Alin Tasciyan was born in 1969 in Istanbul. She was graduated from the University of Istanbul with a BA in journalism and public relations in 1991. She began working for the Milliyet Art Review and Milliyet daily newspaper the same year. During the 16 year period in this media group she has been a journalist, film critic and the editor of the Art Review. Meanwhile she made various cinema programs for the cultural channel of the Turkish Radio and Television TRT 2 including the Magic of Cinema which screened  almost 500 classic films for 10 years. She programmed and presented the Thematic Films Ribbon for the news channel 24 between 2007–2012. She has been a critic and a columnist for the Star daily newspaper for six years. She is currently writing for the culture&art website www.sanatatak.com and www.ahvalnews.com. Tasciyan has been an advisor and programmer for all the leading international film festivals in Turkey. She has served in many national and international film festival juries. She is a member of the European Film Academy. She served as the Vice President (two terms) and the President  (two terms) of FIPRESCI - International Federation of Film Critics, between 2010-2018. She was elected the Deputy General Secretary in 2018.

Oleg Negin was born in in 1970 in Moscow (Russia). He is a Russian screenwriter and novelist.

Negin's novels include „P. Ushkin”, “Cypress  in the Yard”, published in 2004.  He is collaborator with film director Andrey Zvyagintsev, and wrote scripts for films – The Banishment (2007), Elena (2011),   “Leviathan” for which in 2014, at Cannes Film Festival the film he won the Best Screenplay Award. For the film Loveless (2017), Negin and Zvyagintsev were jointly nominated for the European Film Award for Best Screenwriter.

Serge Rakhlin is The Chairman of the Foreign Language Film Committee of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). For 75 years the HFPA presents the prestigious “Golden Globe” Award for achievements in Cinema and Television. He worked as an Executive Producer of the “Golden Globe” TV Ceremony on National Broadcasting Company (NBC) years 2005, 2008, 2009, 2012 (“Emmy” Award nomination), 2013, 2016, 2017.

Serge Rakhlin holds Master of Arts degree from the University of Southern California as well as a degree in Journalism from the Latvian State University. Before moving to the United States he wrote a number of screenplays for Latvian TV. Until joining the HFPA in 1996 Serge Rakhlin worked as a  

General Producer, Artistic Director and talk-show host at WMNB TV and Radio Station (New-York-Los Angeles-Toronto), Editor-in Chief of Panorama Newspaper in Los Angeles and for

Voice of America Radio Station as a Hollywood analyst and observer. His articles were published in VOGUE magazine, VARIETY film magazine, ACTION! film magazine as well as in many other magazines and newspapers in the US, Latvia and Ukraine.

Jury member of Vienna International Film Festival of films from Central and Eastern Europe (2018).

Chairman of the Jury of the Tallinn International Film Festival “Black Nights” – an “A” category Festival (2015).

Member of the Jury of the Kiev International Film festival (2011).  

Bence Fliegauf writer, director, production and sound designer. He was born in 1974 and lives in Budapest. 

In 2003 his debut feature FOREST won the Wolfgang Staudte Prize at the Berlinale in the section Forum. One year later he won the Berliner Zeitung Audience Award for his second movie in the same section. The DEALER (2004) was honoured by more than 20 prestigious awards amongst others FIPRESCI.

 The MILKY WAY (2007) was awarded with Locarno's Golden Leopard. In 2010 he made his first English-language movie the WOMB with Eva Green. The JUST THE WIND (2012) received the Jury Grand Prize at the Berlinale, the Amnesty International Film Prize and the Peace Film Award as well. At the Istanbul Festival the film won the Council of Europe Film Award.

His latest movie LILY LANE (2016) won the Golden Olive Tree of Lecce, the Best Film Award at Palic International Film festival, and the main prize at Minsk Listapad.

Levan Tutberidze was born in Tbilisi, 1959. During 1977-1982 years he studied at Tbilisi Theater Institute, on faculty of film making (Soso Chkhaidze and Buba Khotivari workshops). In 1982-1985 years he was working at Georgian TV as film director. From 1986 to present, Levan is shareholder of JSC “Georgian Film”

During 1995-2007, Levan was a founder of cinema “AMIRANI” and its artistic director. In 2005 he was awarded by “Award of Honour”. Since 2013 was appointed member of supervisory board of “Georgian Film Development Center’ 

During 1998-200 Levan worked as lecturer of Tbilisi State Film Institute. Since 2009 till present works as associated professor at Tbilisi State University of Cinema and Theater. 

Filmography – Makhare (1984), Last Prayer of Nazari(1989), Shadows of the Past(1996), Trip to Karabak (2005), I’ll Die Without You (2010),  The Village(2015). Tbilisi, I Love You (2013), Moira (2015)

Sergei Lavrentiev was born in 1954. Began his career as a theater actor in 1970's.After graduation prestigious VGIK,Russian State film institute he joined Gosfilmofond, one of the world biggest film archives.During perestroika he went on to become a leading film critic known as one of the founders of "new wave" of Soviet film criticism. Sergey has written about Central and Eastern European cinema for numerous publications including Sovietsky Ekran, Iskusstwo kino,Kultura. After his article "Newer ending story" (April 1987) Soviet censorship stopped to cut foreighn films in national distribution. At that time he played the part of the great film genius Eisenstain in the film "Prishvin's paper eyes"(1989) Also appeared in avantgarde film "Concert for the rat"(1995). In 1990's Mr. Lavrentiev was an anchorman for number of television programs named "Kinomarathon" and devoted to the centenary of cinema.

 Since 1999 - program director of Sochi IFF, IFF "Faces of love", Children Film Festival "Kinotavrik" in Sochi, festival “Zerkalo” in Ivanovo, East-West festival in Orenburg , IFF in Cheboksary.  From 2002 till 2012 - member of Russian "Oscar" committee.

He rote a small book "Clint Eastwood. Furious and Handsome"(2001).The new book "Western under the red banner" was published in 2009. This book was the base of RED WESTERN retrospective program very successfully screened in 2011 - 2012 in Rotterdam, Geteborg, Linz,Wroclaw,Kaunas,Bratislava, Tromso

In 2012 finished the book “About Schmidt.From Russia with love” telling the biography and analyzed the films of prominent Croatian film director Branko Schmidt.

Born 1975 in Halle/Saale, GDR. Graduated from Leipzig University with a degree in Cultural Sciences, Journalism and Ethnology.

Worked freelance for museums and exhibitions before joining d.net sales / Deckert Distribution in 2002, Ma.ja.de. Filmproduktion 2011 - 2017 and Egoli Tossell Film 2002 – 2011 as a festival manager for both documentary and fiction films.

Served as a jury member for several national & international film festivals like DOK.fest Munich, Crossing Europe FF Linz, or DocAviv Tel Aviv.

Lives & works in Leipzig.

Vitaly Mansky was born in 1963 in Lviv /Ukraine, USSR.  V. Mansky graduated from VGIK — All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography in 1989 and became one of the most prominent contemporary Russian documentary filmmakers and producers. He has shot more than 30 films as a director which were screened at festivals worldwide and were awarded several times. As a producer, Mansky produced films with directors like Renata Litvinova, Alexander Rastorguyev, Sergey Miroshnichenko, Dmitry Zhelkovsky, and SergeiLoznitsa.

In 1996 he launched a project that aims to archive amateur private video files that were shot in the times of the former USSR (from 30’s till 90’s of the ХХth century).

V.Mansky is the producer of the national Laurel Leaf award for the best Russian documentary films. He is the founder and President of Artdocfest — Russian Open Documentary Film Festival for Russian-language creative documentaries.

Since 2014 V. Mansky lives in Latvia.

Zaven Sargsyan was born in 1947 in Yerevan.  He graduated Polytechnic Institute of Yerevan with specialization of Engineer/radio technician.  Zaven is author of many books about Sergey Parajanov, Armenian Architecture and Landscape and.

Zaven was director of State Museum of Folk Art , Yerevan from 1986. Since 1991 he is founding director of Sergey Parajanov Museum in Yerevan. 

Zaven has arrangedmany personal photo exhibitions, among which can be mentioned -   “12 capitals of Armenia” (Paris, 2006-2007; Marseille, 2010);  “Armenian Architecture” (Tbilisi, Belgrade, Athens, Sofia -2010-2015), “Art Khachkars” (UNESCO, Paris, 2011),  “Zaven Sargsyan photography” (Modern art Museum, Yerevan, 2017)

Mariam Chachia graduated from Georgian State University Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film - Drama faculty in 2003 with honors where she studied Theatre Directing and Acting. In 2012 she decided to make documentary films. Her first personal documentary film, a co-production with French Production house Ardeche Image Production was Kirov Street #8. In  2014 she founded the organization OpyoDoc which builds Projects For Social Change. The film “Listen To The Silence” is the first product of OpyoDoc. Abastumani is Mariam’s second feature film which she is co-producing and co-directing with documentary filmmaker Nik Voigt.Besides directing and producing Mariam is also organizes scriptwriting residencies and co-production meetings EurasiaDoc with French organization DocMonde.

Nikolay Khomeriki - director, screenwriter. Graduated from the Higher Courses of Screenwriters & Directors (Moscow, 2000) and La Fémis, the National French Film Academy (Paris, 2005, cum laude). During his studies in Paris, he has worked as asssistant director with Philippe Garrel and Léos Carrax. His short film The Two of Us(2005) was awarded the 2^ndPrize of Cinéfondation at the Cannes Film Festival. His feature debut 977(2006) competed in the Un Certain Regard section in Cannes, as did his second feature The Tale of Darkness(2009); both have received numerous prizes at festivals worldwide. Since then he has directed three features: Heart’s Boomerang(2011, awarded at the Moscow IFF), The Icebreaker (2016) and Selfie(2018) and two TV-series for Russia’a Channel 1: The Dragon Syndrome(2012) and Mysteries of the Town of N (2018). Historical thriller The Ninth's (in postproduction) will be released in 2019.

Jale Arikan was born in Istanbul. At the age of 6 she moved with her parents to Berlin. After her matriculation she studied at a Drama School in Berlin with Hanny Herter. 

At the age of 17 she worked as a TV announcer fo the “First German Television” (ARD). In 1996 she moved to New York where she played numerous roles in both TV and Feature films. From 1997 to 2003 she lived and worked in Los Angeles. Since 2004 she has been living in Berlin and working in Istanbul as well as in Munich. She has also featured in many locations such as Morocco and Portugal. 

Ketevan Devdarianiwas born on April 17, 1976. In 1993 she graduated from 169th high school. In 1993-1998she studied at the Faculty of Western European Languages and Literature at Tbilisi State University (German Language and Literature).

During 2000-2004she worked as a teacher of German language. Since 2009 - Formula Creative, Screenwriter

Lela Ochiauri – Film critic, PHD in Arts, full-time professor of Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgian State University, Arts Editor of “Rezonansi” Newspaper, Chief Editor of “Galaktioni” Newspaper. In 1974 graduated from Tbilisi State Art Academy. In 1981-1982 made internship in Moscow Film History and Theory Institute.

Lela Ochiauri is a successful author and co-author of various books -   The Sculpture and Art of Gogi Ochiauri, Nova Sciaence Publishers, Inc. New York, 2011;  The  articles and publications about modern culture.

She has been awarded with number of professional prizes, amongst them are: Georgian Film Union Award “Nostalgia” for outstanding work in 1986, “Kavkasioni” Newspaper Best Publication Prize for her work - “Mama Roma” (1991), Adjarian Regional Theatrical Union Prize (2007) etc. 

In 1990 Theo graduated from TSU art history and theory faculty. In 1997 she defended Candidate Thesis on "Mythological-Metaphorical World of Sergo Parajanov".

During 1998-2014 she was Associate Professor at Shota Rustaveli Theater and Film University and from 2014 till present at Ilia State University.

Since 1990 she worked in various print media. In 2006-2010 she was leading the program “Good Evening”, “Babylon” at Public Broadcasting I Radio. During 2007-2014 she was editor of RED ZONE program (joint project of Radio Liberty and Public Broadcaster).

Theo is Interested in the study of gender aspects in cinema.

Giorgi Gvakharia was born on March 7, 1957 in Tbilisi. In 1979 he graduated from Tbilisi Art Academy Faculty of Art Studies. From 1986 he has been teaching at the Rustaveli Theater Institute, at the Film Faculty: History of The Cinema and Theory, History of Abroad Film. Since 2014 he is professor of Ilia State University

Since 1995, Radio Liberty correspondent is in Tbilisi; From1997 he has been working in "Rustavi 2", a weekly program and author of "Psycho". 2007 - Author of the Public Broadcasting and Radio Liberty joint project "Red Zone". Since September 2017, the author of joint program of "Radio Liberty" and Adjara Public Broadcaster "Reflections"

 In 1987 he defended the thesis at Giorgi Chubinashvili State Institute of Georgian Art and History (theme: "Traditional Art of Traditional Art in Solving Georgian Films"). In 1992-93, he underwent training in Paris, "Human Institute" where he worked on the theme of "eclectic and synthesis problems in contemporary art and electronic media"

He was a jury member of International Film Festival of Nion (Switzerland), Oberhausen (GFR). Systematically takes part in international cinema - In 1990, at the Eisenstein International Conference in Venice (read the "Opening Circle" with Eisenstein), in 2004, the conference "Caucasus Face in Cinema" (The theme of the talk "Caucasian Stereotypes in Soviet Cinema".