short concerning the protection of farm animals.
His producing credits include Before I Disappear which won the audience award at SXSW and competed in the 'Venice Days' section of the Venice Film Festival.
​RHAVIN BANDA
​Rhavin Banda (he/him) is a British-Australian filmmaker, born in 1997.
He is of Sri Lankan, Malaysian and Punjabi descent, working between Sydney and London.
​Stepping on his first film set at age 15 in Mad Max: Fury Road, he worked his way up through projects such as The Invisible Man, Shang Chi And Mr Inbetween (S2) to his place as the youngest location scout and manager in Australia.
Today, he frequently works with Causeway Films, running the department on films such as Talk To Me, Bring Her Back and The Fox.
His debut short film Bondi Boy, filmed in 2018 and completed in 2025, was recently acquired by Lights On.
Rhavin is currently developing a black comedy-drama short film titled Meth Monk, following the students at a Buddhist temple in rural NSW caught in a power struggle when their beloved head abbott is outed for smoking meth.
He’s also developing a range of feature-length screenplays, including a psychedelic slasher set at a trance rave in the Australian bush, co-written with Will Suen (Sweet Juices).
POM BUNSERMVICHA 
Pom Bunsermvicha is a non-binary filmmaker based in Bangkok, Thailand. Their work, which mostly combines documentary elements with fiction, has been shown at festivals in Southeast Asia and abroad, including International Film Festival Rotterdam, Locarno Film Festival, MoMA’s Doc Fortnight, Hamburg International Short Film Festival, and SeaShorts.
NICOLE CHI
Nicole Chi is a Costa Rican-Chinese director of narrative and documentary films.
Her first feature length documentary, Guián (2023), premiered at Visions du Réel in the Burning Lights Competition. Her narrative short films Comadre (2022) and Los Mosquitos (2024) have screened at festivals like the Telluride Film Festival, SXSW, and Cinélatino Rencontres Toulouse. She’s been recognized with awards like the Director's Guild of America’s Student Film Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement.
She’s in development of her first narrative film La Versión Cansada.
CHHEANGKEA
Chheangkea is a Cambodia-born filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York.
He earned a BS in Architecture from MIT and an MFA in Filmmaking from the NYU Tisch Graduate Film program, where he was a Dean’s Fellow. He is a former Marcie Bloom Fellow and a recipient of the Sundance Asian American Scholarship.
Through his films, Chheangkea seeks to showcase the complexities and nuances of queer and Cambodian stories.
His short film, Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites (2025), will premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
His previous short film, Skin Can Breathe, was a finalist of the 2022 HBO Max APA Visionaries competition and is now streaming on Max.
​His debut feature film, Little Phnom Penh, is currently in development, having been selected for the HamptonsFilm Screenwriters Lab, MunichFilmUp, and the NYU Purple List in 2024.
​​GIULIA COSENTINO & PERLA SARDELLA
Giulia Cosentino is a film director, screenwriter and researcher, born in Catania, Sicily (Italy).
She graduated in cinema and visual art attending Roma Tre University, Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, Nova in Lisbon and Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona.
She has collaborated in many movies among Martin Eden by Pietro Marcello, Io capitano by Matteo Garrone and Grand Tour by Miguel Gomes.
In 2019 she directed her first short movie He and I (premiered at Torino Film Festival), and in 2020 her second one Why are you running away?, that is part of a collective film Le storie che saremo produced by Ginko Film.
In 2022 she won the Italian prize Premio Solinas for the best script for feature film.
Currently, she is based between Rome and Palermo, where she teaches directing in archiver re-use in Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia – Sede Sicilia and works as screenwriter and director.

​Perla Sardella is editor and documentarist, born in Jesi in 1991 (Italy).
She graduated in Cinema and Multimedia Arts at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, in Milan.
She works with still and moving images, and with different formats including linear audiovisual, photography and video installations.
Comfort Zone (2015), her first short film, was presented at the Torino Film Festival in the Italiana.corti programme. Prendere la parola (2019) wins first prize in the Perspectives category at the FILMMAKER Festival in Milan.
Le grand viveur (2020) was selected in competition in the medium and short film section of the Visions Du Réel festival.
Some of her works have been shown in national and international art galleries (The Wrong Biennale, Biennale Mulhouse de la jeune création, Fondazione smART).
She is co-founder of the association for the valorisation of the family film heritage “Reframing Home Movies”.  She lives and works in Genoa.
LEINAD PÁJARO DE LA ​HOZ
Leinad Pájaro De la Hoz is a director, photographer, teacher and artist. Graduate of the Fiction Directing course at Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV (EICTV). His works have been awarded and/or screened in national and international competitions such as Berlinale, TIFF, VLAFF, Visions du réel, FIC Monterrey, Panorama de cine Colombiano de París, Bogoshorts, la Bienal de arte de Bolivia.
​His most recent fiction short film Un Pájaro voló won the special prize of the international jury for Best Short Film at Berlinale 2024.
He is currently developing the fiction feature film El ruido de las largas
distancias and the documentary feature Voces de Neptuno, winner of the FDC in Colombia.
In 2023 he founded the production company Bølier Films with the filmmaker María Alejandra Rodriguez.
VEERLE DE WILDE
​Veerle De Wilde is a Dutch-Belgian filmmaker based in Ghent, Belgium. She studied psychology at Ghent University and audiovisual arts at KASK School of Arts.
In 2020 she graduated with the short film Spaceboy, which was selected for film festivals such as Brussels Short Film Festival, Giffoni and Sarajevo Film Festival,  and has won multiple awards. Veerle is a TSFM Word-Frame and Interfilm Script Pitch alumna. Like her other films, Ultraviolet is inspired by her experiences working as a psychotherapist with both adults and youngsters.
ANTONIO DONATO
Antonio Donato is a filmmaker from Milan (Italy) who trained at the London Film School, graduating in 2023 with Distinction.
His graduation film, Sparare alle Angurie, has been selected for the BAFTA Yugo 2023, El Gouna Film Festival , Interfilm Berlin and it's currently distributed by Lights On Films.
He has also worked on international productions as a producer and editor, and some of these short films have been screened at Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying film festivals.
Recently he was one of few filmmakers accepted from a global callout to be invited to take part in the Locarno Film Festival's 'Base Camp' program.
​Antonio is currently developing a new short and his feature film debut.
​ELHAM EHSAS
​Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, Elham Ehsas is a BAFTA nominated writer and director working in Film & TV.
He loves stories that explore what it means to be human, how the tiniest of moments can change us forever through connection, and where hope can take us if we are allowed to dream.
His debut short Our Kind of Love was BAFTA long-listed in 2019 and has been screenedCat festivals worldwide. The film has garnered over 3.6 million views on YouTube toCdate.
His second short film Yellow was BAFTA nominated in 2024 and shortlisted for the Academy Awards in the same year.
Elham is also currently writing a feature film with acclaimed writer John Collee (Happy Feet, Hotel Mumbai, Master and Commander), adapting his short film Our Kind of Love to feature form. He has been commissioned by Bad Wolf Productions (Doctor Who, His Dark Materials, A Discovery of Witches, I Hate Suzie) to write and devise a new television show about an anthology of refugee characters in London.
He is also working with Synchronicity Pictures to adapt Hamid Amiri’s acclaimed Boy With Two Hearts into a television series.
He made his acting debut in the acclaimed international hit film The Kite Runner, and has since appeared in numerous films and TV including Brad Pitt’s War Machine, Netflix’s Young Wallander and the final season of ShowTime’s Homeland, as well as performing on stage in the Young Vic, West End and New York runs of The Jungle.
He can also be seen on Apple TV’s Shantaram as well as the second season of Little America, also on Apple TV.
​EMILIJA GASIC
Emilija Gasic is an award-winning filmmaker born in 1991 in Serbia, now residing in New York City.
She graduated with an MFA in Cinematography from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Emilija grew up in a small Serbian town in the 90s against a background of news reports on war, a dying country and the sense of uncertainty which deeply affected her sensibility in arts and formed her observant style in creating tension and atmosphere in her films.
Her films have had successful festival runs and have screened at renowned festivals such as Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Oscar qualifying Izmir Kisa Film Festival and many others.
Her feature film screenplay Mileva that she co-wrote with Nicola Lanthier-Rogers was awarded with the Production Honorable Mention Award by the Sloan Foundation in 2021. She developed her first feature film screenplay 78 Days at Venice Biennale College of Cinema 2020.
As a cinematographer, Emilija shot films in the USA, France, Norway and Czech Republic. She is a Nikon Storytellers Award recipient and a finalist for the Volker Bahnemann for Outstanding Cinematography.
Her most recent cinematography work  Stay Here If You Want (directed by Sarah Rosen) premiered at Davey Fest 2022 and Lost Beyond Stars
(directed by Kayla Arend) showing at LA Shorts, St Louis International Film Fest, CineQuest and many others.
​Emilija’s film photography traveling exhibition “In | Between” started in Serbia, with parts of it being showcased in Hackney Studios in London and in its entirety at Culture Lab in New York City in 2021.
She is the co-founder of Istok Films with Alex Wiske.
78 Days (78 dana), her first feature film, is included in the official selection of the international Film Festival Rotterdam 2024.
ELNAZ GHADERPOUR & REZA GAMINI
Elnaz Ghaderpour is born on 1990 in Kermanshah, Iran.
She attended the Tehran Art University and graduated in BA film directing and she also has an MA in Editing. For 12 years she has worked as an editor.
Abraham is her first short film.

Born 1988 Tehran (Iran), Reza Gamini has directed 5 short films including Endorphin which won a special mention for the jury at the 66th Locarno Film Festival.
PEPI GINSBERG
Pepi Ginsberg started her career as a professional recording and touring artist, gaining critical acclaim from media outlets such as NPR, Pitchfork, and many more.
After leaving the stage, Ginsberg enrolled in NYU’s Grad Film Program and received an MFA in 2022.
Her thesis film, The Pass, premiered at Cannes and has played at TIFF, BFI, and many more and is licensed to Criterion, Canal+ and The New Yorker.
Her latest short WASSUPKAYLEE (Arte) premiered at SXSW 2025.
GIULIA GRANDINETTI
Giulia Grandinetti made her debut as director in 2020 with the independent feature film Alice and the Land that Wonders, and then dedicated herself to a trilogy of dystopian short films: Guinea Pig, Tria - del sentimento del tradire (World Premiere at Venezia Film Festival 2022 - Orizzonti Short Films Competition) and Majonezë.
She is currently preparing her next feature film titled Jaune et Bleu.
She is creatively fascinated by the formula of dystopia, by taboos and by the dreamlike dimension. The starting point for each of her creations is work on the body.
MARINTHIA GUTIÉRRIEZ
Writer and director from Tijuana, Mexico. Marinthia Gutiérrez graduated from the UCLA Theater, Film, and Television School in 2018 with a Bachelor’s in Film, & TV, emphasizing in Narrative Directing.
Marinthia is drawn to tell stories that are character-driven and introspective in an almost surreal way– she likes being close to her subjects in order to show raw emotions through highly stylized images. 
Her tone can be described as atmospheric magical realism.
Marinthia's horror-dance short film, Ella se queda (She stays), is the recipient of the 2022 Standard Fantastic Fellowship, which is sponsored by Kodak and Fotokem to shoot in 16mm film, Official Selection at Semaine de la Critique - Cannes 2024 and Guadalajara International Film Festival 2024.
RODRIGO GUERRERO
Rodrigo Guerrero was born in Cordoba, Argentina, in 1982.
He has a degree in Film and Television as a graduate from the National University of Cordoba. He also has a Masters Degree in Creating Audiovisual Screenplays from the International University in La Rioja, Spain.
His first feature film El invierno de los raros (2011) had its world premiere at the 40th Rotterdam International Film Festival.
His second feature film as director is titled, El tercero, which premiered at 16th edition of the BAFICI (April 2014).
His third feature film project, Venezia had its world premiere at the 73rd edition of Edinburgh International Film Festival in June, 2019. 
His fourth feature film, Siete perros, participated in Cine en Construcción 38 Lima - Toulouse and will have its world premiere at the 43rd edition of Cairo International Film Festival. Currently he is developing his new film, Perimetral.
​​​GALA HERNÁNDEZ LÓPEZ
Gala Hernández López is an artist, filmmaker, and researcher.
Her work examines the modes of subjectivation produced by computational capitalism and the new techno-utopias shaping our collective unconscious.
​It has been presented at events such as the Berlinale, Cinéma du Réel, DOK Leipzig, Côté Court, FIFIB, Clermont-Ferrand, Palais de Tokyo, SEMINCI, and FRAC Île-de-France. Her film The Mechanics of Fluids won the César for Best Documentary Short Film in 2024.
​​ROSSELLA INGLESE 
Rossella Inglese is an Italian screenwriter, editor, and director.
She has a screenwriting diploma from Nuct School of Cinema and Television, Rome under the tutoring of Laura Bispuri, Anna Pavignano, and Daniele Cesarano.
She graduated in Digital Filmmaking at Sae Institute in Milan, where she was tutored by director Mirko Locatelli and screenwriter Luca Vendruscolo.
Inglese's work focuses on teenagers exploring their sexuality.
Her first short movies were Sara and Vanilia. Vanilla was selected at the 31st International Film Critics' Week at Venice Film Festival.
The following year she directed Denise, which was selected at Calgary International Fim Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival, Wimbledon International Short Film Festival, and at the major Italian festivals (Venice's 75th International Film Festival, Giovani Autori Italiani, European Film Festival) receiving multiple accolades: Corto Dorico-Premio Nie Wiem, Premio Afrodite, Best Director at Roma Creative Contost. Premio Emidio Greco, Best Editing and Best Actress at Valdarmo Cinema Film Festival.
Her last short movie, Eva had its world premiere at the 36 Settimana internazionale della critica di Venezia (Sic@Sic).
​​STEFAN IVANČIĆ
Stefan Ivancic is a film director, producer and programmer born in 1985 in Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia.
He graduated Film directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, Belgrade. His short films have been selected in many international festivals such Cannes, Rotterdam, FID Marseille, San Sebastian, Visions du Réel and Torino, among others. Stefan is the producer of the feature film The Load (2018) by Ognjen Glavonic, premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes, and Wind, Talk to Me (2025) by Stefan Djordjevic, premiered in the Tiger Competition of the IFF Rotterdam, as well as a co-producer of You Have the Night (2018) and Wondrous is the Silence of My Master (2025) by Ivan Salatic, and Have You Seen This Woman? (2022) by Dusan Zoric and Matija Gluscevic.
​He is a member of the selection committee of the Locarno Film Festival and is also a programmer at the Belgrade Auteur Film Festival. He teaches at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. He is a member of the European Film Academy.
BIRUTĖ KAPUSTINSKAITĖ
Birute Kapustinskaite has been working as a screenwriter and a playwright for quite some time. She received the main National Award as the best playwright of the year for the play Therapies, which was
also staged in South Korea. She holds the best screenplay award for
her feature film Sasha Was Here from Aubagne Film Festival.
In 2019, the screenwriter also started directing. her debut short film, Mothers (2019), received a special mention at Ismailia Film Festival in Egypt (2022) and has been touring around festivals. 
The Nominees (2024) is the second short film she directed.
VYTAUTAS KATKUS
Born in 1991 in Vilnius, Vytautas Katkus is one of the most talented and appreciated up-and-coming directors and cinematographers in Lithuania. He graduated with a BA in Cinematography and at the moment continues his MA studies at Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.
He debuted as a director with his first short film Community Gardens (2019), which was selected to the 58th Semaine de la Critique, while his second short film Places (2020) premiered in Venice, Orizzonti Competition. Vytautas latest short is Cherries, official selection at Cannes Film Festival 2022.
Currently he is also developing his first feature film The Visitor, which won the NEXT STEP program of Semaine de la Critique - Cannes in 2022.
LUCY KERR
​Lucy Kerr is a filmmaker and artist based in New York.
She was named one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film in Filmmaker Magazine in 2022. 
Kerr received a dual MFA in Film/Video and Art from California Institute of the Arts on the Lillian Disney Scholarship.
Her feature film, Family Portrait, garnered her the feature film grant from Austin Film Society, the AirFrance Prize from FIDLab, and the New Horizons Award from US in Progress.
​Kerr’s work has been presented by International Film Festival Rotterdam, FIDMarseille, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Reykjavik International Film Festival, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, REDCAT, Anthology Film Archives, Francois Ghebaly Gallery, and others.
Family Portrait world premiered at the Locarno Film Festival 2023, Concorso Cineasti del presente section.
MICHELLE KESERWANY AND NOEL KESERWANY
Michelle Keserwany and Noel Keserwany are Lebanese musicians, writers, and filmmakers.
The sisters are known for their satirical music videos that criticize the Lebanese corrupt political system. Ever since Michelle co-wrote Capernaum with director Nadine Labaki (Academy Award nominee, winner of the Prix du Jury in Cannes 2018 as well as Best Script Award at Stockholm IFF), they started their own film projects, including the political documentary Slow Burn, a co-production between France and Lebanon, produced by Special Touch Studios and supported by the CNC.
Between 2019 and 2021, they both received grants from the French Institute to reside at La Cite des Arts in Paris and work on their film projects. They live between Beirut and Paris.  
Noel is currently writing her first fiction film Un An and developing an animated short film Seven Mountains and Seven Seas, grantee of the DFI Production Fund, and produced by Dewberries Films.
Michelle is currently developing her first animated feature film Ouzkourini, produced by Special Touch Studios. In 2021, she received the CNC's Aide au Parcours d’Auteur grant, to develop her first fiction feature film Amara, a satirical political drama that takes place in Beirut.  
The sisters' debut short fiction film Les chenilles was written by Michelle, and directed by her and Noel, who also plays one of the lead roles in it.
Les chenilles, co-produced by La Biennale de Lyon and Dewberries Films , won the Golden Bear ​for the Best Short Film at Berlinale 2023.
​​SIMON MARIA KUBIENA
Simon Maria Kubiena, born in 1998, is based in Vienna and Berlin. He is studying directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg since 2019 and spent a semester in Paris at the La Fémis.
In 2023, he embarked on a master’s degree in screenwriting at the London Film School. His short film Blaues Rauschen was awarded at the 72nd Berlinale, followed by the co-directed short film Mise à nu which premiered at the 73rd Berlinale and was screened at the Sarajevo Film Festival, among others.
With the script for his first feature film The Flowering of a Chimera (WT), Simon has been invited to the 49th session of La Résidence du Festival de Cannes.
JJ LIN
Jianjie (JJ) Lin was on his way to becoming a biologist when the alluring world of cinema led him astray.
He received his filmmaking MFA from New York University.
His debut feature Brief History of a Family premiered at 2024 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Dramatic Competition and Berlinale Panorama.
In 2025, his narrative short film Hippopotami will premiere at Sundance Film Festival Short Film Competition.
LINDA LÔ
Linda Lô is a French-Senegalese director born in 1982 and raised by her brothers in Bordeaux, France. 
A Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs graduate, she lived in Rio, Brazil, and Dakar, Senegal, before working for the United Nations in New York. 
She started to write and act after a life-changing intensive at NYU Tisch School. 
She has worked as a screenwriter in Paris for years, and she loves exploring childhood, the immigrant experience, and geopolitics. WE HAD FUN is her directorial debut.
BIANCA LUCAS
Bianca Lucas is a graduate of Goldsmiths College in London and Béla Tarr’s 3-year Film.Factory course in Sarajevo.
Her short films have screened at international festivals such as IFFR - Film Festival Rotterdam, New Horizons, Sarajevo Film Festival, Premiers Plans d’Angers, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur among others.
​Love Dog, world premiere at Locarno Film Festival 2022, is her first feature film.
SEIN LYAN TUN
​Sein Lyan Tun is an emerging filmmaker from Myanmar, currently residing in Recollets Residency, Paris.
He started working as a film festival coordinator at Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival, Yangon in 2013.
He runs traveling film festivals and every year he reaches out to more than 300 schools around Myanmar to screen short films and documentaries.
​He also organized open air cinema to engage more audiences from different cities and villages. In 2015, his first short documentary film Charred Brick was premiered in One World Human Rights Film Festival in Prague.
He won the “People's Choice Award” from One World in Kyrgyzstan.
His documentary Unsilent Potato is well-recognized in Myanmar and Southeast Asia. He also directed and co-produced the TV documentaries: Border Boy; We Are Nuns,“ Dream Over Monsoon for Inside Lens, NHK World!'s new documentary strand.
His documentary For Me And Others Like Me won the Docs Spirit Award from Docs Port Incheon in 2016 and the HosoBunka Foundation Prize in 2017 at Japan Prize. He is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents 2022, FAMU summer filmmaking campus 2022, Talents Tokyo, American Film Showcase Fellowship, and Autumn Meeting directing workshop by Tran Anh Hung.
His short film Late Blooming In A Lonely Summer Day' has been selected for many international competitions like the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur (Switzerland), Festival Du Court Métrage de Clermont Ferrand (France), and Locarno Filmmakers Academy (Locarno). His first feature documentary The Bamboo Family which was selected at IDFA Academy and received IDFA development grants in 2022. In 2023, selected to VdR–pitching forum and won “Cannes Docs Award” and “Doc Leipzig Award”.
​The Beer Girl In Yangon is his first feature film, which won two Development prizes from CNC and Swiss Films under Locarno Open Doors at Locarno Open Doors 2021. which was selected at Cannes L'atelier Cinéfondation 2022, Torino Feature Lab 2023.
ARMON MAHDAVI
Armon Mahdavi is an Iranian-American writer and filmmaker from San Francisco.
He now lives in New York City, where he has production designed several short films and worked in the art department for features such as Past Lives, Eileen, and Mothers' Instinct.
His first feature, Moss Beach, premiered in 2023. Made for a micro-budget and a crew of five, the film centers around a literary translator in San Francisco and a weekend spent with her niece.
His short film, Untitled, Jackson Heights, had its world premiere at the Athens International Film and Video Fest in 2024.
​As a fiction writer, he has also published short fiction in places such as Gulf Coast, La Piccioletta Barca, and Bricolage.
SAM MANACSA
Sam Manacsa worked as Art Director on award-winning films such as Carlo Francisco Manatad’s Whether the Weather Is Fine.
Her short film, If People Such as We Cease to Exist (2016), was selected at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Competition.
Cross My Heart and Hope To Die (2023) was selected to premiere at the 80th La Biennale Venice International Film Festival in the official Orizzonti Short Films Competition.
Her first feature, The Void Is Immense on Idle Hours, is currently in development.
REIN MAYCHAELSON
​Imagination has always been his escape. Through his work, he can express his own voice, screaming on family, social and political issues beneath the reality bending stories.
Rein Maychaelson is an Indonesian writer and director, made his early voice through Udin Telekomsel, a film about a boy who can text God with his phone, the film have been screened at Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival.
In 2018, his short film, Errorist of Seasons,  won the Viddsee Juree Awards. The short film explores a father who tries to pay his son tuition by investing in a rubber boat business relying on the annual flood in Jakarta and finally puts faith on black magic to call the rain. Maychaelson was awarded as Rising Filmmaker in Popcon Asia 2018.
After his mother passed away in 2020, he continues to share his stories through a short film called The Rootless Bloom that explores the theme of lost and separation. The short competed in the Wide Angle section of 28th Busan International Film Festival, 2023. In 2022, his feature debut project with title, The Burning Land also won fellowship prize from South East Asia Film LAB.
OLIVER MCGOLDRICK
Oliver McGoldrick grew up in the countryside outside Belfast, Northern Ireland and is currently an MFA Candidate at New York University's Graduate Film Program where he is a recipient of the Maurice Kanbar and Bernie Brillstein Scholarships.
Prior to moving to New York, he worked as a Doctor in Emergency Medicine back in Ireland. Through his work and personal life he has experienced how even in the grimmest of circumstances, there is often only a fine line between tragedy and comedy.
His most recent short film Three Keenings ​premiered at the 2024 Venice Biennale.
SEBASTIAN MIHAILESCU
Sebastian Mihăilescu is a writer, director and producer from Romania. After completing his Bachelor studies in computer science, Sebastian decided to pursue a career in film directing and embarked on a Bachelor degree, followed by a Master’s, at the National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest.
He directs documentaries and features, while also helming commercials. His feature-length documentary You Are Ceausescu To Me (2021) won Best Film from Central and Eastern Europe and Best Cinematography at Ji.hlava IFF, the DocLisboa IFF's New Talent Award and the Transilvania IFF's What's Up Doc Competition.
His short film Old Luxurious Flat Located In An Ultra-Central, Desirable Neighborhood (2016) premiered in the Pardi di Domani Competition at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2016.
Mammalia, official selection at Berlinale Forum 2023,  is his debut feature film, produced by Diana Paroiu and Ada Solomon for microFilm (Romania), and co-produced by Ewa Puszczynska for Extreme Emotions (Poland) and Nina Frese for Pandora Film (Germany).
In his films, Sebastian constantly experiments with the cinematic language, moving away from the formal conventions of fiction toward a more liberated expression of the medium. 
GUSTAVO MILAN
Gustavo Milan is a Brazilian filmmaker currently living in New York City.
In 2022 he graduated from the NYU Tisch Graduate Film Program and received the Wasserman Award, NYU's top honor in recognition for outstanding directorial achievement.
His short film Seiva Bruta (Under the Heavens) premiered at Telluride and won the award for Best Latino Short Film from the Directors Guild of America.  Seiva Bruta (Under the Heavens) was also shortlisted at the 2022 Academy Awards. The movie was also acquired by The New Yorker Magazine and the Criterion Channel.
Currently Gustavo is working on the development of his first feature film Paula and Cristina. 
​Unfamiliar Skin (Ruído da Pele) is his latest short film.
KATHY MITRANI
​Kathy Mitrani is a Colombian award winning filmmaker based in New York. She received her MFA from Columbia University.
Kathy’s short films Rozada (Rubbed in Pink) and Buzzkill have screened internationally in festivals such as AFI Fest Chicago International Film Festival, Curta Cinema in Rio de Janeiro and Palm Springs ShortFest and were both selected as Vimeo Staff Picks. She is currently developing her first feature film, La Danza de Las Sombras.
Sombras Nada Más (Nothing But Shadows), world premiere at San Sebastian Film Festival 2023, is her latest short.
GYÖRGY MÓR KÁRPÁTI
György Mór Kárpáti is a Budapest-based film director and writer.
He studied at the Directors’ Department of the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest. His short films have been selected at various international film festivals such as Cannes and Berlinale.
His first feature film Guerilla premiered at the Ingmar Bergman Debut Competition of the Göteborg Film Festival 2019, and won the Hungarian Critics’ Choice Award for the best first feature film.
His second feature, Summer to Come,  premiered at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2022.
ADRIANA MRNJAVAC & NICOLE STIGLER
Adriana Mrnjavac
Born 1996 in Tulln, Austria. A versatile filmmaker, whose life revolves around the captivating world of intuitive audiovisual expression. With a diverse background in electronic music, fine
arts and film, her creative journey is an immersive fusion of sound, color and words. She studies directing and screenwriting at the Filmakademie Vienna, Austria.

Nicole Stigler
​Born 1995 in Vienna, Austria. Her love of poetry and prose is evident in her films. With an instinctive understanding of the nuances of storytelling, she explores the underlying meanings behind actions, compositions and colors. She aims to make this depth real, bringing the intangible to life. She works as an assistant director for film and television.
LORENZO PALLOTTA
Lorenzo Pallotta is a young director from Abruzzo (Italy) born in 1992.
He attended the SAE Institute in Milan and began working for both university and independent film productions. He worked on the creation of documentaries, commercials, video clips, short films and web series.
Lorenzo collaborated with the production house Fedra Film and Fedra Hub and he worked as assistant director on the film Loro by Paolo Sorrentino and Piccole Avventure Romane by the same Paolo Sorrentino.
Inumanamente, his first short film was selected in 2016 at the Milano Film Festival (Italy), while his short film Luis (2019) was selected, among others, at Festival Europeen du film court de Brest (France), Figari Film Fest (Italy), Visioni Italiane Festival (Cineteca di Bologna, Italy), Medflm Festival (Rome, Italy).
His latest short film Las Hadas (2021) had its world premiere at the FEST- New Directors New Film Festival (Espinho, Portugal).
Sacro moderno (The Children of the Sleeping Giant) is Lorenzo Pallotta's first feature-length documentary presented at Alice nella Città 2021, Italy - World Premiere, Taipei Film Festival 2022, Taiwan - International Premiere. 
GUTO PARENTE
Director, screenwriter and editor, Guto Parente graduated in cinema in the first class of the Audiovisual School of Fortaleza, was a member of the collective of artists Alumbramento (2008-16) and has been a partner of the production company Tardo Filmes since 2012.
He made 7 short films – including Flash Happy Society (2009) and Dogs Are Said to See Things (2012), shown at the Locarno Film Festival (Switzerland) – and 9 feature films – including Road to Ythaca (2010) and The Monsters (2011) , both competing at BAFICI (Argentina), where The Monsters received a special mention from the jury; The Mysterious Death of Pérola (2014), The Cannibal Club (2018) and Inferninho (2018), all three released at the Rotterdam IFF (Netherlands) and exhibited at various festivals around the world.
His 10th feature film, A Strange Path, will have its World Premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival (United States).
MOARA PASSONI
Moara  Passoni is a Brazilian writer & director.
She wrote and directed the feature-length essay film Extase (CPH:DOX, MoMA’S Doc Fortnight, Visions du Réel) which received critical acclaim and won a gamut of international awards.  Moara was co-writer of the Academy Award-nominated The Edge of Democracy.
She was named one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Filmmaking” by Filmmaker Magazine, is an alumna of TorinoScriptLab, La Fémis-Cannes Producing Atelier, GOTHAM Week and NYSCA.
She is developing her narrative feature debut Cost of Living (Torino Script Lab, Berlinale Talents Market), and her TV series Strikers.
She is recipient of the Jelinek Award for her MFA in directing from Columbia University.  She has a B.A. in Social Sciences from University of São Paulo. A Master’s in Documentary Filmmaking from the University of Campinas. 
She studied Aesthetics at University of Paris 8 and Dance and Performance at Catholic University of São Paulo.  S
​he’s a founding member of the BrazilianFilmmakerCollective. 
LOIS PATIÑO ​
Lois Patiño is a filmmaker and artist born in Vigo (Spain).
His films have been shown at film festivals such as Cannes, Berlinale, Locarno, Toronto, Rotterdam, New York, Viennale, IDFA, Cinema du rèel, Oberhausen, Clermont-Ferrand... And he had focus about his work in places like the New York Film Festival (USA), BAFICI (Argentina), Film Fest Gent (Belgium), Cartagena and Cali Film Festival (Colombia), NeMAF (South Korea) or the Flaherty Seminar (Colgate University).
​His films and video installations have been shown in the theaters of art centers such as MoMA or Pompidou Center, and took part of exhibitions at MACBA, Casa Encendida or CGAC. And art fairs such as ARCO, Estampa, SWAB, Paris Photo (France), Photo London (UK), Unseen ( Amsterdam) or the Aichi Triennale (Japan).
​Harvard University awarded him the 'Robert Fulton III' Scholarship in 2016, intended for emerging filmmakers "with an independent spirit, who explore diverse cultures with a deep aesthetic sensibility."
Samsara (2023 - Berlinale - Encounters / Special Jury Award), Lúa Vermella (2020 – Berlinale Forum) and Costa da Morte (2013 – Locarno / Best Emerging Director Award) are his first three feature films.
Ariel (2025), shot in the Azores islands, is his fourth feature film and it premiered at International Film Festival of Rotterdam 2025.
​His last two short films: Sycorax (2021) and El sembrador de estrellas (2022) have premiered in the Cannes Directors' Fortnight and in the Berlinale, respectively, receiving an award at the latter festival.
Lois Patiño is part of the generation of Galician filmmakers named 'Novo Cinema Galego', along with authors such as Oliver Laxe, Eloy Enciso, Diana Toucedo, Alberto Gracia or Jaione Camborda.He is represented by Isabel Hurley Gallery (Málaga), RocíoSantaCruz Gallery (Barcelona) and Vilaseco Gallery (A Coruña).
CARMEN PEDRERO
Carmen Pedrero (Madrid, 1996) is a film director, screenwriter and poet.
After graduating from ECAM, her thesis short film Winds of Springtime had its premiere in the Future Frames’ program at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and won the Danzante Award for Best Opera Prima at Huesca International Film Festival. During the last two years, Carmen was part of multiple artistic labs such as Novos Cinemas’, INPUT (S8), Málaga Talent, or Cannes’ Focus Script, where she had the opportunity to continue working on her projects.
At the same time, Carmen took her first steps on poetry, winning in 2022 the Biennial Young Poetry Award of La Laguna’s Ateneo with her book “No one knows how a cat feels when it licks its paws”.
In 2024, she filmed The idea of an Island, her latest short film, supported by ICAA, Junta de Extremadura and WOS Fabrique. Carmen is currently living in Boston on a full scholarship, where she’s pursuing a master’s program focused on film pedagogy.
CARLOS PEREIRA
Carlos Pereira, born in Lisbon, is currently studying Film Directing at the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB).
His films have been screened at festivals such as Locarno and San Sebastián.
His film Slimane won the German Film Critics Award for Best Short Film of 2023.
​In 2022, he was awarded a residency at The Bergman Estate on Fårö, where he wrote the first draft of his first feature film, Remote Islands, currently in development.
ORFEAS PERETZIS
Orfeas Peretzis studied Psychology, Film & Video, and Screenwriting.
He has received a Greek Film Critics Award (2014), a First Prize from the Royal Television Society, a First Prize at the Drama International Short Film Festival (Digi2008) and an Audience Award at Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival (2022).
He is a 2019 Berlinale Talent and an SNF Artworks Fellow.
Riviera is his debut feature fiction film.
THELYIA PETRAKI
Thelyia Petraki, holds a BA in Filmmaking (CalArts USA), and an MA in Visual Anthropology (UCL UK).
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 human condition through the cinematic lens. Lately, she combines and experiments with various analogue formats, along with recycling found footage, creating this way a mosaic effect. She also tends to study the past in order to understand the future.
DAVI PRETTO
Davi Pretto is a Brazilian screenwriter and director.
He wrote and directed his first feature film Castanha which premiered in 2014 at 64th Berlin Film Festival in Forum
section and won the Best Film New Trends award at Rio de Janeiro FF.
He returned to the 67th Berlin Film Festival - Forum in 2017 to premiere his second feature Rifle. The film also won the Grand Prize at Jeonju Film Festival and was screened at FID Marseille.
In 2018 he was selected to the DAAD Berlin Artists-in-Residence. His third feature Continent was made in co-production between
Brazil, France and Argentina and was supported by the World Cinema Fund.
The film premiered in 2024 at the 41st Munich Film Festival in the CineRebels competition.
IVA RADIVOJEVIĆ
Iva Radivojevic was born in Belgrade and spent her early years in Yugoslavia, Cyprus and eventually NYC.
She is an artist and filmmaker who currently divides her time be-tween Athens and Lesbos.
Iva's films have screened at the New York Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, Rotterdam IFF, CPH:DOX, Berwick Film & Media Arts Festi-val, DocLisboa, Museum of Modern Art (NYC), Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art and were commissioned by ARTE La Lucarne and Field of Vision.
She is the recipient of the Sundance Art of Non-Fiction Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, Jerome Fellowship, NYFA Fellowship, Princess Grace Special Project Award and Film Fellow-ship.
​Avenue of The Living, her new art book was recently published by Big Black Mountain Press. She’s a PhD candidate at Villa Arson in Nice.
TAHMINA RAFAELLA
Tahmina Rafaella is an Azerbaijani filmmaker and actress.
In 2015, she wrote Inner City, a feature film which was funded by the Ministry of Culture & Tourism of Azerbaijan.
The film screened and won prizes at multiple international film festivals. Her directorial debut, A Woman, which she also wrote, produced and acted in, premiered at Palm Springs ShortFest.
It won awards at numerous film festivals including Best Narrative Short at
BendFilm Festival.
Her feature script Banu was selected as one of four to be produced
by La Biennale as part of their Biennale College Cinema program.
It had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival 2022.
​Banu is her feature film directorial debut.
​​KHOZY RIZAL
Khozy Rizal is a filmmaker based in Makassar, Indonesia.
He started making films in 2021 with a short film Makassar is a City for Football Fans and screened at Sundance, BFI Flare and several film festivals.
In 2023, he made a short film titled Basri & Salma in a Never-ending Comedy which had its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival and was the first Indonesian short film that competed for the Short Film Palme d’Or. The short film was also screened for more than 100 festivals including Sundance, Clermont-Ferrand, AFI Fest, Fribourg and SXSW Sydney. He’s also an alumnus of Busan Asian Film Academy and Locarno Filmmakers Academy.
​ANDRÉS RODRÍGUEZ
Andrés Rodríguez is a ​Guatemalan director.
​His debut film, Roza, a Guatemala-Mexico co-production released in 2022, has been selected for several film festivals including Costa Rica IFF, Guanajuato IFF, Locarno IFF, Vancouver LIFF, and La Mostra in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Presently, he is in the development process of his second feature film, Los Invisibles, with which he has participated in co-production meetings such as Locarno Open Doors and the 36th Guadalajara Film Festival, where it obtained three important production awards.
His latest short film, James, is selected at the Short Films Competition Orizzonti of the 81st Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica in Venice.
​CASPER RUDOLF
​Casper Rudolf is a Palm d’Or nominated director based in Denmark, Copenhagen.
His narrative short film In the Soil premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021 and has gone on to be shown at some of the largest festivals in the world (Fantasia Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival and many others).
​His cinematic obsession is the grotesque and his films deal with the metaphysical borders between humans and nature.
​AGUSTINA SÁNCHEZ GAVIER
​Born in Argentina, Agustina Sánchez Gavier studied film at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, Germany.
Her graduation film Nuestra Sombra had its premiere at Cannes Directors' Fortnight 2024.
Her previous works, such as Fuego Mudo, premiered at the Filmfest Dresden 2019, screened at La Mujer y el Cine Filmfest in MALBA Buenos Aires, The Bush Films in Brooklyn, New York, and at the Montreal Feminist Film Festival.
Currently she is working on her first feature film.
​WILHELM SASNAL
Wilhelm Sasnal is a painter and a filmmaker.
He studied architecture at the Krakow University of Technology and painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. In the last years he made seven feature films, five of them were written and directed with Sasnal’s wife, Anka Sasnal.
​He lives and works in Kraków, Poland.
​​SARA SCHIAVONE
Sara Schiavone is an Italian director and screenwriter, born in 1996, co-founder of the audiovisual production company MoodNight Studio.
After graduating from university in Communication Sciences and Technologies, she graduated in film directing after 3 years of academic studies.
She currently works as a directing and screenwriting teacher and as a worker on various film sets. In 2023 she write, produce and direct Little Bird with which explore the theme of youth prostitution and from which she wish to make her first feature film.
​LUV SEVNIK
Lun Sevnik is a film director from Slovenia. He was studying film directing at FAMU - Prague.
His student film Playing (2019) was premiered at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and San Sebastian Film Festival.
He just finished his graduation film The Sea In Between, produced by Rok Biček (Cvinger film / SI), which was a part of Clermont-Ferrand Euro Connection.
ELDAR SHIBANOV
Eldar Shibanov was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan in a family of hereditary architects.
He started working in the film industry in the art department.
Since 2010, he has been making independent films with his mother Yulia Levitskaya and his brother Dias Shibanov.
Eldar participated to Berlinale Talents program and the Asian Film Academy of Busan Film Festival, where he won a scholarship from Tsai Ming Liang.
In 2018 his short movie Sex, Fear and Hamburgers was selected at the Venice Film Festival.
In 2021, together with Yulia Levitskaya, he became a finalist at the Biennale Cinema College with the Gornyi Luk project.
TOM SHU-YU LIN​
​Tom Shu-Yu Lin (林書宇) blends his Taiwanese and American upbringing into a unique cinematic style, showcasing a rich tapestry of cultural influences in his work. 
His directorial journey began in 2008 with Winds of September, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. 
This was followed by Starry Starry Night (2011), a film adaptation of the beloved book by celebrated illustrator Jimmy Liao. 
In 2015, Lin's Zinnia Flower starring Karena Lam received critical acclaim at Busan International Film Festival and garnered a Golden Horse Award for Best Actress.
In 2019, Lin helmed The Garden of Evening Mists, a collaboration between HBO Asia and Astro Shaw based on the renowned Malaysian novel of the same name. 
Premiering at the 24th Busan International Film Festival, the film was lauded with 9 Taiwan Golden Horse Awards nominations, including for Best Picture and Best Director.
Lin's latest film is Yen and Ai-Lee (Xiao Yan Yu Wu Ai-Lee), world premiere Busan International Film Festival 2024.
​ANDREA SLAVIČEK
Andrea Slaviček is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and designer from Croatia. She studied film direction at ESCAC in Barcelona, Spain.
Her second short film The Real Truth about the Fight premiered at the Cannes Critics’ Week in 2023, following selections at various international festivals.
She is interested in unconventional structures, experimenting with the perception of characters and their view of reality.
At the moment, she is developing her debut feature film Luna on Two Planets at the Résidence of the Festival de Cannes.
AMIE SONG
Amie Song is a New York-based filmmaker.
Splitting her time between the US and China, she explores how people reconcile living between cultures, traditions, genders, sexualities, etc. Her passion lies in pushing the boundaries of narrative, reimagining how films can question our perception of reality. She is currently an MFA Film Directing/Screenwriting candidate at Columbia University.
Her short film Three premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival as La Cinef Official Selection.
​Her previous short films screened at the Video Art & Experimental Film Festival, New Filmmakers NY, New York Shorts International Film Festival, DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival, etc.
​SAHAR SOTOODEH
Sahar Sotoodeh is a talented Iranian artist with a diverse background in acting, filmmaking, and music.
She began her artistic journey by obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Music from the Art University of Tehran. Transitioning into acting and screenwriting, Sahar excelled in theater as an actress and assistant director. Her acting career took off with the premiere of Baby at the Venice Film Festival in 2014.
With a strong musical foundation, she contributed to various musical productions as a singer, translator, and songwriter.
In filmmaking, Sahar showcased her directorial skills with acclaimed short films such as Hedieh in 2018 and Don't Tell Anyone in 2020, which won the Human Rights Award at the "Interfilm" festival in Germany.
​Sahar's versatility and dedication to storytelling make her a valuable collaborator across different artistic domains, emphasizing her creativity and passion for impactful work.
BÁLINT SZIMLER
Born in 1987 in Hungary, Bálint Szimler grew up in New York.
He moved back to Budapest at 9 years old.  At 19 Szimler got accepted to the University of Theatre and Film Arts, the country's leading film school. His head teacher was Ildikó Enyedi.
His 3rd year project Here I Am, a 35-minute short film won the Hungarian Film Week and was later selected into Cannes Cinefondation and was nominated for best short by the European Film Academy.
Since then Szimler created the online music series Kodály Method, which in 2015 continued into Balaton Method, a feature music documentary with hundreds of musicians participating.
He directed many commercials and music videos throughout the years.
Fekete pont (Lesson Learned) (2024) is his feature fiction debut - made with the same collaborators as his previous projects dating back to Here I Am, including Emmy-winning cinematographer Marcell Rév (White God, HBO's Euphoria, The Idol) and producer Gábor Osváth (Palme d'Or winner for '27' in 2023).
HODA TAHERI & BORIS HADZIJA
Hoda Taheri is an Iranian filmmaker based in Berlin. 
Her first short film, Mother Prays All Day Long, won a special mention at the Locarno Film Festival 2022 and was nominated for the German Short Film Award. 
Her second short film, As If Mother Cried That Night, premiered at the Locarno Film Festival 2023. 
Her debut feature film, I’ll Plant My Hands in the Garden, is in developement stage at the moment. It is a co-direction project with Boris Hadžija, which has been selected by Locarno residency 2023.

Boris Hadžija is a Serbian filmmaker and musician born in Yugoslavia and currently living in Berlin. 
His most recent works include the film As If Mother Cried That Night (World Premiere Locarno Film Festival 2023), as a co-writer and editor, Yugotransport (World Premiere International Film Festival Rotterdam 2023), as a writer and director, and Mother Prays All Day Long (World Premiere Locarno Film Festival 2022), as a producer. 
He was nominated for the German Short Film Award.
His debut feature film, I’ll Plant My Hands in the Garden, a co-direction project with Hoda Taheri, has been selected by Locarno residency 2023.
​MASHUM TASKIN
Mahsum Taskin’s directing debut, the short film Binbir Gece (2020) was selected in many national and international film festivals. Taskin’s second short film is Garan (2024).
His first feature film project titled Bekes was selected for the Berlinale Talents Project Market where it received the Highlights Project Award.
​The project was later awarded the Special Sound Design award at Meetings on the Bridge in Istanbul, and was further selected for the Produire Au Sud workshop held in Nantes.
JORGE THIELEN ARMAND
​Jorge Thielen Armand is a Venezuelan -Canadian filmmaker.
His feature films are La Soledad (Venice 2016) and La Fortaleza (Rotterdam 2020).
In 2021, he was named a Guggenheim Fellow.
His short film Pasta Negra will premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2025. He is a partner of the production company La Faena.
Thielen Armand is currently working on his third feature film La muerte no tiene dueño, starring Paz Vega.
KIM TORRES
Kim Torres is a Costa Rican screenwriter and director born in
1993.
Her work focuses on inquiries about identity and the experience of inhabiting a body and a place, exploring narratives that play with a free and experimental cinema.
Her short films The Moon Will Contain Us (2023), Night Light (2022), and Suncatcher (2021) have been screened in the official selection at Cannes, Locarno, Mar del Plata, Cinélatino Rencontres Toulouse, New Directors/New Films at MoMa and Lincoln Center, among others.
She is currently in pre-production of her debut feature film If We Don’t Burn How Do We Light Up The Night  supported by Torino Film Lab, La Fabrique Cinéma at Cannes, Locarno Open Doors, Visions Sud Est and Hubert Bals Fund.
YEUNG TUNG
​Yeung Tung is a director/writer born and raised in Mainland China, currently studying in the MFA Film program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
In 2021, he wrote and directed short film Fang Ke (An Invitation), which was then selected into the 74th Cannes Semaine De La Critique's official selection.
ANU-LAURA TUTTELBERG
Anu-Laura Tuttelberg graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts in 2013 with an MA in Animation, specializing in stop-motion. Her graduation film Fly Mill won 20 prizes globally.
Her first post-graduation film, On The Other Side Of The Woods, premiered at the Annecy International Animation Festival and won 12 awards across 85 festivals.
Winter in the Rainforest, the first in her nature trilogy, premiered at Annecy in 2019, winning 13 festival prizes and the Estonian Cultural Endowment Award.
Anu-Laura, known for her set designs in stop-motion films, won the 2022 Estonian Film and TV Award for Best Production Design.
​She teaches animation at her alma mater.
YI XIONG
Yi Xiong is a Chinese director and screenwriter based in New York City and Shanghai. Having earned a Bachelor's degree in Film from Pratt Institute in 2022, he is now set to pursue his MFA at Columbia University School of The Arts.
Yi's cinematic approach is deeply rooted in his belief that gazing is a form of caring. His films serve as a vehicle to convey his observations of people and society, delving into the complexities of human nature and the dynamics of our interconnected world.
​NELSON YEO
Nelson Yeo is a Singaporean director.
His first feature film, Dreaming & Dying, won the Filmmakers of the Present – Golden Leopard award and Swatch First Feature Award at Locarno International Film Festival 2023.
His work is marked by a distinctively poetic and thought-provoking style, blending narrative depth with visual experimentation.
Nelson's short films have been selected for prestigious film festivals such as Rotterdam, Winterthur, Hamburg, Taipei Golden Horse, and Cairo.
​His work continues to resonate on the global stage, with projects in development winning awards at international markets.
​​FRAN ZAYAS
Fran Zayas is a Puerto Rican independent filmmaker based in New York City.
Zayas is a recent graduate of the MFA Film program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a focus in Directing and Writing. He’s been awarded the BAFTA BBC Diversity Scholar, and is a recipient of the Spike Lee Production Film Fund and Cary Fukunaga Production Fund for his thesis film, Entre Tormentas, which is set to premiere in SXSW 2025.
From drama to thriller and dark comedy, Zayas’ films focus on individuals navigating moral dilemmas, generational family trauma, and the search for belonging in the face of gentrification and climate change. Zayas is currently in the development of two feature films based in Puerto Rico.
Zayas’ goal is to encourage a young generation of filmmakers, especially in Latino communities, to embrace their culture through filmmaking.