Jury

Zeki Demirkubuzi

Turkish director Zeki Demirkubuz is known for his uncompromising and unyielding approach to cinema. His films often touch on the dark side of the human psyche and explore the feelings of guilt, morality, and the complexities of relationships. Demirkubuz's youth, marked by political activism and even imprisonment, left its mark on his creative vision.

After dropping out of school, Zeki earned his living by working in a textile factory and peddling. After the 1980 coup, he was unjustly imprisoned for 3 years. Despite the difficulties he endured during this period, he did not give up and graduated from Istanbul University, Faculty of Communications Engineering.

His love of cinema led him to work as an assistant director, and later founded his own company, Mavi Film. Demirkubuzi's independent nature is also reflected in his approach to filmmaking, as he is creatively responsible for almost every aspect of his films. It is precisely because of this uncompromising approach that he manages to create a unique cinematic language that is unlike traditional storytelling.

Demirkubuzi's work is characterized by unadorned realism and a focus on the psychological difficulties of his characters. His debut film, "C Blok" (1994), became a kind of foundation for the director's characteristic style. The films "Untouchables" (1997) and "The Third Page" (1999)
He has been recognized at international festivals. The “Twilight Tales” trilogy, which includes the films “Fate” (2001), “Confession” (2001), and “The Waiting Room” (2003), further solidified his reputation as a director who tackles difficult issues with honesty.

Zeki Demirkubuzi is one of the most important figures in Turkish cinema, distinguished by his unique vision. His ability to observe the dark side of people is particularly admired by film critics and audiences alike.

Cat Gurke

Kata Gyurke is a prominent figure in Hungarian cultural journalism, having worked as an editor, reporter and presenter on television and radio. She is currently the editor of several programs for Klubrádió, one of Hungary’s leading independent radio stations. Her work is actively published in both print and online media, including Filmvilág, Fidelio, and Magyar.film.hu. Kata is an active participant in Hungarian and international film festivals, including the Szeged Filmmakers“ Gathering, the Zsigmond Vilmus Film Festival, the Miskolc Film Festival, the Budapest International Film Festival and Camerimage, as well as the Berlinale and the London Film Festival.
 As a member of the Hungarian National Association of Journalists and leader of the association's television and film critics section, he plays an important role in various activities, including organizing the Hungarian Film Critics Awards.
As a member of the International Association of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), Kata has been on the jury of numerous international festivals.

Jena Hasse

Jena Hasse (1989, Lisbon) is a Portuguese-Swiss actress and director. She grew up in Switzerland and studied in Brussels. In 2014, she graduated from the Faculty of Acting at the Higher Institute of the Arts. In the same year, her debut short film “In August” was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in the Cinematographers’ Fortnight section, after which the film was screened at several international festivals and awarded. Jena works simultaneously in film and theater, as a director and actress.
In 2016, his short film “Liberation” was screened at the Namur International Film Festival and the Vila do Conde International Short Film Festival. In 2020, he presented the medium-length documentary “Protagonist” at Doclisboa and the Geneva Center for Contemporary Art.
His first feature film, “Longing for the World,” was screened in the GenerationKplus section of the 2023 Berlinale, where the director received a special mention from the international jury. In the same year, the film was nominated for the European Film Academy Young Audience Award.

Helke Misselwitz

 Helke Misselwitz is a well-known director, distinguished by his work in both feature and documentary film. His career as a director began with the youth television of the German Democratic Republic, as an assistant director and later as a director. He studied at the Babelsberg Film Institute from 1978 to 1982. Since 1983, the documentary film studio DEFA has been making films and has taken a prominent place in the diverse and active field of East German cinema.
From 1985 to 1988, he studied at the Academy of Arts of the German Democratic Republic, in the master's program under the guidance of Heiner Kerau.

From 1988 to 1991, Misselwitz became a permanent member of the Studio “Defa”, and soon after he took up the position of partner in the Thomas Wilkening film studio. From 1997 to 2014, he was a professor of directing at the Konrad Wolf Film Institute in Babelsberg. Since 1991, he has been a member of the Academy of Arts, where, after many other important positions, he became Vice-Director of the Academy in 2018, and since 2024, Director of the Department of Media Arts and Film.

His work spans decades and different genres, starting with his student work, including the short documentary, “Winter Pictures” (1979), the short feature film, “Mallow” (1979), and his early feature film, “House.Women.” (1981). During his “Defa” period, he made internationally acclaimed documentaries: “Goodbye Winter” (1988) and “Who’s Afraid of the Black Man”

Misselwitz has been awarded at the San Sebastian, Oberhausen, Krakow and Paris film festivals, among his recognitions: the Konrad Wolf Prize (1989), the German Film Critics' Award (1997), in 2009, the City of Berlin awarded him the Order of Merit, in 2014, his star was unveiled on the Potsdamer Platz Walk of Fame.

Helke Messelwitz is currently working on new projects, including the documentary diptych "Goodbye, Schiffbauerdam" and the collage film "The Woman's Room", as well as the feature films "She's Near Rheinsberg" and "Three Sisters".

Ruth Silberman

Ruth Silberman was born in Paris in 1971.
He is a documentary film director and writer.

His recent work includes the films: “The Splendor and Misfortune of the Camondo Family” (2024), “The Court, Prague 1952” (2021), “209 Rue Saint-Maurice, Paris, 10th Arrondissement” (2017), and “The Dissidents” (2009).

His novel “Department of Missing Persons” (2015) has been translated into English, German, and Spanish.
His work “209 Rue Saint-Maurice, Paris, 10th arrondissement, Autobiography of a Building” has been translated into many languages.”
He currently lives in Paris, France.

Audrey Stonis

Director and producer,
Professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre,

Laureate of the Lithuanian National Award for Culture and Arts. 
Born in 1966 in Vilnius. In 1984-1989 he studied film directing at the Vilnius State Conservatory, and since 1989 he has been studying at the Jonas Mekas Film Anthology Archive in New York.
His films have received numerous awards, including: the Audience Award in Nyon, the Grand Prix in Split, prizes in Bornholm, Florence, Győr, Neu Brandenburg, Oberhausen, Bilbao and San Francisco.
In 1992, the European Film Academy recognized Audrey Stonis' documentary "Land of the Blind" as the best European documentary and awarded it the Felix Award.