Training & Development
DFI works with a network of esteemed industry mentors who provide expertise in shaping the institute’s training initiatives.
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Afef Ben Mahmoud
Director and actress
is aTunisian director and actress. Her television series credits include ‘Ya Zahratan Fi Khayali’, ‘Sayd …
Read More…‘Maktoub…’ and numerous video clips, including ‘Madinat Al Hob’ with Kadhim Al-Sahir. She had her first big-screen role in Jilani Saâdi’s ‘Khorma’, participated in several Italian productions, and played the lead in Ibrahim Letaief’s ‘Flous Academy’ and Nouri Bouzid’s ‘Making Off’, which won awards at several international film festivals. She has directed three short narrative films and a documentary, and is currently developing her first feature-length film, ‘Backstage’. Ben Mahmoud holds a B.Sc in Economics and Management, a BFA in Film Directing and Screenwriting and an MA in Art and Design.
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Ahmad Abdalla
Short Narrative Lab Mentor
Ahmad Abdalla is an Egyptian director on the forefront of the new wave of independent cinema in Egypt …
Read More…He began his career as a film editor on commercials and feature-length films in 2003, and directed ‘Heliopolis’, his first feature film, in 2009. It was one of the first independent Egyptian films to receive theatrical release, and it participated in the Toronto International Film Festival, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival and the Marrakech International Film Festival. Abdalla went on to direct ‘Microphone’ (2010), featuring Egyptian actors Menna Shalabi and Khaled Abol Naga; it was named Best Arabic Film at the Cairo International Film Festival, won the Golden Tulip at the Istanbul International Film Festival and was featured in the Doha Tribeca Film Festival. In 2013, Abdalla’s ‘Rags & Tatters’ had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and he directed his most recent film, ‘Decor’, starring Abol Naga and Horeya Farghaly.
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Aïda Del Solar
Course Mentor
Aïda del Solar was born in Lima, Perú. She holds a Masters Degree in Filmmaking and Animation in ENSad …
Read More…and Scriptwriting at La Femis schools. Working with fiction, documentary and interactive projects, her work includes an interactive gaming path for a museum of the famous cheese The Laughing Cow for Bel, video games for Sony, and an animated TV series for Xilam studios, 'Stupid Invaders'.
Until September 2017 she was also the pedagogical coordinator and titular teacher at the Animation department at Gobelins, Paris, where she primarily worked on the Opening Shorts for Annecy International Animation Festival. Currently, she leads specialised international storytelling pre-production workshops at Gobelins, and abroad.
Aïda believes that storytelling transposed into animation is one of the most influential, entertaining and educational tools to help improve life, social issues and for protecting our shared planet Earth. -
Al Shaibani
Podcast producer | Novel
Al is a producer for branded projects at Novel and an audio nerd with a deep passion for podcasting... …
Read More…Al is a producer for branded projects at Novel and an audio nerd with a deep passion for podcasting. As the founder and organiser of Hekayyatna, he is a driving force behind SWANA storytelling and community building. His extensive experience in audio production, film production and brand strategy fuels his mission to create compelling audio stories that resonate.
Al’s career includes numerous podcasts and Netflix productions, all aimed at crafting content that captivates and endures. Beyond this, Al enjoys cycling and an unhealthy amount of chocolate. Al is Iraqi by birth, Czech by blood, South African by adolescence, Canadian by education, and Londoner by work experience. -
Alex Bushe
Lab Mentor
Alex Bushe is a Los Angeles-based editor and assistant editor, who has extensive experience in ... …
Read More…...both documentary and narrative filmmaking. He has worked with editor Joe Bini for eight years on more than a dozen films, most notably on several films with director Werner Herzog. Other notable films he has worked on include Nick Broomfield’s “Tales of the Grim Sleeper”, Andrea Arnold’s “American Honey”, and Lynne Ramsay’s recently completed noir thriller “You Were Never Really Here”. In 2014, Bushe was invited to participate as an assistant editor at the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Edit and Story Labs.
Bushe currently divides his time between editing “Guangzhou Love Story”, an observational PBS documentary about an African-Chinese family navigating China’s xenophobic society, and directing the film “Nomansland”, a documentary about a mysterious uninhabited island off the northeastern coast of the United States.
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Alex Atack
Journalist / Audio Producer
Alex Atack is a journalist and audio producer based in the UK. Most recently, he made a narrative... …
Read More…Alex Atack is a journalist and audio producer based in the UK. Most recently, he made a narrative series about artificial intelligence for The Guardian called Black Box. He is also a producer at Today in Focus, The Guardian’s award-winning flagship podcast.
In the past, his work has aired on the likes of Radiolab, 99% Invisible, NPR, The World, Kitchen Sisters Present, and TED’s Far Flung. Alex was also a founding producer at Kerning Cultures, a narrative podcast that he helped grow from a small passion project to one of the most respected English-language podcasts in the Middle East, with hundreds of thousands of downloads and multiple awards and accolades. -
Alexandra Blair
Project Manager at PRX | Lab Programme Producer
My work lives at the intersection of transformative problem solving, agile project management... …
Read More…My work lives at the intersection of transformative problem solving, agile project management, and product methodologies. My goal: to empower all makers to nimbly address 21st century demands with confidence and empathy. I am a design thinking subject matter expert and highly experienced project manager with hundreds of hours of experience helping creatives across the world develop delightful solutions to their product and project needs. I have worked in media for nearly a decade and have partnered with PRX, The New School, The Gotham, DFI, and more. I am a proud first generation college graduate and received my BFA from Parsons School of Design with highest honors and a curricular focus on journalistic practices and memory in art and design. Find me riding through the desert in my Jeep with a backseat full of camping gear.
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Amanda Naseem
Supervising Producer, VICE Media, Inc.
Amanda is a New York-based independent film producer who has been at the forefront of digital …
Read More…Amanda is a New York-based independent film producer who has been at the forefront of digital storytelling. She produced 'The Outs', which was named one of the Atlantic’s Best TV Episodes of 2013 and 'Whatever this is.'—IndieWire’s Best dramatic web series of 2013. She also produced the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival feature selection Mark Meyers’ 'How He Fell In Love' starring Matt McGorry and Amy Hargreaves. Amanda is currently developing feature film and digital series projects, as well as the travel content platform, #VacationLordz. Previously, she served as Director of Exhibitor Relations at Adopt Films, theatrically and digitally distributing internationally award-winning films from Cannes, TIFF, NYFF, and the Berlinale. Amanda is currently working as a Supervising Producer at VICE Media for branded content campaigns, including episodic series, documentaries, music videos, and commercials.
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Amna Al-Binali
Amna Al-Binali graduated from Qatar University with a degree in English Literature and Linguistics... …
Read More…Amna Al-Binali graduated from Qatar University with a degree in English Literature and Linguistics. She has been working with the development team at Doha Film Institute since 2013, where she reads scripts and tracks local filmmaking talent. She directed her first short film, ‘Doctor’s Office’, at the La Fémis Gulf Summer School in 2015. ‘The Notebook’, her second short film, showed at the Ajyal Youth Film Festival in 2015, and ‘The World Is Not Blue’ as part of the Qatar Film Fund. She holds an MA in Screenwriting from Goldsmiths, University of London.
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Amy Dotson
Head of Programme
Amy Dotson is the deputy director & head of programming for IFP, where her responsibilities include the …
Read More…creative oversight of all domestic and international programming. She is also one of three group leaders of the prestigious Venice Biennale College - Cinema, as well as senior programme advisor at the new ‘Made In NY’ media centre by IFP in DUMBO, Brooklyn. She was the keynote speaker at this year’s Seattle Film Festival prestigious ‘Catalyst’ programme and has served as a juror at a wide variety of film festivals such as Atlanta, Ashland, IDFA, Indie Memphis, Istanbul, Karlovy Vary, Slamdance, Sidewalk, SXSW, and Woodstock.
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Annemarie Jacir
Annemarie has written, directed and produced over sixteen films. …
Read More…Two of her films have premiered as Official Selections in Cannes, one in Berlin and in Venice, Locarno, and Telluride. All three of her feature films were Palestine’s official Oscar entries. With a commitment to teaching, training and hiring locally, Annemarie also curates and mentors, actively promoting independent cinema in the region. Founder of Philistine Films, she collaborates regularly with fellow filmmakers as an editor, screenwriter and producer. In 2018, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and also served on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival. She is a cofounder of Dar Yusuf Nasri Jacir for Art and Research in Bethlehem, an artist-run space in her hometown of Bethlehem, Palestine.
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Anthea Devotta
Anthea Devotta was born and raised in India with over 10 years of work experience in the film industry... …
Read More…Anthea Devotta was born and raised in India with over 10 years of work experience in the film industry. She currently works at Doha Film Institute’s Training and Development team, where she passionately works in filmmaking workshops and labs with the main focus on feature-film & series in development. She coordinates the institute’s Hezayah Screenwriting Lab, Producer Lab and Series Writing Lab. She is a key member of the team behind Qumra, working closely with international mentors and project delegates for Qumra Series. She was selected to participate in the Less-Is-More script editor program, and she is the co-founder of The Write Retreat – A writing residency in Mallorca, Spain.
Prior to moving to the Middle East, she worked in film and video production in London and holds a BA (Hons) in Film and Television studies from Royal Holloway, University of London. -
Antoine Waked
Script Editor
Antoine Waked works as a Development Executive at Abbout Productions and Shortcut Films since 2010. …
Read More…He also teaches writing and directed at ALBA University since 2005. He wrote a segment of the anthology A Quintet (2014) that premiered at the Sarajevo Film Festival and received the Special Jury Prize at the Chelsea Film Festival. He co-directed the feature documentary A Certain Nasser (2017), a portrait of pioneer Lebanese filmmaker Georges Nasser that premiered in Festival Lumière in Lyon and won the Special Jury Award at the Cairo International Film Festival. Antoine is also the co-founder and artistic director of Maskoon Fantastic Film Festival, the first fantastic festival in the Arab world, which debuted in 2016.
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Aranka Matits
Sales Expert
Aranka Matits, as the founder of Featurette, advises distributors and sales agents on their... …
Read More…Aranka Matits, as the founder of Featurette, advises distributors and sales agents on their acquisitions, co-productions and strategic planning. At the forefront of the ever-changing media landscape, she consults them on the evolving practices of distribution and production, creating opportunities for them to exploit new markets. She works with a range of clients such as theatrical distributors Version Originale (France), immersive cinema enterprise Secret Cinema, and on-demand platform SundanceNOW. Aranka’s acquisitions include Oscar-winning box office successes like ‘Still Alice’ or Amour, festival hits like ‘Toni Erdmann’ and ‘The Florida Project’ as well as breakout debuts such as ‘Wadjda’ or ‘Mustang’.
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Ayman El Amir
Script Consultant
Ayman El Amir is an Egyptian filmmaker and academic. Originally a doctor, El Amir obtained an MFA in Film …
Read More…Production and Screenwriting from the Red Sea Institute for Cinematic Arts in Jordan in 2013. That same year, he founded a film production programme in the Department of Visual and Digital Production of the Faculty of Architecture and Design in Saudi Arabia’s Effat University. His work in film includes writing, directing and producing fiction and documentary films, which have screened in numerous international film festivals. In 2015, El Amir returned to Egypt to give a number of workshops and masterclasses on screenwriting, while working as a script reader and editor for the Torino Film Lab and the Doha Film Institute.
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Bassem Breche
Script Editor
Bassem Breche is an Emmy Award-winning scriptwriter. He began his career as an actor in Lebanon and …
Read More…the UK, appearing in John Furse’s ‘Blind Flight’ (2003) and Antonia Bird’s ‘The Hamburg Cell’ (2004). His first short film, ‘Both’ (2007), was selected for the Critics’ Week at the Festival de Cannes. From 2009 through 2011, Breche worked on the Emmy Award-winning web-drama ‘Shankaboot’ as Lead Writer and Online Content Producer. He also worked as a scriptwriter on the award-winning web series ‘Fasateen’. In 2013, Breche won the Robert Bosch Foundation Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival for his short film ‘Free Range’ (2014). He is the director of the screenwriters’ collective Scenario Beirut.
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Ben Thompson
Tribeca Film Festival | VP, Shorts Programming
A graduate of Aberystwyth University, Ben left Wales and London to settle in New York... …
Read More…A graduate of Aberystwyth University, Ben left Wales and London to settle in New York. Soon after arriving, he joined the Tribeca Film Festival, where he is currently the VP of Shorts Programming. From the start of his filmmaking career, Ben has always had a keen interest in short-form storytelling. At Tribeca, he discovered a passion for programming and presenting short films to new and engaged audiences. He is fascinated by the influence film has on our world and culture and travels to search out new stories from around the globe. He has watched over 12,000 short films for Tribeca alone.
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Benjamin Mirguet
Editor Mentor
Benjamin Mirguet is an editor, trainer, director, …
Read More…festival programmer. As an editor, he was involved in projects as ‘Batalla En El Cielo’ by Carlos Reygadas, ‘Meteora’ by Spiros Stathoulopoulos, ’40 Days Of Silence’ by Saodat Ismailova, ‘Dau’ by Ilya Khrzhanovski, ‘Deadweight’ by Axel Koenzen, ‘The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers’ by Ben Rivers, ‘Together Forever’ by Lina Luzyte and ‘Rey’ by Niles Atallah, premiering in international festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, Rotterdam and Karlovy Vary. Since 2015, he runs First Cut Lab together with Matthieu Darras. In 2017, he developed and served as a tutor for the Trailer Workshop in Istanbul together with Gulin Ustun, which focuses on training editors and producers to design the marketing of their films, including cutting a trailer. In 2018, he was editing tutor for five projects at QUMRA (Doha Film Institute), a workshop dedicated to films in postproduction. He was part of the selection committee for Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes in 2010 and 2011. He also collaborated with CPH:DOX Copenhagen Documentary Film Festival programming team in 2011. He directed the short film The Dead Hear Not The Bells (2
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Bob Moore
Bob Moore is Co-President and Creative Producer at EyeSteelFilm in Montreal, …
Read More…where he has produced over 40 feature documentaries since 2008. Together with his talented partners and collaborators, he has been the recipient of over 100 international awards, including Emmys, Cinema Eyes, Golden Horses, Owls, Phoenixes, and a variety of other celebratory animal-themed prizes. He’s been the subject of a Producer’s Spotlight at the Cannes Marché du Film, and is currently an advisor and mentor working with the Sundance Film Festival, IDFA, DMZ docs South Korea, QUMRA, Tokyo Docs, Dhaka DocLab Bangladesh, Hot Docs, and RIDM.
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Brice Cauvin
Director and writer
is a film director and a writer who studied literature, linguistics and cinema at La Sorbonne Paris. …
Read More…He has been involved in the film industry for 25 years, working in both France and abroad. Brice's first film was selected at the Berlinale and received the Variety Award. His latest film 'The Easy Way Out' was released in France in March 2016, and has screened in almost 20 countries. He has been teaching for more than 15 years and is currently the Head of the Directing department at la Fémis since September 2017.
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Britta Krause
Script Editor
Britta Krause is a script editor and director based in Berlin …
Read More…She has been working as a tutor with emerging screenwriters for Kultburo Moscow, Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, Nipkow Programm, Berlin, and Nisi Masa’s European Short Pitch workshops. She was a script editor trainee at TorinoFilmLab’s Script&Pitch workshop in 2012 before joining the laboratory again in 2018 as trainer for FeatureLab. Britta is currently teaching Script Development Strategies at Filmakademie Ludwigsburg to students of the International Producing program as well as working one on one with writers and directors from all over Europe.
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Camilla Bubna-Kasteliz
Script Consultant
After graduating from Trinity College, Cambridge, Camilla Bubna-Kasteliz started her career as …
Read More…a researcher for documentaries, before moving into fiction films. As a script reader and then story editor, she has worked with most of the major film funders in the UK – from broadcasters and national film funds to script development schemes and screenwriting competitions, as well as for numerous independent production companies. She continues to work with a broad range of writers and genres, focusing particularly on new writers and writers new to film. She also teaches at the Central Film School in London. Bubna-Kasteliz studied screenwriting at the National Film and Television School in the UK and is developing a number of her own projects.
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Carla Vulpiani
Venice Biennale | Short Film Advisor
Carla Vulpiani holds a BA in Cinema History and Criticism. She works as a Film programmer, …
Read More…Project Manager in production, and Sales Agent for short films, especially animation. She’s currently in charge of sales at Varicoloured and works as a Project Manager for Torino Short Film Market and And Maps And Plans studio limited, for which she is developing the feature animated ‘Piece’. Since 2021 she has been a Short Film Advisor for the Venice International Film Festival.
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Catherine Bizern
Cinéma du réel festival | CEO and Artistic Director
After the Rencontres du cinéma documentaire in Seine Saint Denis, Catherine Bizern directed the... …
Read More…International Film Festival EntreVues in Belfort from 2006 to 2012. She then programmed various events, including Cinéma du Québec in Paris and Le Jour le plus Court, and collaborated with the Locarno Festival. Since 2000, she has also worked as an independent producer and consultant in film writing. She also intervenes in various training courses and collaborates with the magazine Art Press.In September 2018, she was appointed chief executive officer and artistic director of the Cinéma du réel festival and became artistic director of the Centre des écritures cinématographiques at the Moulin d’Andé.
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Celine Roustan
Project Coach
Céline Roustan is a dedicated curator and champion of short films, with almost a decade of experience... …
Read More…Céline Roustan is a dedicated curator and champion of short films, with almost a decade of experience. She has made significant contributions as a programmer and writer for the popular website Short of the Week, promoting directors and their films. Currently a programmer at SXSW, where she also programs features, and the Palm Springs ShortFest, Céline has programmed for the San Francisco, Palm Springs, and Dublin International Film Festivals and has also been on the screening committee for the Toronto International Film Festival for several years. In addition to programming, Céline has served as a jury member and industry speaker and mentor at various international film festivals and markets, providing invaluable guidance to aspiring filmmakers on their path to success.
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Christopher Clements
Producer, Motto Pictures
Christopher Clements is an Emmy-nominated producer and partner at Motto Pictures. He is executive …
Read More…producer of ‘Weiner’ and co-producer of ‘Life, Animated’, both of which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Christopher also produced 'Chicken People' for CMT, and executive produced 'Art and Craft', which was shortlisted for the 2015 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. His camera work was featured in Cindy Meehl’s ‘Buck’, which won the Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award. Christopher is also a writer/director of award-winning animated short subject, documentary and narrative films and in 2015 he published ‘The Push and Pull of Things’, an e-book that integrates audio-video material into a novel.
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Chris Turiello
Cinematography Mentor
Chris Turiello is a New York City-based cinematographer and camera operator. Since 2013, he has worked as …
Read More…the soundstage manager at Google, New York. He received his bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2007 and his Masters degree in Media Studies: Film Form from The New School in New York City in 2010. While at The New School, Chris founded and produced First Features, an organisation dedicated to the awareness and support of directorial debut feature films. From 2011 to 2013, Chris worked closely with renowned Dutch cinematographer and director Leonard Retel-Helmrich, researching the latter’s famous single-shot cinema approach. Turiello has also worked with renowned Palestinian filmmaker Kamal Aljafari and Dutch writer-director Paul Ruven. In 2014, Turiello taught cinematography workshops at The New School. His work has been shown at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Portland Film Festival and the Anthology Film Archives in New York City, among other venues. He is currently in production with a feature-length documentary about his father's obsession with collecting toys.
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Christian Routh
Script Consultant
Christian Routh began his highly accomplished career in the film industry as a film (acquiring such …
Read More…titles as BRAZIL, THE KILLING FIELDS, HIGHLANDER, THE EMERALD FOREST, and LEGEND) and then became Head of Selection at the European Script Fund in the 1990s (working on such titles as BREAKING THE WAVES, NAKED, ORLANDO, ELIZABETH, ROB ROY, TOTO LE HERO, THE NEON BIBLE, LIVE FLESH and THE VAN).
He moved to Catalonia from the UK in 2000 to be a film consultant and is currently head of studies of two MEDIA supported training schemes: Four Corners and ScripTease. Christian is the co-author, with the late Dagmar Benke, of a book called SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT. He acts as a consultant, lecturer, screenwriter, and script editor, for various European production companies, state agencies and film schools; including the Binger Film Lab in Amsterdam, where he has been teaching for over 10 years. -
Claudius Boller
Managing Director Middle East, Africa and South Asia (excl. India) at Spotify
Claudius Boller is Managing Director for MEA+ at Spotify. …
Read More…He oversees new market launches, strategy and operations for the world’s biggest music streaming subscription service in these markets.
Prior to his engagement at Spotify, Claudius headed Digital Business, Business Development and Brand Partnerships as Vice President at Universal Music MENA for 7 years. He developed and executed Universal Music’s MENA strategy and brought the Dubai operation and business to life.
Before joining Universal Music, Claudius was Vice President Business Development at Arvato/Bertelsmann in Dubai and Hamburg for 4 years. He was responsible for digital content solutions for mobile operators, technical service providers, media companies and brands.
Claudius developed customized services for his clients in more than 35 countries. He also developed the relevant marketing and implementation plans for the digital entertainment services to be successful.
Prior to his career at Arvato, Claudius worked in several Advertising agencies in Germany, UK, Austria and Greece as Account Manager and New Business Freelancer. -
Dana J. Atrach
Dana J. Atrach is a Palestinian screenwriter who is fascinated by the world of untold stories... …
Read More…Dana J. Atrach is a Palestinian screenwriter who is fascinated by the world of untold stories. She creates to raise awareness and inspire change by tackling quotidian social issues through comedy. Atrach believes that every individual’s story is worth telling and aspires to be the outlet that enlightens viewers to see the enchantment behind every story.
Atrach holds a BS in Communication and Media Studies from Northwestern University in Qatar and an MFA in Screenwriting from the University of California, Los Angeles. Atrach is an Assistant Professor in Residence at Northwestern University in Qatar where she teaches screenwriting.
In 2014, Atrach’s first feature script, ‘Heeya Howa’, won Best Unproduced Script Based on a Family Drama at the St. Tropez International Film Festival. Her second feature script, ‘Alterations’, is currently under development. Atrach has also written and co-written several short films that have premiered in Doha and Los Angeles.
Atrach has mentored and consulted on scripts for Nouf Al Sulaiti’s ‘Gubgub’, Hassan Al Jahni’s ‘Ems7r’, Khalifa Al Marri’s ‘Olayan’, Khalifa Al Mana’s ‘Al-Tabbab’, and many more. Atrach is presently writing A.J. Al-Thani’s ‘Khuzama’, co-writing Noor Al Nasr’s ‘The Pearl’, and working on her first animated short, ‘Basreeli’. -
Dora Bouchoucha
Producer Expert
Dora Bouchoucha graduated with a degree in English Literature and has been a film producer since 1994. Th …
Read More…Dora Bouchoucha graduated with a degree in English Literature and has been a film producer since 1994. Through her company Nomadis Images, she has produced and coproduced several Tunisian and international documentary, short and feature-length films. Her films have been selected for film festivals in Venice, Cannes and Berlin.Bouchoucha founded the Carthage Film Festival Projects Workshop in 1992, and Takmil in 2014. She founded the Sud Écriture workshops in 1997, which she continues to run, and is actively involved in training and promoting southern cinema. She was a permanent member of the International Rotterdam Festival CineMart Board for more than 10 years, and was a consultant for Arab and African films for the selection committee of the Venice International Film Festival from 2007 to 2011. In 2010, Bouchoucha was appointed Head of Fonds Sud, and in 2012, she became President of the CNC Aide aux cinémas du monde. She headed the Carthage Film Festival in 2008, 2010 and 2014. At the 2015 Festival de Cannes, she was named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture. The most recent film she produced, Mohamed Ben Attia’s ‘Hedi, was selected for the Official Competition of the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival, where it took the Silver Bear for best actor as well as the Best First Feature prize
Nomadis Images is a Tunisian audiovisual production company whose main activities include the production of short and feature-length fiction films, documentaries and commercials; service provision; and training. The company’s filmography includes ‘Hedi’ (2016), ‘Buried Secrets’ (2009), ‘Barakat’ (2006) and ‘Satin Rouge’ (2002). -
Eddie Bertozzi
Locarno Film Festival | Head of Pardi di domani Selection Committee
Eddie Bertozzi holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Film Studies from SOAS, University of London... …
Read More…Eddie Bertozzi holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Film Studies from SOAS, University of London. He served as Program Manager of the Venice International Film Critics’ Week (Venice Film Festival) from 2009 to 2020 and has been a programmer at Filmmaker Festival in Milan since 2017. In 2021, he joined the Locarno Film Festival as Head of the Pardi di Domani Selection Committee and Advisor for the competitive sections. He has also worked in film distribution since 2014 and is currently in charge of acquisitions for the Italian production and distribution company Be Water Film. He is a member of SNCCI (Union of Italian Film Critics) and EFA (European Film Academy).
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Falah Hannoun
LAB MENTOR
Falah Hannoun is a sound recordist and sound designer who currently works at Doha Film Institute …
Read More…recording and designing short films, and also conducting some of their labs and workshops. He has worked as a recordist on many feature films such as the Oscar Nominated 'Theeb' and John Stuart’s debut, 'Rosewater'. He holds an MFA in Directing and Sound from RSICA and a BFA in Acting and Directing.
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Fahad Ahmed Al-kuwari
Fahad Ahmed Al-kuwari is a writer and art director, who was born in Qatar. He comes from an art and... …
Read More…Fahad Ahmed Al-kuwari is a writer and art director, who was born in Qatar. He comes from an art and design background, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Master’s Degree in Film and Screen Studies from Goldsmiths, University of London.
He began his career in filmmaking through working in the art department with the Qatari production house Innovation Films, and went on to join Doha Film Institute as an Art Director and a Youth Programmes Coordinator. He was a member of the Ajyal Film Festival creative committee, and has been involved in the education sector as a guest lecturer at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. Along with his colleagues, Johan Granberg and Ben Robinson, Fahad Al-kuwari received a Merit Award from The CIDA Awards for Excellence for developing a production design curriculum to be taught at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar.
Throughout his Career, Fahad worked on several short films as part of the Doha Film Institute “Qatari Film Fund” initiative, including ‘Aljohara’ (2016), ‘Our Time is Running Out’ (2017), and ‘A Journey to from Love’ (2016). He also wrote and directed ‘Ruqya’ (2011), and wrote ‘I’ (2012). His first participation in a feature-length film was on set of Mira Niar’s ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ (2012). -
François Pirot
Script Editor
François Pirot is a Belgian director and screenwriter. After directing three short films …
Read More…(including ‘Retraite’, awarded best first European short film at Premiers Plans film festival in Angers) and a medium-length documentary, his first fiction feature film, ‘Mobile Home’ (selected for the official competition at the 65th Locarno Film Festival), was released in 2012. Since then, he directed a feature documentary, ‘Eurovillage’, released in 2016, and is currently developing his second fiction feature, ‘Life in the woods’, to be shot in 2018.
As a scriptwriter, he co-wrote several fiction feature films, including two with Joachim Lafosse: ‘Private Property’ (official competition at the 63rd Venice Film Festival) and ‘Private Lessons’ (Cannes 2008, Directors' Fortnight), and works as a consultant on numerous scripts.
He also worked as a tutor in different programs (Talent Campus Short film station, Nisi Masa European Short Pitch) and since 2013, supervises directors on their graduation movies at the Belgian film school IAD (Institut des arts de diffusion). -
Frédéric Pittoors d’Haveskercke
International Production & Distribution Advisor at Series Mania
Frédéric Pittoors d’Haveskercke started his career at the Media Programme of the European Commission …
Read More…Frédéric Pittoors d’Haveskercke started his career at the Media Programme of the European Commission in Brussels and the then called 'Gaumont Television'. After that, he led the Institutional Financings team at StudioCanal before launching his independent consultancy company in 2005. Since then, he consults for various European producers and distributors, including All3Media, Makever and many more, helping them to build their international strategy and development either on a project by project basis or as part of a more long-sighted corporate vision. He joined Series Mania Festival in 2012 to create, organise and develop the professional days within the Festival's Co-production Forum.
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FX Goby
Fx Goby is an Emmy Award-nominated filmmaker known for his use of compelling storytelling in both... …
Read More…Fx Goby is an Emmy Award-nominated filmmaker known for his use of compelling storytelling in both animation and live action. He works between Paris, London and Los Angeles—directing films, music videos, commercials and documentaries. In May 2018, he released ‘Back to the Moon’, a 360/VR homage to Georges Melies which appeared on the front page of google.com worldwide. The film went viral, becoming the #1 trending video on YouTube and achieving over 200 million views in two days, and was nominated for an Emmy. His multi-awarded animated short film ‘To Build a Fire’ received 100 selections at festivals spanning five continents. He is currently working on a feature documentary and writing his first feature film.
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Gabriele Capolino
Programme Producer
Gabriele Capolino is a programmer at IFP, where he manages the International feature film and series …
Read More…Gabriele Capolino is a programmer at IFP, where he manages the International feature film and series projects’ programmes, as well as contributing to other programmes year-round, including the IFP Gotham Awards (where he serves as Associate Producer) and the Narrative Labs. He produces the IFP Episodic Lab, an intense ‘boot camp’ programme dedicated to independent content creators working on serialised content. He manages the international and series projects at IFP Week, the signature programme of the organisation that connects independent filmmaker and creators to key players in the industry. Previously he worked for the Biennale of Venice and has 10+ years of experience in film criticism, having worked for one of Italy's most prominent trades, Blogo.it.
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Ghassan Salhab
Script Consultant
Born in Dakar, Ghassan Salhab has directed six feature films, all of which have screened at …
Read More…Ghassan Salhab is a Lebanese screenwriter and film director. He collaborates on various projects and teaches film in Lebanon. He has directed feature films such as ‘Beyrouth fantôme’ (1998); ‘Terra incognita’ (2002); ‘The Last Man’ (2006); ‘1958’ (2009); ‘The Mountain’ (2011); and ‘The Valley’ (2014). He has also directed numerous ‘film-essays’ including ‘Le voyage immobile’, co-directed with M.Soueid, ‘Chinese ink’, (Posthumous), ‘Narcisse Perdu’, ‘My living body My dead body’, and ‘La Rose de personne’. In 2016, he was a DAAD (Berlin) guest-resident. He has also published articles in various magazines, and a book, ‘Fragments du Livre du naufrage’. His feature ‘Une rose ouverte / Warda’ was selected at Berlinale Forum 2019.
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Gudula Meinzolt
Industry Advisor
Gudula Meinzolt has been working with film and cultural management in areas such as investigation, …
Read More…promotion, consulting, organization of festivals, distribution, exhibition and production. She distributed films with Basis Filmverleih, Berlin and was manager of the Arthouse Cinema Kommunales Kino Freiburg, Germany. She has been curating film festivals and series specializing in Latin American and Arab countries as well as on women filmmakers. Since 2004 Gudula has been working on co-production and distribution with her production company Autentika Films, based in Berlin. Autentika Films co-produced 18 feature films, fiction and documentaries with directors and producers from Latin America and European partners. The films have won awards in festivals such as Berlin, Locarno, Rotterdam, San Sebastian, Venice and others. Autentika Films was recently honoured by a retrospective at the Bogotà International Filmfestival , Colombia (BIFF). Gudula also does development and story consulting, pitch training, collaborates with film festival and markets, and is invited as jury for festivals and public financing institutions. From 2005 and 2010 she was manager of the Mannheim Meetings, the international forum for co-production, sales and distribution of the IFF Mannheim – Heidelberg, Germany. Since 2010 she is co-head of Industry at Visions du Réel International Film Festival Nyon, Switzerland.
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Hebah Fisher
Hebah Fisher is a serial entrepreneur and journalist. …
Read More…She is the co-founder of Kerning Cultures Network, the award-winning podcast network with 13 original Arabic and English shows that regularly top the charts across the Middle East and North Africa. Kerning Cultures Network stories have aired on Radiolab, Gimlet Media, 99% Invisible, and NPR. To learn more about Hebah, listen to her episode on al empire.
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Hédi Zardi
Head of Atlas Workshops
In 2015 Hédi Zardi launched with Fiorella Moretti their Paris-based company Luxbox... …
Read More…In 2015 Hédi Zardi launched with Fiorella Moretti their Paris-based company Luxbox, dedicated to international sales and co-production of selected projects. With a complementary industry knowledge built on experience in production, distribution, acquisitions, sales and festival programming they start with a solid film catalogue and a passionate pool of world cinema directors. The company launched at the Berlin EFM 2016, ‘Inhebbek Hedi’ (Hedi) by Mohammed Ben Attia, Best First Feature Film and Silver Bear for Best Actor and in Cannes, ‘Mimosas’ by Oliver Laxe, Grand Prize of the Critic’s Week. The company was present with two titles at Cannes 2020, ‘Spring Blossom’ by Suzanne Lindon and ‘In the Dusk’ by Sharunas Bartas. In parallel to its World Sales activity, Luxbox has started to co-produce several projects, including ‘Nuestro Tiempo’ by Carlos Reygadas. The next co-production projects are ‘Selene 66 Questions’ by multi-awarded Greek director Jacqueline Lentzou and ‘Barchini’ by Italian artist Yuri Ancanari. He is now Head of the Atlas Workshops of the Marrakech International Film Festival.
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Hisham Saqr
Editor Mentor
Hisham Saqr was born in Cairo, and began his career in 2005. He has worked with a number of acclaimed …
Read More…Egyptian directors, notably with Ahmad Abdalla on the award-winning ‘Rags and Tatters’ (2013). The two previously collaborated on ‘Microphone’ (2010), for which Saqr won the award for Best Film Editor at the Dubai International Film Festival. He also edited Ibrahim Al Batout’s ‘Winter of Discontent’ (2012), starring Amr Waked, which earned Saqr a Best African Editor nomination from the 2013 African Film Development Foundation Awards. Saqr's credits as editor include five feature-length and four short films, and seven documentaries. He has directed two short films. In addition to directing and editing, Saqr teaches Film Editing at the Jesuit Cinema School in Cairo.
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Hisham Zaman
Qatar Film Fund Director Mentor
Hisham Zaman is a Norwegian film director with kurdish decent. Arguably his breakthrough film, Bawke …
Read More…(2005) became a hit on the international festival circuit, and has received more than 40 national and international awards including a nomination for best European short in 2005. In 2007 he directed another noteworthy mid-length film; the comedic drama "Winterland", a warm and humorous diaspora-story about a man settled in godforsaken spot in Northern Norway. In 2013 Zaman made his debut feature "Before Snowfall" - A road movie that becomes an odyssey from East to west. Zaman won Dragon award for Best Nordic film for "Before Snowfall” at Gothenburg film festival. The film won also best cinematography at Tribeca . Just a year after Zaman was ready with his next feature film "Letter to the King"(2014) and once again was awarded the prestige Dragon award for Best Nordic film and received also FIPRESCI award at European cinema festival of Lecce.
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Ida Grøn
Director
Ida Grøn is a Danish documentary director. She attended The National Film and Television School …
Read More…Ida Grøn is a Danish documentary director. She attended The National Film and Television School in England (2009) and holds a BA in art history from The University of Copenhagen (2006). Ida has worked with documentary films since 2003, where she had her first short films selected for the Berlinale Talent Campus and shown on Danish national TV. She was a part of the artist-driven independent TV station TVTV, in the editorial group Chamber of Public Secrets (2004-2006) in Copenhagen. Since then her documentaries 'Klara - Thoughts from the Taiga' (2004), 'The Kid and the Clown' (2011) and 'Stay Behind - My Grandfather’s Secret War' (2017) have been broadcasted on various national and international TV channels as well as acclaimed international film festivals. As co-founder of the artist-curator group Tagging Art, Ida has exhibited a VR/real-life video installation on the National Gallery of Denmark. Besides directing her own documentaries Ida works as a freelance TV-content producer and VJ, currently on a series for the Danish national youth channel DR3. She also regularly gives hands-on workshops in poetic documentary to school students.
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Jad Abi Khalil
Projects Coach
Jad Abi-Khalil was born in Lebanon and completed his cinema studies at the Université Saint-Joseph in …
Read More…Jad Abi-Khalil was born in Lebanon and completed his cinema studies at the Université Saint-Joseph in 1998. He has directed numerous short films and feature-length documentaries, and began producing feature documentaries in 2007. Abi-Khalil is a founding member of Beirut DC, the cultural association for Arabic cinema, and chaired its board of directors from 2009 to 2013. He was Head of the DOCmed programme from 2011 to 2013. Currently, Abi-Khalil is Head of the Beirut Cinema Platform.
Beirut DC is a Lebanese cultural association, created in 1999 by a group of filmmakers and arts advocates. The association’s main activities are producing independent documentaries; organising capacity-building workshops with young Arab filmmakers; and staging the biennal Beirut Cinema Days film festival as well as several Arab film weeks in Europe and in the Arab world. -
Jakob Foged
Storyboard artist and teacher in animation and live-action
Jakob Foged is a senior storyboard artist with more than 12 years of professional experience in animation …
Read More…Jakob Foged is a senior storyboard artist with more than 12 years of professional experience in animation and film. Graduating in 2007, as a Character Animator from The Animation Workshop, VIA University College, Jakob had his first storyboard job at Cartoon Saloon, and has since worked with several studios in Denmark and abroad. Some of his projects include the acclaimed animated tv-series ‘Ninjago’, ‘Lego Freemakers’, ‘Talking Tom’, ‘Space chickens in Space’ and many more. Recently he has been working on the Netflix tv-series ‘Watership Down’ and the upcoming Netflix tv-series ‘Halo’. Alongside his professional career as a Storyboard artist, Jakob is a recurrent teacher and supervisor at The Animation Workshop, VIA University College’s Professional Storyboard Training Course, a 16-week course running every year in Viborg, Denmark. Jakob works and lives as a storyboard freelancer in Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Jana Wehbe
Project Coach
Jana Wehbe studied filmmaking at IESAV, Beirut and modern oriental singing at the Lebanese National High …
Read More…Music Conservatory.
She has worked with renowned directors such as Maryam Keshavarez, Nadine Labaki, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Greige. Working with production companies in Lebanon and the region, she has produced a range of film from documentaries and fiction, to TV commercials. These include 'Tannoura Maxi', 'The Lebanese Rocket Society', 'The Taste of Cement', 'Tombe du ciel', and many more. Along with like-minded artists, she co-founded 'The Attic' boutique production company in 2009. Before joining the Doha Film Institute in 2011, where she now works on their busy annual festivals.
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Jani Thiltges
Head of Studies, EAVE
Born in 1962, Jani Thiltges studied film at INSAS in Brussels from 1984 to 1988. Since 1986, Jani is... …
Read More…Born in 1962, Jani Thiltges studied film at INSAS in Brussels from 1984 to 1988. Since 1986, Jani is co-founder, partner and CEO of SAMSA FILM in Luxembourg. He is also co-founder and partner of ARTEMIS PRODUCTIONS (Belgium), FADO FILMES (Portugal), LIAISON CINEMATOGRAPHIQUE (Paris) and, more recently, with his partner Claude Waringo, and through their holding CODECA, they created a Berlin-based company, IGC FILMS, with the collaboration of the German producer, Roshanak Behesht Nedjad. They are also involved in French famous distribution company BAC FILMS.
At SAMSA FILM, in association with his partner/producer Claude WARINGO, they succeeded in building the company’s strong reputation and capacity in producing commercial art house films. So far, Jani has produced and co-produced more than 60 feature films. Jani THILTGES is also Head of Studies of EAVE. In 2004, he was decorated by the Luxembourg Grand-Duke for his activities in the cinematographic field. In 2010, he was awarded the prestigious Prix Eurimages, together with Diana Elbaum. From 2012 to 2014, Jani Thiltges was Board Member of the European Film Academy
With his partners Claude Waringo and Bernard Michaux, he manages SAMSA FILM which is, by its size and number of its productions, the first production company in Luxembourg.He has recently produced Sam Garbarski’s fifth feature film, “Es war einmal in Deutschland…” (aka “Bye Bye Germany”), starring Moritz Bleibtreu, Antje Trau and Mark Ivanir in the main parts. The film was selected at the 2017 Berlinale in the section “Berlinale Special Gala”.
We can find his name in the credits of, a.o., these acclaimed or successful productions: “Möbius” (Eric Rochant), “A perdre la raison” (Joachim Lafosse), “Ne te retourne pas” (Marina de Van), “JCVD” (Mabrouk El Mechri), “Irina Palm” (Sam Garbarski), “Comme t’y es belle” (Lisa Azuelos), “Une Liaison Pornographique” (Frédéric Fonteyne).
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Jerome Boivin
Qatar Film Fund Director Mentor
Born in 1954, Jerome Boivin studied law, sociology and political science before directing two short …
Read More…films that won awards from French and international film festivals. He then made documentaries, commercials and television movies, worked as a screenwriter and consultant, and directed the feature films ‘Baxter’ (1989), starring Lise Delamarre, Jean Mercure, François Driancourt and Baxter the dog, and ‘Confessions d’un Barjo’ (1992), featuring Anne Brochet, Richard Bohringer and Hippolyte Girardot. He teaches in Paris at FEMIS and at the École Louis Lumière. He is currently preparing his next feature film, ‘Un Deux Quatre Trois Cinq’, which is slated to shoot in December, 2015.
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Joelle Touma
SCRIPT CONSULTANT
A screenwriter and script doctor, Joelle Touma started writing screenplays in 1998. …
Read More…At that time she was also a TV host and an actress in Lebanon. She then became the Beirut correspondent for the French daily 'Liberation' and the Belgian daily 'Le Soir', also working as a fixer in Lebanon with several media outlets. Since 2006, she has been dedicating herself only to writing screenplays. She has worked with Ziad Doueiri (‘Lila says’ 2004, ‘The Attack’ 2011 and ‘The Insult’, nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2018) and Rachid Bouchareb (‘Just Like a Woman’ 2011). She also wrote for 'Le Bureau des Legendes', a French series produced for Canal+ and is developing a new feature film with Ziad Doueiri.
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Joshua Kelly
Journalist / Audio Producer
Joshua Kelly is the Guardian’s executive producer for narrative audio... …
Read More…Joshua Kelly is the Guardian’s executive producer for narrative audio. His recent work includes Black Box, a narrative series about AI, and audio investigations including The Division and Freshwater.
Previously, he helped launch, and then worked as a producer on Today in Focus, the Guardian’s flagship daily news podcast. His work there included an investigation into the mysterious death of thousands of crustaceans on the beaches of his home town in the north of England.
Joshua’s background before narrative podcasting was in live radio. He was a producer on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, the UK’s most influential radio news show. He worked on major breaking news stories, as well as interviews with political leaders in the UK and around the world. -
Jovan Marjanović
Lab leader
Jovan Marjanović has been involved in the Sarajevo Film Festival since 1999, first as a technician and pr …
Read More…Head of Industry | Sarajevo Film Festival
Jovan Marjanović has been involved in the Sarajevo Film Festival since 1999, first as a technician and programme coordinator and later as the CineLink manager. He is now on the festival’s Executive Board as Head of Industry. Marjanović has produced a number of award-winning documentaries, shorts and feature films and consults for several international film institutions. He was on the Board of Management of the Bosnian National Film Fund from 2011 and headed it from 2014 to 2016. He has served as the National Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Eurimages since 2006. He holds an MSc from the Cass Business School in London, and teaches Film Business at the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo.
In 1995, towards the end of the four-year-long Siege of Sarajevo, the Obala Art Centre initiated the Sarajevo Film Festival with the aim of helping to reconstruct civil society and retain the cosmopolitan spirit of its city. Today, over two decades later, it is a trailblazing film festival with a special focus on the region of Southeast Europe that shines an international spotlight on the region’s talent, their current films and future projects. High-quality programming, a strong industry segment, and an educational and networking platform for young filmmakers attract the international film industry, film authors and media representatives to the event, along with a public audience of more than 100,000. Together, this makes it a leading film festival in Southeastern Europe. -
Julie Goldman
Producer, Motto Pictures
Julie Goldman founded Motto Pictures in 2009. She is an Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning producer …
Read More…and executive producer of documentary feature films. She is the producer of 'Life, Animated' and executive producer of 'Weiner', both of which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. 'Life, Animated' won the U.S. Documentary Directing Award, and 'Weiner' won the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize. Julie has also consulted on the Academy Award-winning 'The Cove' and produced the Oscar-shortlisted 'Sergio'. She is on the Board of the Producers Guild of America (PGA) and a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
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Julie Rousson
Festival & Marché de Clermont-Ferrand | Programmer / Industry Events Coordinator
Julie Rousson holds a master’s degree in cultural project production, with a master’s thesis about …
Read More…the impact of the Internet and numeric revolution on the short film industry. She permanently joined Sauve Qui Peut le Court Métrage, the association behind the Clermont-Ferrand Int’ Short Film Festival, in 2015 after several years working on punctual missions. She is a member of the international competition selection committee, coordinates the industry events at the Short Film Market, especially Euro Connection and the #S H O R T program, and the relation with administrative institutions. She is also a board member of the Short Film Conference.
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Julien Dexant
Julien Dexant holds a BTS in Visual Communication and a European Master's degree in Media Art with a …
Read More…Julien Dexant holds a BTS in Visual Communication and a European Master's degree in Media Art with a specialisation in 2D Animation. He has extensive experience working on both short and feature-length films such as 'Loulou: The Incredible Secret' by Grégoire Solotareff which received the César (French Oscar) for Best Feature-Length Animation in 2014, 'The Red Turtle' by Michäel Dudok De Wit (produced by the Japanese studio Ghibli, 2016) and 'The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily' by Lorenzo Mattotti (2019). Dexant also teaches animation at the Gobelins school in Paris and the EMCA in Angouleme.
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Kamal Aljafari
Short Filmmaking Lab Mentor
Kamal Aljafari’s filmography includes ‘Recollection’ (2015), ‘Port of Memory’ (2009) and …
Read More…‘The Roof’ (2006). He was a featured artist at the 2009 Robert Flaherty Film Seminar in New York, and in 2009/2010 was the Benjamin White Whitney Fellow at Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute and Film Study Center. In 2010, he taught film at The New School in New York City, and from 2011 to 2013 he was a senior lecturer and head of the directing program for the German Film and Television Academy (DFFB), Berlin. He is the recipient of numerous film prizes and art grants. In 2013, Aljafari received the art medal of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. A retrospect of his work is planned for 2016 at Lussas Film Festival in France and at the Cinémathèque québécoise.
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Kevin O’Connell
Kevin is a professional musician, audio engineer/producer, educator, …
Read More…and arts advocate with a focus in creative development, mentorship, and production. As an educator and arts advocate, he founded the West Suburban YMCA Center for the Creative Arts (YCCA) – a 360-degree youth music and media program serving youth and teens in the MetroWest suburbs of Boston.
As an engineer and producer, he has worked with a number of local, regional and international artists and musicians including Grammy Recording Artist Alex Torres y Sú Orquestra.
As a musician, Kevin performs and records with Boston-based rock band Coral Moons, releasing their debut full-length LP ‘Fieldcrest’. Kevin can be seen taking the stage with other New England artists including the Ballroom Thieves, Hawthorn, Kaiti Jones, and Tory Silver.
Formerly the Studio + Operations Manager at the PRX Podcast Garage in Allston, MA, Kevin has recently joined the team at Descript as a Product Specialist, working with and training audio teams around the world. -
Konstantina Stavrianou
Post-Production Expert
Konstantina Stavrianou co-founded Graal, in 1999. Since 2003 she has been working in the film industry …
Read More…Konstantina Stavrianou co-founded Graal, in 1999. Since 2003 she has been working in the film industry as a post-production producer on short and feature films as well as documentaries. She oversees the co-production sectors for both Greek and international productions and is Graal’s co-managing director. In 2012 and 2013 she was part of the Hellenic Film’s Academy organising committee for the two-day conference “Riding the Greek Wave” in Athens. Its first instalment focused on development and festival strategies, while in 2013 it was on international co-production and distribution. She has served as a jury member at co-production markets, at Thessaloniki Film Festival, Istanbul, Romania and Jerusalem Film Festival. She is currently producing two feature films as well as co-producing four international projects. Since 2014, she attends workshops as a post-production consultant and has been a member of the pre-selection committee for Torino Film Lab and the Berlinale co-pro series. She is also a Berlinale talents alumna and member of the EAVE network.
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Leonardo Staglianò
Script Editor
Leonardo Staglianò is a writer and story editor who studied Philosophy at the University of …
Read More…Florence, Techniques of Narration at Scuola Holden and Dramatic Writing at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He wrote the feature film ‘Yuri Esposito’, which won the Biennale College at the Venice Film Festival, the play ‘Cashmere, WA’, winner of the Diego Fabbri Award, and short stories that have been published in various literary magazines. Currently, he is the Programme Coordinator at the College of Storytelling at the Scuola Holden, where he teaches dramaturgy.
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Lise Lense-Møller
Producer and Head of Studies, EAVE
Lise is a film producer, founder, and CEO of Magic Hour Films. She has produced and co-produced over 60 …
Read More…Lise is a film producer, founder, and CEO of Magic Hour Films. She has produced and co-produced over 60 films, both documentary and fiction with many of them international co-productions and internationally awarded. In addition, she has a long track record in professional education and consultancy since 1993, working as an expert and group leader for EAVE, and a post-educational programmer with three annual international workshops for independent producers. Lise has also been engaged in national film politics as a board member of the Producer’s Association for decades. Lise also runs a small publishing house, The Wisdom Books.
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Louis Thomas
Louis Thomas is a graduate of Gobelins in Paris and CalArts in Los Angeles. …
Read More…He worked full time in various Californian animation studios, before returning to France. Louis currently lives and works with his cat Pipo in his art studio, which can be found between the Pantheon and the Luxembourg Gardens. His clients include Pixar, Sony, Universal, Illumination, Laika, Cartoon Network, Macmillan, Thames and Hudson, and Penguin.
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Lyse Ishimwe Nsengiyumva
International Film Festival Rotterdam | Programmer
Lyse Ishimwe Nsengiyumva is a programmer for the International Film... …
Read More…Lyse Ishimwe Nsengiyumva is a programmer for the International Film Festival Rotterdam [IFFR], the Blackstar Film Festival and is the Artistic Director for the Fame Short Film Festival in Cape Town. She is a former film consultant for the Berlinale Forum, and in 2016, she founded Recognition—a Brussels-based community film screening programme that focuses on the work for and by people of African descent.
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Mads K. Mikkelsen
Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival | Head of Programme
Mads K. Mikkelsen is Head of Programme at CPH:DOX – Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival. …
Read More…Besides programming CPH:DOX, he runs various parallel screening series and cinema clubs, teaches film history at the Danish Film School, and is a frequent contributor to national and international magazines and publications about film. In 2018, he published his first book about cinema. At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, he received an award for his work as a programmer from Festival de Cannes – Marché du film and Screen International.
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Maëlle Guenegues
CAT&Docs | Sales Agent
After working at different festivals in France, such as Les Rencontres du Cinéma... …
Read More…After working at different festivals in France, such as Les Rencontres du Cinéma, Sunny Side of the Doc, and FIPA, Maëlle moved into international distribution, first with Point du Jour International and Doc&Co (Doc & Film International) before joining Catherine Le Clef to launch CAT&Docs in 2009. CAT&Docs is dedicated to promoting and distributing creative documentaries in all media worldwide. Pertinent and impertinent documentaries on topical questions and timeless subjects, ones that are carefully researched and audacious, which question the world and propose new ways of looking at it. Recent titles include ‘My Stolen Planet Apolonia’, ‘Apolonia’, ‘Between Revolutions’, ‘Children of the Mist’ and ‘The Earth is Blue as an Orange’.
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Mahalia Cohen
Executive, TOPIC
Mahalia Cohen is an executive at TOPIC. She is also a director, producer and editor. …
Read More…Originally from Portland, Oregon, she is now based in New York City. Mahalia has produced numerous award winning short, feature films, and series. Among her features she produced “H.”, directed by Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia, which premiered at Sundance NEXT, 2015 and went on to screen at The Berlinale and festivals around the world. She also produced “Recommended by Enrique”, which won Best Ensemble Cast at the L.A. Film Festival, 2014, and “Hinkerort Zorasune” (The Fifth Column) which was awarded 3rd prize by the 63rd Cannes Film Festival – Cinéfondation, La Selection in 2010. As a director, Mahalia has made both documentaries and narrative shorts. In 2009 she completed “Balance”, which traced the final years of dancer Homer Avila’s life. “Balance” premiered at Visions du Réel in Nyon, Switzerland. In 2011 her narrative short “Ama at Sea” screened at film festivals across Europe. Mahalia holds an MFA in film from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
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Marc Lorber
…With MENA projects ranging from ‘Justice/Qalb Al Adala’ (OSN/Netflix) to ‘Beyond Borders’ (MBC), Marc is one of the most experienced international multi-genre creative content and programming executives, as well as an Emmy-nominated producer; skilled in conception, acquisition, development, sales, strategic partnerships and co-productions, direct physical production and management/financial oversight, of both scripted and unscripted projects; formats and originals: In the US, the U.K., Canada, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, UAE, Egypt, Oman, Jordan, Morocco, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Philippines and extensively across the CIS, MENA and CEE regions, among the 20+ non-English speaking countries Marc has worked or lived in to date.
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Marcus Zaiser
Lab Mentor
Marcus Zaiser was born in 1976. He has been active in the film industry since 1998, and has worked on ... …
Read More…...more than 100 productions in various positions. From 2000 to 2006, he studied Film and Media with a focus on Cinematography at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg, Germany. He also studied at the renowned PWSFTViT Film School in Łódź, Poland. Since 2007, Marcus has been working as a cinematographer in both cinema and television, and since 2010, he has been a consultant for stereoscopic film projects in addition to his jobs behind the camera.
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Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten
Script Consultant
Swedish screenwriter Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten is a member of the Swedish Drama Union …
Read More…and the European Film Academy. She wrote and co-produced ‘Call Girl’, which won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival and was shown in numerous festivals worldwide. Since 2007, she has been connected as a script consultant with TorinoFilmLab, Binger Film Lab and the Venice Biennale College Microbudget lab, on films including ‘The Babadook’, ‘Djeca, Children of Sarajevo’, ‘Hi-So’, ‘Los Hongos’, ‘Les Quottro Volte’, ‘Beyond /Svinalängorna’, ‘H’, ‘The Fits’ and ‘Mediterranea’. Other related programmes are Qumra, Feature Expanded, Bridging the Dragon, TIFF STUDIO Toronto, Boost Rotterdam, the Rutger Hauer Master Classes, Generation Campus Moscow, Script Lab Russia, the Balkan Film Fund Athens, Talent Campus, the Irish Film Board and Filmpool Nord. She also consults privately on films, and has worked with filmmakers from more than 45 countries. She has a background in drama writing for television and literary journalism, and has worked in production, mainly with script continuity. Since 1996, Marietta is the Minister of a micro-nation called Elgaland-Vargaland, or KREV.
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Marike Muselaers
Series Expert – International Financing and Distribution
Marike Muselaers started her career at Fortissimo Films and RTL Netherlands before... …
Read More…Marike Muselaers started her career at Fortissimo Films and RTL Netherlands before joining the Lumière team. After more than a 15-year journey in sales, acquisitions and (co-)productions, Marike is now co-leading the Lumière Group as Chief Content and Partnerships Officer. Next to finding partners, money, stories and talent for the Lumière Group, Marike is coaching producers and writers in her role as Financing Tutor for the Midpoint Series Launch program. She also enjoys being a keynote speaker, moderator and consultant at many industry events like Göteborg Film Festival, Berlinale, Cannes Film Festival, NEM Zagreb, SerieSeries, SeriesMania, TV Beats Tallinn, Cinelink Sarajevo, MIPCOM and Content London. Marike holds a Master of Arts and an MBA degree.
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Mathew Luhn
Pixar Seminar Panelist
As a Pixar Story Supervisor, Mathew Luhn teaches students, graduates and working professionals the …
Read More…story methods he has developed over the last 20 years while creating award-winning stories and characters for ‘Toy Story 2’ (1999), ‘Monsters Inc.’ (2001), ‘Finding Nemo’ (2003), ‘Cars’ (2006), ‘Ratatouille’ (2007), ‘Up’ (2009), ‘Toy Story 3’ (2010) and ‘Monsters University’ (2013), as well as Pixar shorts, specials, and television shows. Attendees of Luhn’s story seminars, workshops and keynote addresses have included writers, artists, directors and creative leaders from Apple, Sony, the Cartoon Network, Paramount Pictures, the BBC, Warner Bros., Dreamworks and many others.
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Martina Droandi
Autlook Filmsales | Sales & Acquisitions
Martina is a sales agent specialised in documentary film distribution. …
Read More…She joined Autlook Film Sales in 2019, after working in the film industry in several European countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Spain & Germany.
Autlook Film Sales is one of the leading sales agents for feature documentaries, hybrids and doc series. Since its inception in 2006, Autlook has been building a strong and varied network of partners, including digital platforms, theatrical distributors, broadcasters and festivals. We attend all major festivals and markets, currently representing films like: ‘Belushi’ by R.J. Cutler’ Writing With Fire’ by Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh, Sundance 2021 awarded ‘All Light, Everywhere’ by Theo Anthony, Sundance 2021 awarded ‘The Painter and the Thief’ by Benjamin Ree, 93rd Oscars® shortlist ‘For Sama’ by Waad Al Kateab and Edward Watts, Golden Eyes Best documentary Cannes 2019 + 47 awards, Emmy® Awarded, 92nd Oscars® nominee The Box Office hit ‘Caught in the Net’ by Vít Klusák, Barbora Chalupová ‘Of Fathers and Sons’ by Talal Derki, 91st Oscars® nominee. Autlook offers a full spectrum of in-house customised distribution, sales and festival strategies that help maximise revenues, audience engagement that fosters filmmakers’ careers and an endless passion for the art of documentaries.
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Matthieu Darras
Lab Advisor
Matthieu Darras designs and leads several programs of film/talent development and consultancy …
Read More…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 of Young Cinema NISI MASA, wrote for the film magazine Positif, and was the artistic director of the TorinoFilmLab.
Matthieu Darras has been working for major film festivals in Europe: as a programmer for the Cannes Critics’ Week, as a consultant for the Venice Film Festival, and as a delegate for the San Sebastian Film Festival. He also directed the Bratislava Film Festival.
He has been collaborating with the Doha Film Institute since 2016, involved as Director of First Cut Lab for both the Short Scriptwriting Lab & the Hezayah Scriptwriting Lab, and consulting with projects presented at Qumra.
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Matthew Takata
Sundance Institute | Assistant Director, Feature Film Program, International
Matthew Takata is the Assistant Director for the Feature Film Program’s international work …
Read More…at the Sundance Institute. His focus is on international outreach and selection for the Institute’s Screenwriters and Directors Labs in Utah, FFP’s international labs, which have included India, Jordan, Greece, Mexico and Cuba, and the annual Sundance/NHK Award. Previously, Takata worked in development at GK Films, following a stint at Key Creatives and International Creative Management. Takata attended the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program has supported many of the leading independent filmmakers of the past 30 years whose distinctive, singular films have engaged audiences worldwide. The Institute’s guiding values of risk-taking and freedom of expression have broadened to include American and international artists in a meaningful and vibrant dialogue across cultural and geographic boundaries, providing in-depth support to a next generation of filmmakers, from development through distribution. Films supported by the Feature Film Program include ‘Whiplash’, ‘Fruitvale Station’, ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’, ‘Sin Nombre’, ‘Wadjda’ and ‘The Lunchbox’.
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Matthieu Taponier
SCRIPT CONSULTANT
Born in 1982, Matthieu Taponier is a Franco-American script consultant, …
Read More…screenwriter and film editor. After studying Modern Literature in Paris, he completed a MFA in filmmaking at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He was trained as a story editor by the TorinoFilmLab Script&Pitch program in 2013 and has been tutoring since in workshops such as Next Step, Biennale College-Cinema, and Le Groupe Ouest. He collaborated both as a script consultant and film editor on 'Son of Saul' by László Nemes (Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival 2015, Oscar 2016 for Best Foreign Language Film), and as co-writer and film editor on Nemes’ second feature film, 'Sunset', to be released in 2018.
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Mayss Al Alami
Mayss Al Alami is an Amman-based writer and digital communications manager. …
Read More…Her work explores the use of digital media in its various forms as a medium for education, activism, intersectional solidarity and storytelling. She currently works with the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD) and its digital brand, Rābet, and has previously worked with Sowt Podcasting on developing business strategy to produce podcasts in Arabic for the SWANA region.
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Michael Russo
Previous to Mike’s work in public radio marketing and podcast production he was a full-time professor …
Read More…at The University of Missouri – Columbia as a Marketing and Video Production lecturer in their Communication Studies Department. In addition Mike has over 10 years of experience working for various media organizations and holds a Master’s Degree from The Rhode Island School of Design. Currently Mike is the Director of Audience Development for KCUR 89.3 and Classical KC as well as the director of KCUR studios (The podcast development wing of KCUR 89.3). In Mike’s freetime he is a podcast marketing] contractor doing work with international brands, B2B podcasts and culture podcasts.
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Miguel García
Editor
Miguel García is an editor, cameraman and digital imaging technician (DIT) at the Spanish production …
Read More…Miguel García is an editor, cameraman and digital imaging technician (DIT) at the Spanish production company Arena Comunicación. Since 2009, he has edited and filmed numerous projects for Arena. Most notably, he acted as camera assistant, DIT and sound recordist on the feature documentary ‘District Zero’ (2015), an internationally acclaimed project produced for Oxfam and ECHO and filmed in Jordanian refugee camps. The film had its premiere at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
He is currently working as sound recordist and camera assistant on the feature-length documentary ‘Together’, which is being filmed in the United States.
García also has experience as a cameraman and editor for NGO films, corporate videos, and films for the National Archaeological Museum of Spain, as well as the Museo de Málaga. -
Michael Hansen
Michael Hansen is a VFX artist and filmmaker... …
Read More…Michael Hansen is a VFX artist and filmmaker. He graduated from The Animation Workshop in 2017, and has worked overseas on many different TV shows and films like ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows’, ‘X-Files’, ‘The 100’, ‘The Mist’, and ‘Future man’. Working in a high paced environment, Michael Hansen has a unique angle on how to work efficiently with VFX and is developing techniques and tools for companies to make their VFX even more effective.
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Michael Ho
Doc Lab Editor Mentor
Michael Ho’s work in sound and picture editing has covered a diverse range of programming, including …
Read More…commercials and corporate films, music videos, documentaries and drama for television, feature films, and short films for the festival circuit. As well as working in the commercial field, Michael has been a filmmaking mentor at the National Film and Television School, as well as for other student film projects.
Ho worked as an assistant editor on Wes Anderson’s stop-frame adaptation of Roald Dahl’s ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ (2009), and the recent BBC 4 drama ‘Spies of Warsaw’.
He has just finished editing ‘Falling’, a short film directed by Gabrielle Russell, and ‘Urban Birds’, a documentary about female bicycle couriers working in London. -
Moh Hefzy
Producer Expert
Mohamed Hefzy studied Metallurgical Engineering in London and works in his field of study overseesing his …
Read More…Mohamed Hefzy studied Metallurgical Engineering in London and works in his field of study overseesing his family business. Over the last 10 years, he has managed to establish himself as one of the most prominent young scriptwriters and producers in the Arab world. In 2013, he was the only Arab to be selected by ‘Screen International’ as one of the world’s most influential filmmakers. In 2005, he founded Film Clinic, a development and production company, and in 10 years, he has produced or co-produced 19 feature films in Egypt, the United States, the UK and the Arab world.
Film Clinicwas founded in 2006 and is managed by renowned producer and scriptwriter Mohamed Hefzy. The company is now considered one of the leading production houses in the MENA region; it not only creates unique feature films, but also empowers talent to do so. We are passionate about the filmmaking industry, as we enjoy operating in all its diverse fields on both national and international platforms. Our philosophy is to blend the creative, vibrant ideas of the younger generation with the expertise of the best in cinema, in order to present powerful films to audiences who have exquisite taste and admiration for the beloved silver screen -
Mona Panchal
Executive Producer, First Look Media
After spending many years in feature film development at companies like MGM, Morgan Creek and Paramount …
Read More…Pictures, Mona moved to New York and began making films independently. She recently produced the award-winning 30 for 30 animated documentary, 'The Shining Star of Loses Everywhere'. Mona was a Senior Producer at Fusion.net where she made news and culture videos. She’s now EP of Digital at TOPIC, First Look Media owned platform. Mona oversees digital series, short films, VR, and live-streaming projects; manages budgets, day-to-day production and delivery of digital content; working closely with business affairs, audience development, and sales teams on digital strategy.
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Monzer El Hachem
Sound Engineer
Monzer El-Hachem is an accomplished freelance sound engineer with over ten years... …
Read More…Monzer El-Hachem is an accomplished freelance sound engineer with over ten years of experience in audio restoration, editing, and design. He previously worked as a Sound Designer at Kerning Cultures Network, assisting in the production of popular English- and Arabic-language podcasts and branded content. Prior to that, he was an Audio Archivist and Restoration Engineer at the Arab Music Archiving and Research Foundation (AMAR) where he digitized traditional Arabic-language recordings from the early 20th century. As a freelancer, Monzer has worked primarily on sound design for podcasts and audio restoration for films.
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Myriam Sassine
Industry Advisor
Myriam Sassine majored in audiovisual studies at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA) in 2005, …
Read More…and received her M.A. in cinema research in 2009. In 2012, she became an Associate Producer at Abbout Productions working on several features such as ‘The Valley’ by Ghassan Salhab (TIFF 2014/ Berlinale Forum 2015), and ‘Tramontane’ by Vatche Boulghourjian (Cannes Critic’s Week 2016). She produced the feature films ‘All This Victory’ by Ahmad Ghossein (Venice Critic’s Week Grand Prize and Audience Award winner 2019) and ‘1982’ by Oualid Mouaness (TIFF 2019). Myriam also produces feature documentaries such as ‘e muet’ by Corine Shawi (Fid Marseille 2013/ KVIFF 2015), ‘A Time to Rest’ by Myriam El Hajj (Visions du Réel- Nyon 2015), and ‘Amal’ by Mohamed Siam (Idfa 2017/ Hot Docs 2018). Myriam is an alumni of DocMed (2011) programme for Arab Documentary producers, Berlinale Talents (2014), Torino Film Lab Feature Lab (2018), EAVE Producer’s Workshop and Film Independent Producing Lab (2019). Since 2016, she is the COO of Schortcut Films, dedicated to coproducing international features such ‘Félicité’ by Alain Gomis (Silver Bear at 2017 Berlinale) and ‘It Must be Heaven’ by Elia Suleiman (Cannes Competition 2019). She is also the co-founder of Maskoon Fantastic Film Festival.
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Nadine Salib
Short Narrative Lab Mentor
Nadine Salib was born in 1984 in Egypt, where she graduated from film school in 2006. She started her …
Read More…career as an assistant director and worked as a first assistant director and script supervisor on several short and feature-length films, among them Ibrahim El Batout’s ‘Winter of Discontent’ (2012). ‘Dawn’ (also 2012), her first short documentary, won second prize in the Arab women filmmakers’ competition at the Baghdad International Film Festival and first prize at the Goethe Independent Film Festival in Egypt.
Salib has participated in many filmmaking workshops, including the Durban Talent Campus in 2011 and the Documentary Campus in 2012. ‘Mother of the Unborn’, her first feature-length documentary, premiered in IDFA 2014, where it won the Peter Wintonick Special Jury Award for First Appearance; it also won the FIPRESCI prize for Best Documentary at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in 2014. The film has been screened at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, the Carthage Film Festival, the Sheffield International Documentary Festival and the Transylvania International Film Festival, among many others. Salib is currently working on her first feature-length narrative film, ‘Shadi and I’. -
Neerja Narayanan
Lab Leader
Neerja is an international media producer, and studio executive with 17 years of experience across... …
Read More…Neerja is an international media producer, and studio executive with 17 years of experience across Asia, Europe, Africa and North/South America. She has held senior executive management positions at major studios such as 21st Century Fox and Disney Studios, also working with Channel Four UK and the British Film Institute. Neerja is experienced in 2D & 3D live action and animated content, and her core strengths include identifying material/talent, acquiring and curating properties, developing new IP, and producing feature-length films. She is currently working with Sony Pictures International Productions and has also been a speaker at several international film festivals and Ivy League universities.
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Nina Rodriguez
Guanajuato International Film Festival | Head of Programming
Nina Rodríguez is a seasoned international film festival and industry programmer... …
Read More…Nina Rodríguez is a seasoned international film festival and industry programmer. Originally from Cologne, Germany, where she started working in the music industry, 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—one of the most important platforms for young filmmakers in Latin America—where she established several talent development initiatives. Having collaborated with the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in the past, she is currently also Industry Programme Manager at Qumra, an initiative of the Doha Film Institute providing mentorship for international film projects from development through post-production.
Nina was a Matchmaker at Cinelink Sarajevo, spoke on panels, served on juries, and curated showcases for festivals including Berlinale Talents, Clermont Ferrand, Torino Short Film Market, Mar del Plata, Tokyo, FNC, El Gouna, CRFIC, FICUNAM, FICG, St. Kilda Festival, Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg, and has participated in the selection of projects for IMCINE and the Peruvian Ministry of Culture. Aside from the festival world, Nina also served as Academic Coordinator for the Pueblo Mágico Mexican Film Residency in Tepoztlán and was an executive producer on Viktor Jakovleski’s ‘Brimstone and Glory’ (2017), which won awards at San Francisco FF and El Gouna. In 2020, she founded Compartimento Cinematografico—an independent cinema in San Miguel de Allende. -
Olena Decock
Olena Decock is an Industry Programmer at Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival, …
Read More…where she empowers emerging filmmakers with the tools to navigate the international documentary market. She is responsible for administering the CrossCurrents Canada Doc Fund, Hot Docs-Slaight Family Fund and Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund, as well as producing the festival’s annual conference. Olena has 10-years’ experience working at international film festivals, including two years as a Programming Associate to TIFF’s Middle East & Africa selections. She is the producer of the short film ‘Dziadzio’, which world premiered at TIFF and was named by NOW Magazine as one of the top Canadian short films of the festival. She is also the producer of the forthcoming short ‘Druh’, currently in post-production. Born and raised in Toronto, Olena is fluent in French and proficient in karaoke.
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Pablo Iraburu
Lead Mentor
Pablo Iraburu is a documentary film director. After graduating from the University of Navarra with …
Read More…Pablo Iraburu is a documentary film director. After graduating from the University of Navarra with a degree in Information Sciences, he began a career as a cameraman, film editor and scriptwriter in many different formats, from music videos to fiction, dance and experimental films.
After discovering his vocation for documentary film, he directed and produced several documentaries about human issues around the world, among them the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu in Romania, the Balkan Wars, AIDS in Malawi, the peace process in Guatemala, the Landless Workers Movement in Brazil, education projects in Peru, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Ecuador. He has also shot and post-produced documentaries on topics like leprosy in Mumbai, healthcare in the Peruvian Amazon, sustainable fisheries in Madagascar and fair trade in Côte d’Ivoire, among many others.
In 2000, he founded Arena Comunicación, a film production company that specialises in documentary filmmaking and audiovisual installations for museums. He has been Arena’s creative director since its launch.
Iraburu co-directed the documentary films ‘Nömadak Tx’ (2006), ‘Pura vida – The Ridge’ (2012), ‘District Zero’ (2015) and ‘Walls’ (2015), among others. He also directed the documentary television series ‘Everest Without Oxygen’. The common element in his projects is his approach to issues with a global reach accessed via a specific story, element or character.
He is Associate Professor of Documentary Film at the University of Navarra, and has given workshops and master classes in documentary film at festivals such as the International Documentary Festiva Amsterdam, Docs Barcelona Medellin, the Duhok Film Festival, DocsDF México and One World Praga. -
Paolo Ciccarelli
Series Project Coach
Paolo is a creative and strategic consultant for international production and... …
Read More…Paolo is a creative and strategic consultant for international production and distribution companies as well as global studios. His expertise focuses on scouting, evaluation and development of scripted content. He began his career in 2009 and after spending several years working in London, in 2017, Paolo joined MIA | International Audiovisual Market as coordinator of the newly born drama division, becoming coordinator of the whole scripted area in 2021.
In 2023 Paolo was then appointed Head of Drama and he now oversees the whole editorial and strategic line of MIA on global drama industry. Since 2022, Paolo is also consultant to the development department of Paramount in Italy, where he analyses and evaluates scripted projects for original productions. -
Patrick Doyle
A classically trained musician, Patrick Doyle first ventured into the world of film scores with …
Read More…A classically trained musician, Patrick Doyle first ventured into the world of film scores with Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Henry V’ (1989) and has since collaborated with Branagh on 11 further films. He has composed scores for more than 50 films, among them Brian De Palma’s ‘Carlito’s Way’ (1993), Ang Lee’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’ (1995), Robert Altman’s ‘Gosford Park’ (2001) and Mike Newell’s ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ (2005).
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Peter Chappell
Doc Lab Mentor
Peter Chappell has worked extensively in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. As director, he …
Read More…made a drama adapted from Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer’s book ‘Oral History’. His films have won numerous international awards, including the Canadian Film and Television Academy’s Award for Best Scientific Documentary and the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe’s Prix Europa for ‘The Origins of AIDS’, and the Silver FIPA for ‘Our Friends at the Bank’, which also won the Outstanding Journalism Award at the Ökomedia Festival in Germany. Chappell has organised workshops in Tunisia, Palestine and Qatar, and is on the advisory board of MAISHA in Uganda.
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Peter Peake
Animation Workshop Mentor
Peter Peake is a UK-based animation director with over 23 years’ experience in the industry, covering …
Read More…a range of techniques including stop-motion, CGI, Flash and live action. He has worked extensively for the UK’s Aardman Animations, creators of Wallace & Gromit, ‘Chicken Run’ and ‘The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!’ As a stop-motion key animator, his work on Nick Park’s Academy Award-winning ‘A Close Shave’ included developing the character of Shaun the Sheep. In 1994, he made his first short film for Aardman, ‘Pib and Pog’, which won the McLaren Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival and was nominated for a BAFTA. This was followed in 1998 by ‘Humdrum’, which also won the McLaren Award and was nominated for aBAFTA and an Oscar. In 2002, he directed the half-hour special ‘Robbie the Reindeer II – Legend of the Lost Tribe’ for Comic Relief and BBC Worldwide, which won an International Emmy. He continues to work with Aardman directing television series, short films and commercials for clients including Coca Cola, Hotels.com and Wrigleys. His most recent short film for Aardman, ‘Pythagasaurus’, was completed in 2011.
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Qutaiba Barhamji
Editor Mentor
Qutaiba Barhamji, born in Damascus, is an award-winning film director and editor... …
Read More…Qutaiba Barhamji, born in Damascus, is an award-winning film director and editor. He has worked on over 50 films in 22 languages, many of which have been showcased at prominent film festivals like Cannes, Sundance, and Venice. These include ‘Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege’ (2021), ‘How to Save a Dead Friend’ (2022), ‘Smoke Sauna Sisterhood’, which won Best European Documentary in 2023, and the Oscar-nominated documentary ‘Four Daughters’ (2023), which earned L’Œil d’Or at Cannes Film Festival. As a director, his debut documentary, ‘Gevar’s Land’, was screened at IDFA, Cinema du Reel, and Doclisboa, winning l’Étoile de La Scam in 2022. Qutaiba also serves as an editing consultant and trainer for IDFA Project Space, DFI Qumra, and Eurodoc. In addition, he has served as a juror at various festivals and funds, including the Sundance Documentary Fund, IDFA Bertha Fund, and AFAC, among others.
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Raja Amari
Raja Amari was born in Tunis, Tunisia. After gaining a Master’s in French... …
Read More…Raja Amari was born in Tunis, Tunisia. After gaining a Master’s in French Literature from the University of Tunis, she graduated from La FEMIS, the French school for cinematic studies.
After two short movies she moves to long feature with “Satin Rouge “ (2002), premiered at Berlin International Film Festival, won numerous awards and was acclaimed by the public and the press.
Her second film “ Buried Secrets”, was presented in Official selection of the 66th Venice Film Festival. It was screened at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art NY), and a various awarded and selected at Film Festivals.
In 2014 she directed “Tunisian Spring”, a TV movie for Arte Télévision.
In 2016, she directed “Foreign Body” which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF2016) and was selected for the Berlin Film Festival.
“Forum”.
In 2020, she directed “She Had A Dream” which premiered at the IDFA and was selected for many other festivals (CPH DOX, JCC, International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH Geneva) …
She has been a Jury Member at several international festivals such as Venice Film Festival and Locarno International Film Festival.
She was a member of the jury for the Citizenship Prize at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.
She is a cinema teacher and juror at La Fémis (Paris) and at HEAD (Haute École d’Art et de Design, Geneva).
She was a member of several CNC commissions, and President of the Quality Prize Commission (Aid after production for short films).
In 2019 She was officially announced a member of Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (Oscars).
In 2020 she was appointed president of the jury of the Gan foundation for cinema (France). -
Ramsey Tesdell
CEO, Sowt Media
Ramsey G. Tesdell is the CEO and co-founder of Sowt.com, a leading digital... …
Read More…Ramsey G. Tesdell is the CEO and co-founder of Sowt.com, a leading digital audio media company producing high-quality and premium content focusing on Arabic-speaking audiences. He is also a founding partner of 7iber.com, a leading independent news magazine from Jordan.
Ramsey was selected as a fellow of the Ford Global Fellowship in 2021 and is an advisory board member to the Google/PRX Podcast Creators Program, and a judge for the Third Coast Audio Festival held in Chicago. Ramsey also spends time mentoring and working with new media startups and focuses specifically on media strategy and business development with ICFJ. Ramsey originally moved to Amman as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. He has a B.S. in rhetoric and communication and an M.S. in technical communication. He lives in Amman with his partner and two children. -
Raquel Cabrera Simón
Marketing Expert
Raquel is The Film Agency’s account manager of transnational and innovative initiatives such as ‘Walk... …
Read More…Raquel is The Film Agency’s account manager of transnational and innovative initiatives such as ‘Walk This Way’ and branded-content projects such as ‘Brandstorm’, and the second edition of the Correos Film Festival. She is responsible for liaising with brand and media partners for the vast majority of The Film Agency’s campaign activity. She has also coordinated marketing campaigns for clients like Morena Films, Telecinco, Mod Producciones, Royal Opera House of London, Fox or Mediapro, among others.
Raquel had previous experience in production companies such as Morena Films and Mediaset, and Spanish companies like Mapfre and Endesa. -
Rhea Chedid
Editorial Lead, Podcast Host & Producer, Content Strategist
Rhea Chedid grew up between the US and Lebanon. To the dismay of her... …
Read More…Rhea Chedid grew up between the US and Lebanon. To the dismay of her Lebanese father, she studied English Literature and Sociology, which equipped her with a love for storytelling and ultimately led her to become a full time content and podcast producer. She’s produced over 12 podcasts, including Her Stage which was part of the Google Podcast creator program. Today Rhea is a Content Acquisition Manager for Amazon Music’s podcast team. Before Amazon, she was in charge of podcasts for the Middle East at Deezer. In her spare time, Rhea enjoys writing, reading and toying around with other forms of content.
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Richard Peña
Professor
Richard Peña was the Program Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Director …
Read More…of the New York Film Festival from 1988 until 2012. At the Film Society, Richard Peña organized retrospectives of many film artists, as well as major film series devoted to numerous national cinemas. Together with Unifrance, in 1995 he created Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, the leading American showcase for new French cinema. He is a Professor of Film Studies at Columbia University, where he specializes in film theory and international cinema, and has served as a Visiting Professor at the Sorbonne, Beijing University, UNAM-Mexico City and the University of São Paulo. He also currently hosts WNET/Channel 13’s weekly ‘Reel 13’.
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Rithy Panh
Lead Mentor, Documentary Filmmaker
Rithy Panh is a Cambodian-French filmmaker, writer and producer. …
Read More…Born in Cambodia, he studied filmmaking at the Institut des Hautes Études Cinematographiques in France. His work focuses primarily on the genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge regime in his homeland. Rooted in first-hand experience, Panh’s works have a rare and striking authority.
He has directed numerous internationally acclaimed films, including ‘The Rice People’, which was selected for the Official Competition of the Festival de Cannes in 1994; ‘The Land of Wandering Souls’ (2000); the influential ‘S21: The Khmer Rouge Death Machine’ (2004), which took numerous awards around the world; ‘Paper Cannot Wrap Embers’ (2007), ‘The Sea Wall’ (2008) and ‘Duch, Master of the Forges of Hell’ (2012).
In 2013, Panh directed ‘The Missing Picture’, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and won the Grand Prix in the Un Certain Regard section at the Festival de Cannes. His most recent directorial effort, ‘Exile’, won wide critical and public acclaim at Cannes in 2016. -
Ryan Dilley
Producer at Pushkin Industries
A journalist and audio producer, Ryan Dilley has created hit shows for Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast company …
Read More…Pushkin Industries. ‘The Happiness Lab with Dr Laurie Santos’ and ‘Cautionary Tales’ have attracted ten of millions of downloads since they debuted in 2019. Ryan has also made podcasts with the likes of Marc Maron, John Oliver, Alexis Ohanian, Elizabeth Banks and John Cleese; and advised clients including The British Council, Channel 4 Television and The Times of London.
Ryan previously worked at the BBC, where he edited some of the corporation’s biggest TV and radio news shows. -
Ryan O’nan
TV Writer and Showrunner
Ryan O'Nan is an American TV writer and actor. He started his work as TV writer for MTV’s 'Skins' in 2011 …
Read More…He is a story editor on USA Network's 'Queen of the South', in which he also plays the recurring role of King George. He is also a writer on FX’s 'Legion'. He was a guest star as Jared Hale in the FX series 'Justified' in the very first season premiere episode 'Fire in the Hole'. He had recurring roles in 'Mercy' and 'The Unusuals', and has appeared, among others, in the films 'Eat Pray Love' and 'The Dry Land'. He wrote, directed and starred in the independent comedy 'The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best', defined as one of the best musical comedies of recent years. 'The Dry Land' saw him team up again with both Jason Ritter and Melissa Leo from his earlier film.
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Sata Cissokho
Industry Advisor
Sata Cissokho is in charge of Acquisitions at Memento Films International. …
Read More…She first joined the company in 2014 as Festivals Manager while also handling the art-house label ARTSCOPE, whose titles include Chaitanya Tamhane’s ‘Court’ (Lion of the Future and Orizzonti Award for Best Film – Venice 2014) and Gabriel Mascaro’s ‘Neon Bull’ (Special Jury Prize – Venice 2015). She previously worked at New York-based independent distribution company Zeitgeist Films, and assisted the Tribeca FF’s programming team. She also took part in several co-production platforms, working as industry coordinator for Paris Project, Les Arcs Co-production Village and Paris Co-production Village.
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Sebastian Sepúlveda
Editor Mentor
Sepúlveda lived the first 18 years of his life between Europe and South America... …
Read More…Sepúlveda lived the first 18 years of his life between Europe and South America due to his family’s exile from Chile during the military regime. On return to Santiago in 1990, he began studying history. Towards the end of the 1990s, Sepúlveda studied screenwriting at La Fémis in Paris and editing at EICTV in Cuba. He was involved in editing several films in the 2000s (‘La Leon’ and ‘Young and Wild’). Sepúlveda’s directorial debut was ‘The Quispe Girls’ (2013), produced by Juan de Dios and Pablo Larraín. ‘The Quispe Girls’ screened at the Venice Film Festival Critics’ Week, where it won Best Cinematography. In 2015 he edited ‘The Club’, which won the Silver Bear at the Berlinale. He was nominated to the Spirits Awards in 2017 for the editing of ‘Jackie’, and is currently working on the editing of Pablo Larrain’s new film, ‘Ema’.
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Selin Murat
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam | Markets Manager
As co-founder of Canadian-based Parabola Films, Selin Murat started her... …
Read More…As co-founder of Canadian-based Parabola Films, Selin Murat started her career as a creative producer, producing author-driven documentaries for festivals, theatre, and broadcast. In 2017, Selin became a film programmer and head of Industry at Montreal’s RIDM, where she built strong relationships between Quebec and the international industry. Since the summer of 2021, she has been based in Europe and worked as Markets Manager at Amsterdam’s IDFA, where she runs the design and innovation of the FORUM and DOCS FOR SALE, continuing to support a sustainable ecosystem for the international film industry.
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Séverin Favriau
Lab Mentor
A sound designer, sound supervisor and music composer. He discovered cinema through... …
Read More…A sound designer, sound supervisor and music composer. He discovered cinema through his studies at ETPA (AudioVisual School) at Rennes between 1997 and 2000. After 5 years as a sound recordist in various documentaries, he began sound design at 28 years old. His collaboration with Amos Gitaï and Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire gave him a new musical approach of sound design, and today, these two components are present in his work. He was nominated twice for the Best Sound César (French Academy awards) with Mathieu Amalric’s movie 'On Tour' in 2011, and 'Raw' directed by Julia Ducournau in 2018. As a natural continuation of his work on 'Raw', he wrote his first music score for Jeremie Guez’s movie: 'A Bluebird in my Heart', selected in the famous SXSW Austin Film Festival. He also teaches regularly at La Fémis, the National French Film School.
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Sharon Mashihi
Sharon Mashihi works in the mediums of audio, film, and performance. …
Read More…In 2018, Sharon won the Third Coast International Audio Prize Silver Award for her audio documentary, Man Choubam (I Am Good.) Her latest project is a metafictional audio series called, Appearances, which was named the number 1 podcast of 2020 by Podcast Review from The L.A. Review of Books and one of the “Best New Podcasts of 2020” by The New York Times. Sharon is a former editor of the podcasts, The Heart and KCRW’s Bodies.
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Simona Nobile
Script Consultant
Simona Nobile has worked as a story editor, screenwriter and script consultant for Italian and …
Read More…international production companies and European funding bodies for more than 10 years. A member of the Selection Committee of the Italian MIBACT – Cinema Department, she is responsible for national funding for the development and production of Italian films, including medium- to high-budget features; first- and second features; documentaries; and short films. She is an external expert for the Eurimages Council of Europe and for EACEA in the Creative Europe MEDIA subprogramme, and is responsible for the selection of applications from European production companies requesting funding from the MEDIA Development Fund. Nobile also works as script consultant for several international co-production and funding bodies, and has been instrumental in scouting new European talent and the development of several feature films and TV series.
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Socheat Cheng
Supporting Mentor
Socheat Cheng holds a Bachelor Degree in Information Technology. During his studies, …
Read More…he was always passionate about filmmaking.
After his graduation, he got involved in numerous activities in the film industry such as documentary and fiction filmmaking, editing, colour grading, cinematography, camera assistant and visual effects. In addition, he participated in a year-long documentary film training program initiated by Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center. He also worked with many foreign film crews and production companies from France, Korea, and the USA. He recently became an assistant to Mr Rithy Panh and has helped make the films 'The Missing Pictures' (2013), 'Exile' (2016), 'Bangskol: A Requiem for Cambodia' (2017).
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Stephanie Fuchs
Stephanie is the Festival Manager at Autlook Filmsales, …
Read More…one of the leading sales agents for feature documentaries and hybrids. Autlook is currently representing ‘Belushi’ by R.J. Cutler, ‘Writing With Fire’ by Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh (Sundance 2021 awarded), ‘All Light, Everywhere’ by Theo Anthony (Sundance 2021 awarded), ‘The Painter and the Thief’ by Benjamin Ree (93rd Academy Awards shortlist), ‘For Sama’ by Waad Al Kateab & Edward Watts, (Golden Eyes Best documentary Cannes 2019 + 47 awards, Emmy® Awarded, 92nd Academy Awards nominee), The Box Office hit ‘Caught in the Net’ by Vít Klusák, Barbora Chalupová, ‘Of Fathers and Sons’ by Talal Derki (91st Academy Awards nominee). Autlook offers a full spectrum of distribution, in-house, customized sales and festival strategies that help maximize revenues, audience engagement that fosters filmmakers’ careers, and an endless passion for the art of documentaries. Stephanie is in charge of Festival strategies, coordination of all international festivals, single bookings and educational screenings. She also offers her expertise as a consultant and panellist and has been part of several juries.
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Stephanie Kuo
Lead lab mentor
Stephanie Kuo is the Director of Training at PRX, overseeing all training accelerator programs for …
Read More…early-stage podcasters and organizations of all sizes around the U.S. and the world.
Stephanie manages a dynamic team of project managers and podcast design strategists to support audio creators looking to refine their podcast ideas, identify and grow their target audience, and develop unique plans for sustainability and success.
Past work includes managing Project Catapult, a PRX initiative with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, to help public radio stations make podcasts as a way of reaching new audiences; the Google Podcasts creator program for independent international podcasters; and Ready to Learn, in partnership with PBS, to create educational podcasts for children ages 4-8.
Stephanie studied journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. -
Stacey Eberschlag
Toon Boon Course Mentor
Stacey Eberschlag graduated with honours from Sheridan College in Classical Animation and has worked for …
Read More…close to 20 years in the animation industry in a variety of positions. He joined Toon Boom Animation in 2010; prior to this he held the position of Director at Amberwood Entertainment for eight years. He has directed numerous programmes, including ‘Zeroman’ and ‘Hoze Houndz’, and worked on many critically acclaimed programmes, including ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’, ‘The Ron White Animated Show’, ‘The Secret World of Benjamin Bear’, and the Emmy Award-winning ‘Tutenstein’. Eberschlag also worked as a senior animator for Mercury Filmworks, and his animation work was featured in ‘Jimmy Two-Shoes’, ‘Mischief City’ and ‘Kick Buttowski’, a Walt Disney series. His solid background in Harmony animation and a broad expertise in digital character building make Eberschlag an esteemed member of the Toon Boom Animation family.
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Suzy Gillett
Editorial Advisor
Suzy Gillett trained as a filmmaker at Saint Martin’s College of Art, subsequently... …
Read More…Suzy Gillett trained as a filmmaker at Saint Martin’s College of Art, subsequently emigrating to Paris to work as a production and director’s assistant in documentary film and TV after her first job casting for the epic Bicentennial of the French Revolution Parade. Returning to London, she was a curator of international film festivals for ten years, including at the French Institute and Film Africa. For the next decade, Gillett empowered emerging filmmakers by designing and running several feature film development labs supported by Creative Media for The London Film School and Scuola Holden, I-Features for Creative England, BFI & BBC, and Lagos Lab for The British Council. She was Course Leader of the Barbican Young Film Programmers for eight years. Dublin Films has produced and developed her debut feature film script, ‘Chéramy’. She currently works as a script and edit consultant for European Film Funds and independent production companies and is an Editorial Advisor for First Cut Lab. Gillett also teaches Documentary Filmmaking at ESAV Marrakech and UNATC Bucharest.
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Tania El Khoury
Les films de l’Altaï – Khamsin Films | Producer
After filmmaking and psychology studies in Beirut, Tania El Khoury moved to Paris... …
Read More…After filmmaking and psychology studies in Beirut, Tania El Khoury moved to Paris in 2002, where she finished a master’s degree in cinema. She then joined the Parisian independent production company Moby Dick Films, with which she worked as legal and financial manager until 2019. In 2017, El Khoury founded the production company Khamsin Films in Beirut, and in 2020 she founded the Paris-based production company Les Films de l’Altaï. She recently produced the latest feature fiction of filmmaker Ghassan Salhab, ‘The River’ (International Competition, Locarno 2021), Sonia Ben Slama’s newest feature documentary ‘Machtat’ (International Competition Visions du Réel, ACID Cannes 2023) and ‘Manity’ by Hussen Ibraheem for which she received the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity x AFAC in 2022.
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Tashi Trieu
Lead Mentor
Tashi Trieu has more than 10 years of post-production finishing experience as well as an intensive …
Read More…background in compositing and digital and film photography. Relying on a strong eye for story-centric visual aesthetics, Trieu combines technical and artistic prowess to enhance feature films, commercials, short-form work and episodic productions.
In today’s fast-paced post-production environment colourists need a rich understanding of visual effects and motion picture imaging science to produce creative results quickly and effectively. Tashi’s artistic skill set is strengthened by a rich background in colour science, image processing and digital post-production workflow. He is the co-author of the textbook ‘Modern Post’, an internationally recognised authority on modern Hollywood post-production finishing.
Tashi has been a contributor to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Science's ACES project, and regularly contributes his expertise in colour science to Lattice, a popular Swiss army-knife app. Additionally, he serves as a consultant for numerous major software vendors and manufacturers.
He teaches digital intermediate colour grading and finishing at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film & Media Arts in Southern California and at Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan. He also serves as a post-production consultant to major film studios and post-production facilities in Taiwan. -
Teresa Cavina
Film Curator & Industry Consultant
Teresa Cavina is an Italian festival programmer, script analyst and co-production expert. …
Read More…From 1989 to 1997, she was a programmer at the Venice International Film Festival, and in 1998, she moved to the Festival del Film Locarno, which she co-directed from 2001 through 2005. In 2006, she launched the Rome Film Festival, where she was artistic director until 2008. In Rome, she founded the New Cinema Network, an international co-production platform featuring training and support for second-time filmmakers. From 2009 to 2012, Cavina was the artistic director of the Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels (FIPA), and programming director of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival from 2009 to 2014, where she co-created Sanad, a fund that provided support to Arab filmmakers and films relevant to Arab culture and heritage. Currently, she focuses on working closely with filmmakers, producers, script labs and funding bodies, including Premio Solinas (Italy), AFAC (Lebanon) and HAF (Hong Kong). Cavina is also on the reading team for Eurimages.
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Thorsten Schütte
Lab Advisor
German documentary filmmaker Thorsten Schütte has worked for more than 20 years as a writer, director... …
Read More…...and producer. He has produced and directed numerous television films and series, including WORLD JAZZ (1998), TRIP TO BRAZIL (2001), THE CACTUS OF KNOWLEDGE (2001) and NAMIBIA GENERATION X (2005). His thought-provoking and well-reviewed films have been widely shown at international film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and the Berlin International Film Festival.
Parallel to his passion for music documentaries, Schütte dedicates a substantial part of his work to film-based environmental and labour activism in Southern Africa. Some of his documentaries, like LAND MATTERS (2008) and THE FORGOTTEN (2015), deal with subjects like land ownership, affirmative action and farm workers’ rights.
As a founding member of the Stolen Moments-Namibian Music History Untold Research Group, Schütte and his team members have for several years been exploring the Namibian music culture that was almost forgotten, suppressed under apartheid. He currently runs a digitalisation campaign in co-operation with the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation, and is co-curating an international exhibition that is scheduled to open in Berlin in the Fall of 2017.
Since 2002, in Germany, Schütte has co-ordinated documentary and fiction studies at the internationally renowned Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.
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Violeta Bava
Producers Lab Advisor
Violeta Bava was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2002, she received a double degree in Theory, …
Read More…Violeta Bava was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2002, she received a double degree in Theory, Aesthetics and History of Cinema & Drama at Buenos Aires University (UBA). She has worked as a Programmer of the Buenos Aires International Film Festival (BAFICI) and Co-director of BAL, a leading co-production market for Latin American films. She has worked on the programming team of Bratislava International Film Festival and has collaborated on three editions of the Locarno International Film Festival at the Open Doors Programme.
Violeta has an impressive background in training and development and has worked as a film consultant and production tutor for several funds, organisations and festivals worldwide. She has also taught Cinema
Aesthetics and Ethics at Centro de Investigación Cinematográfica (Buenos Aires). She was part of the Advisory Board of Torino Film Lab for ten years. She has also played a key role in the development of initiatives devoted to support filmmakers and producers in Latin American region such as: Puentes workshop in connection with EAVE, Produire au Sud Buenos Aires in collaboration with 3 Continents Film Festival (Nantes), 3 Puertos Cine (with AustralLab and Cinemart – IFF Rotterdam) and BAL goes to Cannes with Marché du Film – Cannes Film Festival. Recently, she became part of the Programming team of the International Film Festival & Awards Macau and Industry Advisor of Visions du Réel.
Founder of Ruda Cine, she has produced 'Too Late to Die Young', by Dominga Sotomayor (2018), Best Director Award at Locarno; Eduardo Williams debut feature 'The Human Surge' (2016), winner of Pardo d’Oro for Best Film, and Abrir 'puertas y ventanas' (2012), by Milagros Mumenthaler, winner of Pardo d’Oro for Best Film, Pardo d’Argento for Best Actress and FIPRESCI Award at Locarno Film Festival. Since 2012, Violeta has been the Latin American Consultant for the Venice International Film Festival. She is also an Industry and Programme Advisor for Doha Film Institute. -
Will Collins
Screenwriting Workshop Mentor
Will Collins is a screenwriter whose credits include the Academy Award-nominated, ‘Song of the Sea’ …
Read More…(2014), for which he received an Annie Award nomination for Writing in a Feature Production and an IFTA nomination for Best Film Script. He also wrote ‘My Brothers’, his award-winning live-action feature-length debut, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was the opening film of the Galway Film Fleadh in 2010. Collins won the Pitching Award at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2007 and was nominated for Best Film Script at IFTA in 2011. He graduated from the NUIG Huston School of Film and Digital Media with a Master’s degree in Screenwriting.
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Wim Vanacker
Industry Advisor
After studying psychology in Belgium, …
Read More…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 ‘Endgame’ and ‘The Naked leading the Blind’. 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. Vanacker is also a member of the Selection Committee for the Official Short Film Competition of the Cannes Film Festival, and recently, he became the Editorial Consultant for the First Cut Lab. On the side, he works as a script consultant, creative advisor, programmer, tutor and guest speaker for many workshops, film festivals and projects in development. As a writer/director, Vanacker is currently developing the short films [ˈsɪə.ri.əl ] and ‘Psycho Revisited’.