Head of the Jury
Великобритания
Christopher Hampton became involved in theatre while studying French and German at Oxford University and wrote the play, “When Did You Last See My Mother”, in his first year, making him the youngest writer ever to have a play performed in the West End – a record which still stands. Since then, his plays and musicals have included “The Philanthropist”, ”Savages”, “Tales from Hollywood”, “Dangerous Liaisons”, “White Chameleon”, “Sunset Boulevard” (with Don Black), “A Dangerous Method”, “A German Life” and “Visit From An Unknown Woman”. He has written the libretti for three Philip Glass operas and translated plays by Ibsen, Molière, von Horváth, Chekhov, Yasmina Reza, Daniel Kehlmann, and Florian Zeller. His plays, musicals and translations have so far garnered five Tony Awards, four Olivier Awards, five Evening Standard Awards and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award.
His many screenplays include “Dangerous Liaisons”, “Total Eclipse”, “Mary Reilly”, “The Quiet American”, “Atonement”, “Chéri”, “A Dangerous Method”, “The Father” and “The Son” (the last two with Florian Zeller). He both wrote and directed “Carrington”, “The Secret Agent” and “Imagining Argentina”. Prizes for his film and television work include two Oscars, three BAFTAs, a European Film Award, a Writer’s Guild of America Award, the Prix Italia, a Special Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Hollywood Screenwriter of the Year and the Collateral Award at the Venice Film Festival for Best Literary Adaptation.
США
David Stump ASC BVK AIP has been working in motion pictures and television production as Director of Photography, Visual Effects Director of Photography, Visual Effects Supervisor, and Stereographer earning an Emmy Award, an Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement, an IMAGO Technical Achievement Award, an AIP Lifetime Achievement Award and an International Cinematographers Guild Award.
His credits include projects like “Little Fires Everywhere”, “The Morning Show”, “Breaking Bad”, “The Happytime Murders”, “American Gods”, “Immortals”, “James Bond 22 – Quantum of Solace”, “Flight Plan”, “Fantastic Four”, “X-Men” 1 & 2, “Into the Blue”, “Garfield”, “Batman Forever”, “Hollow Man”, “Men of Honor”, “Deep Blue Sea”, “Stuart Little”, “The Sphere”, “Contact”, “Batman & Robin”, “Mars Attacks”, “Executive Decision”, “Stargate”, “Free Willy”, “Adventures in Babysitting”, “Rambo 3”, “Stand By Me”, “The Day After” and many, many others. David authored the book “Digital Cinematography – Fundamentals, Techniques and Workflows” first edition and second edition, and is a contributing author to both the “VES Handbook” and the “ASC Manual 11th Edition”. David is currently residing in Alenquer Portugal and teaching cinematography at Universidade Lusofona in Lisbon.
Франция
Julie Billy is a Paris-based film producer who has spent over fifteen years supporting bold, distinctive voices in cinema. She has worked with acclaimed filmmakers including Jonas Carpignano, Nadav Lapid and Yorgos Lanthimos. In 2020, she founded June Films, where she develops and produces ambitious films and series with international reach.
Her recent productions include Hafsia Herzi’s “The Little Sister”, which premiered in Competition at Cannes in 2025, winning the Queer Palm and Best Actress Award; Emma Benestan’s “Animale”, presented at Cannes Critics’ Week in 2024; and “Green Eyes” by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh, which opened Locarno’s Piazza Grande in 2026. June Films also produced “The Confidante”, directed by Just Philippot and named one of The New York Times’ Top 10 International TV Shows of the Year. Julie Billy is a co-founder of Collectif 50/50 and received the Trophée du Film Français Director-Producer Duo Award in 2021.
In films she looks for boldness in mise-en-scène, a singular vision of a director, emotion and what the film says about the world we live in. Does it propose a new perspective on the world?
Эстония
Tiina Tauraite is an Estonian actress equally at home on stage and screen. She spent a decade at Tallinn's Von Krahl Theatre before moving fluidly between film and stage, and since 2022 has taught as a senior lecturer at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Her film work favours emotional precision over flash — from “Autumn Ball” and “The Temptation of St. Tony” to “The Spy and the Poet”, “Who Shot Otto Mueller?” and “Frank”. Her role as a grieving schoolteacher in “8 Views of Lake Biwa”, Estonia's entry for the 97th Academy Awards, won her Best Actress in Estonia in 2025. A three-time Estonian Theatre Award winner, she recently starred on stage in “Murdja” (“Cougar”) and has written and performed her own play.
Ливан
Myriam Sassine is a producer, film executive and mentor who has produced award-winning films such as “Costa Brava, Lebanon” by Mounia Akl, “1982” by Oualid Mouaness, “Amal” by Mohamed Siam, “Panoptic” by Rana Eid, “Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano” by Cyril Aris and “Diaries from Lebanon” by Myriam El Hajj. In 2016, she co-founded Maskoon Fantastic Film Festival, the only genre festival in the Arab region. She’s the programme curator of AFLAMUNA Connection, a co-production platform for Arab filmmakers and the head of Tatino Films’ international training programme Full Circle Lab Nouvelle-Aquitaine Hessen. In 2025, with Abbout Productions she received the Raimondo Rezzonico Prize at Locarno Film Festival, awarded to independent producers who have played a major role in international production. That same year, she joined producer Sophie Erbs in the France-based companies Gaïjin and Sarmadi, consolidating her presence within the European production landscape.
Myriam is drawn to bold and distinctive films that are willing to take risks, that challenge familiar forms, and, above all, films that surprise and move audiences, opening up new ways to see the world, and create connections between people across different experiences, cultures and perspectives.
Head of the Jury
Великобритания
Ivana MacKinnon is a producer who started her career working across films as diverse as “The Descent” (2005) and “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), before founding her production company, Wild Swim Films, in 2019. She has specialised in debut features, making the first films of Jack Thorne, Tom Harper, Michael Pearce and Molly Manning Walker. Her most recent films include “How to Have Sex” (2023) which won the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, and “Bring Them Down” (2024) which won Best Film at Fantastic Fest and Best Debut Director at the British Independent Film Awards. Her upcoming film “Sugar”, starring Naomi Ackie and Eve Hewson, is currently in post-production. She believes that cinema has the power to change things inside us, and that is what she values most of all in films.
Великобритания
Lynn Nwokorie is a Film Relationship Manager for the British Council and a Programme Advisor for the BFI London Film Festival (LFF) and SXSW Austin. Lynn is also an Executive Producer for independent documentaries and has provided editorial consultancy for film organisations, including the Gotham Film & Media Week and We Are Parable, championing documentary and narrative filmmakers in their careers. Previously, Lynn was Doc Society Fund Manager for various film funds including the BFI Doc Society Fund, the Bertha Doc Society Journalism Fund and the Pulse Fund.
Эстония
Esko Rips is an Estonian producer, and co-founder and CEO of Nafta Films, a pan-Baltic production company with offices in Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius. Since establishing Nafta in 2009, he has built a diverse portfolio spanning feature films, television series and international co-productions. His credits include May el-Toukhy’s “Woman Unknown”, winner of the Golden Lion at the 2026 Venice Film Festival, the “Melchior the Apothecary” trilogy, the historical spy thriller “Dawn of War” and the family adventure “The Secret Society of Souptown”. Under his leadership, Nafta has also been involved in Baltic successes such as “The Southern Chronicles”, Lithuania’s most-watched domestic film. His upcoming projects include “Serafima” with Veiko Õunpuu and “The Reconstruction” with Viesturs Kairišs. Esko is a member of the European Film Academy and the European Producers Club, and an alumnus of ACE Producers, EAVE and Inside Pictures. In 2018, he was selected for European Film Promotion’s Producers on the Move programme at the Cannes Film Festival.
Head of the Jury
Германия
Mariëtte Rissenbeek was born in the Netherlands. After her Master studies in German Language and Literature in Utrecht she moved to Berlin and began her career in the film industry as acquisitions manager at the distribution company Tobis Filmkunst in 1986. She joined Regina Ziegler Filmproduktion in 1995, and produced films both for TV and theatrical release. As an independent producer she produced Mika Kaurismäki’s roadmovie “Highway Society” in 1999. In 2002, she joined German Films, a national institution for the international promotion of films made in Germany. In 2019, she was appointed Managing Director of the Berlin International Film Festival until 2024. Since then she has been working as a consultant, mentor, and producer for international filmmakers, festivals, and institutions with a focus on films which bring new perspectives and on regions which have been less visible in the cinematic world so far.
Великобритания
Paul Gallagher leads the curatorial vision at Glasgow Film, as Head of Programme for both Glasgow Film Theatre and Glasgow Film Festival. He has been a key member of Glasgow Film’s management team for more than a decade, first as Marketing Manager and subsequently as Programme Manager, leading on year-round programming at Glasgow Film Theatre since 2018. Key successes during his tenure include the establishment of GFT’s long-running programming strands Scorsese of the Month and Coen Brothers of the Month; the diversification of GFT’s CineMasters programme to spotlight broader film industry talent; and the curation of GFT’s hugely popular 50th Anniversary programme. The 22nd edition of Glasgow Film Festival in 2026 was his first as the Head of Programme, and opened with the UK premiere of vital Scottish documentary “Everybody to Kenmure Street”. He responds to bold and confident storytelling, inventive craft and authentic emotion in cinema. “I want to be moved and provoked to reflect on the world around me in a new way, and to feel a sense of connection with people similar and different to me; something cinema is uniquely placed to do.”
Турция
Ali Vatansever is an Istanbul-based filmmaker with a background in design and film production. His second feature, “Saf”, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018. His third, “LifeLike”, which moves between physical and virtual worlds, won Best Director at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival’s Official Competition in 2025. He teaches Film Production and XR at Koç University and mentors emerging filmmakers through m2 Film Lab. Drawn to human stories told with depth and subtlety, Ali values cinema that observes human experience without judgment, embraces ambiguity, and trusts audiences to find their own emotional and moral responses.
Германия
Heike-Melba Fendel founded the talent and event agency Barbarella Entertainment in 1991 and has been running it ever since. The agency has offices in Cologne and Berlin. As a writer she has published two novels (one using the Berlinale as the setting), numerous short stories and essays, and has been part of a feminist column for Die Zeit for over a decade. She lives in Berlin. Five years ago she started to conduct open-air screenings in social hotspots in Berlin, bringing the films and filmmakers closer to people who never watch films in a cinema – or at all. She prefers watching films knowing nothing more than the title and a few credits, and values the warmth a filmmaker puts into their work in all disciplines.
Литва
Jurgis Matulevičius is a Vilnius-based director, screenwriter and editor, whose filmography includes four short films – “Absurd People” (2011), “Anima Animus” (2012), “The Victim” (2013) and “The Interrogator” (2015) – as well as his first feature-film, “Isaac” (2019), which was nominated for the 2020 European Film Award for European Discovery of the Year. “Isaac” also won Best Score and Best Cinematographer at the 2020 Lithuanian Film Awards, and the Lithuanian Filmmakers Union named it the Best Film of 2020. His short film “Golden Flask” premiered as part of the 2021 Sheffield Doc/Fest international competition programme. His second feature, “China Sea” (2025), won Best Film in the Critics’ Picks section at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. He is currently working on a new screenplay. Jurgis is particularly interested in characters who are difficult to understand or judge. As a juror, he looks for a strong personal voice and for filmmakers who are willing to take risks, considering an imperfect film that tries something new to be more interesting than one made a thousand times before.
Италия
Hakim Zejjari is a film journalist, author, and TV producer graduated from Italy’s national film school, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. Over 20 years, he has interviewed icons like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, creating a TV show for national broadcaster RAI and collaborating with Sky Italia, Mediaset, France 24, and The New York Times. Currently interviewing cultural figures for the Italian national newspaper Domani, he also served as a Golden Globes voter. In cinema, Zejjari looks for filmmakers with a unique perspective capable of holding up a mirror to the viewer, reflecting reality and the subconscious in all their facets – even when irritating, distorted, and painful. As a juror, he seeks courageous works that challenge audience assumptions.