Damir Šuša (The Black Smoke of Prediction) started his film career in 1984 at Jadran Film Studio, working in film laboratory, as well as an assistant in Set Design. Since 2011 actively working as a Set Designer on many stop-motion animated films and feature films (Nikola Tesla Secret Laboratory, Republika, Illyricvm, Kick and Scream, Can you see them too? etc.). Since 2018 he is employed as a Film Production Coordinator, technical and maintenance manager at Ustanova Zagreb Film.

Hyonok Kim is an Award-winning Filmmaker and choreographer creatinginnovative and experimental films with a new language depending on the union of expressive movements and set atmosphere.

Born in South Korea, educated both in film and dance in Paris and New York. Her films were presented at international film festivals and received many awards. Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards Winner, New York Movie Award, New York Cinematography Award, European Cinematography Award, Swedish Academy of Motion Picture Award, Singapore International Film Fairs, International New York Film Festival Best Experimental Award, Canada Shorts-Canadian & International Short Film Fest Award. Her films were selected for the Brooklyn Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, Festival International of Film on Art Montreal, Canada.

Her films have been broadcast by Canal + TV (France), Kanal 4 (Germany), ABC(Australia), Shanghai National TV(China), KBS (Korean National TV), VPRO-TV (Netherlands), No TV & Movies (USA). She has been a professor at Keimyung University, South Korea. She received a Ph.D. in Art at Universite de Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and studied dance at Universite de Paris IV, she also studied film directing at the New York Film Academy. She was a professor at Keimyung University in South Korea.

Emmitt H. Thrower is an award-winning disabled filmmaker, producer, director, and activist whose work fuses art and advocacy to elevate marginalized voices, especially within the disability community. Living with impaired vision, he transforms personal experience into stories that challenge stereotypes and demand inclusion. His documentaries include Where Is Hope: The Art of Murder (2015) and New Borning: A Bronx Tale (2023). His sci-fi series Beyond The Limits – Disability in the Twilight Zone (2024) reimagines genre storytelling through a disability lens. His short film Dancing with Waves (2024) earned multiple festival honors, alongside Telly and the Independent Spirit award in culture.

Born in Japan in 1964, Nominated for an Oscar, his short “Mt. Head”(02) won 6 grand prizes of Annecy, Zagreb, and Hiroshima was selected for 100 Films for a Century of Animation. "Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor" (07) won the grand prize at Ottawa and Hiroshima, Feature film “Dozens of Norths”(21) won the Grand Prize at Annecy and Ottawa. In total, his films have won more than 155 awards. "Extremely Short" (24) is officially selected for Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts.

Endrit Qarolli is a filmmaker from Prishtina, Kosovo. After studying at the London Film Academy, he completed an MA in Filmmaking at the University of Derby, where his research explored cinema, memory, and political identity. His short film Ndera premiered at DokuFest, where it received the Distribution Award. His current project, Pranvera ’81 (Spring ’81), explores the student protests that ignited Kosovo’s 1981 demonstrations and has been developed through international industry programs, including the Brussels Co-Production Market and the Linz Talent Academy. His work examines history, morality, and identity through intimate, character-driven stories.

Meri Dishnica is an Albanian film director, screenwriter, and multi-disciplinary artist whose work bridges narrative cinema, video art, and performance. She wrote and directed the multi-festival-selected short film Bubbles (2023) alongside numerous video and performance projects. An active force in independent cinema, Dishnica serves as a programmer, curator, and jury member for international platforms—including Balkan CineFest and Rome’s Piano B Film Festival. Her multi-disciplinary approach blends cinematic storytelling with visual arts and published literary work, including her essay collection Minimal Notes.

Vlado Železňák Jr. is a creative force bridging the worlds of high-end audio and cinematic storytelling. As the Founder and Director of the FMC – Film Music Contest & Festival, he actively collaborates with industry titans from Hollywood, Netflix, and major Asian studios. His international jury network spans over 40 countries, including experts from the US, EU, and Asia, making him a central figure in the global film music community.

Angel Tomasis born in Querétaro, Mexico. He studied journalism and semiotics at UNAM and cinematography at CEC. He was First A.D. to the director Bernardo Arellano (Dark Forces).

He produce the feature film "The Serpent's Paradise" (Best Film at the 2019 La Orquídea and official selection at FICM 2019, GIFF 2020, Rimbaud Du Cinéma 2020, SANFIC 2020, São Paulo 2020, Beijing 2020, and Trieste 2021).
He directed several short films, including "The Reflection" (Winner at FICMA 2020) and "Ilhuícatl Nextli" (Best Documentary Short Film at the 2025 GIFF, an official selection at the 2025 FICM, 2026 AMBULANTE and 2026 Oberhausen).

Tokyo-based visionary filmmaker Clemhyn Escosora is a powerhouse in 3D animation and world-building with over 12 years of experience spanning Hollywood blockbusters and SEGA. His impressive portfolio features major contributions to Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and 3, Alice in Borderland (Season 2), and Kamen Rider.

Rayne York is a filmmaker and photographer driven by a love for storytelling. Based in the NYC metro area, she has over a decade of experience connecting audiences to visual narratives, from the streets of New York City to the spice markets of India. She goes where the stories take her.

Rayne is committed to elevating voices, ideas, and moments that often go unheard and unnoticed.

What her work does best is close the gaps that separate us. To make you feel something real and help you see places you thought you knew with an entirely new perspective.

Mykyta  Lyskov born in 1983 in Dnipro, Ukraine and studied animation in Kyiv.

Tugboat captain and award-winning filmmaker from the Bronx raised amongst the eccentric denizens of an inner-city marina, which gave him a deep understanding of people on the fringes of society. He learned the water trade from his father, who emigrated from France to the US in the 1960’s. Living a mile from the local movie theater as a child, he found a new love and home at the cinema. He set course on his filmmaking career while attending Fordham University and has not looked back since. Pierre has worked as a writer, producer and director on many shorts, commercials and music videos. 

Born July 9, 1980 in Soviet Runo village, Stavropol area, USSR.
 Graduated as a painter. Self-taught animator. In 2008 began to work as an independent animation film director. Explores the possibilities of digital animation, revising it as an entertainment and applied medium. Uses animation as an artist's tool, unlocking the potential for visual experiments as well as for creating philosophical narratives and essays.

His films have premiered at the Berlinale (2020, 2021, 2026) and the Locarno Film Festival (2024), and have received numerous awards, including the Grand Prix at Animafest Zagreb (2025), Best German Short Animation (2024), Best Animation at Vienna Shorts (2025), the Grand Prix at the Turku Animated Film Festival, and others.

Since 2013, he has been working in collaboration with his partner and wife Nadya Svirskaia. Since 2022, they have been based in Berlin.

Self-taught Salvadoran filmmaker who started at the age of 17 with the APOLO 5 collective. He has made fiction and documentary shorts including Café Salvador, Adiós, Bilocación and Hacer o no Hacer Cine, in which he explores Salvadoran social realities through comedy. He is a student of the Oscar-winning André Guttfreund. His films have screened in France, the US, Spain, China, Brazil and Guatemala.

Director, screenwriter, video editor and photographer. She has also directed short films and two feature-length documentaries, Por ser mujer and Revolucionarias.