Marian Țuțui is a film critic and historian who has dedicated himself to the study of Balkan cinema and Romanian film. Since 2017, he has been a full professor of film studies at Hyperion University in Bucharest, since 2014 a researcher at the 'George Oprescu' Institute of Art History of the Romanian Academy. Since 2018, he has been the head of its department 'Performing Arts. Theatre and Cinema.' Between 1996-2013, he was curator (editor-in-chief) of the Romanian Film Archive. He is the author of four books on cinema written in Romanian and English: The Manakia Brothers or the Image of the Balkans (2005), A Short History of Romanian Cinema (2005, 2018 in Chinese), Orient Express. Romanian and Balkan Cinema (2008), as well as Studies of Romanian and Balkan Film (2021). He has regularly published film articles in Romania (Film, ProCinema, Films in Frame) and abroad.
 

Veronika Zakonjšek writes for the Slovenian publications Dnevnik and Ekran. Since 2023, she has headed the Slovenian branch of FIPRESCI. She also coordinates the industry program of the Slovenian Film Festival and is a member of the selection committee of the Slovenian International Animation Film Festival.
 

Veronika Zakonjšek writes for the Slovenian publications Dnevnik and Ekran. Since 2023, she has headed the Slovenian branch of FIPRESCI. She also coordinates the industry program of the Slovenian Film Festival and is a member of the selection committee of the Slovenian International Animation Film Festival.
 

Steffen Moestrup is a film critic for Le Monde diplomatique Scandinavia and a lecturer at the Danish School of Media and Journalism, where he teaches and researches documentary film, digital storytelling, and cultural criticism. He is co-editor of the online publication 16:9 and host of the TV program film:syn.
 

Steffen Moestrup is a film critic for Le Monde diplomatique Scandinavia and a lecturer at the Danish School of Media and Journalism, where he teaches and researches documentary film, digital storytelling, and cultural criticism. He is co-editor of the online publication 16:9 and host of the TV program film:syn.
 

Guillaume Calop began his career at the Annecy Animation Festival, later moving to Los Angeles to work as webmaster for Animation World Network and subsequently as artistic director of CANAL+’s online division (1998–2004). In 2004, he founded a DVD publishing company and the DVD store Chalet Pointu. In 2009, he co-founded Les Arcs Film Festival, dedicated to European cinema, where he currently serves as General Director. He is also the co-founder of Le Village, which develops professional platforms for film festivals and film projects, as well as Le Lab Femmes de Cinéma, a think tank focused on improving the representation of women in the film industry.
 

Guillaume Calop began his career at the Annecy Animation Festival, later moving to Los Angeles to work as webmaster for Animation World Network and subsequently as artistic director of CANAL+’s online division (1998–2004). In 2004, he founded a DVD publishing company and the DVD store Chalet Pointu. In 2009, he co-founded Les Arcs Film Festival, dedicated to European cinema, where he currently serves as General Director. He is also the co-founder of Le Village, which develops professional platforms for film festivals and film projects, as well as Le Lab Femmes de Cinéma, a think tank focused on improving the representation of women in the film industry.
 

Katharina Stumm joined the East-West co-production market connecting cottbus as Programme Manager in 2018. Prior to this, she worked for many years as a development executive at a Berlin-based film production company. She regularly collaborates with the Berlinale Co-Production Market as well as other international film festivals and industry markets. She holds an MA in Film Studies from King’s College London.
 

Katharina Stumm joined the East-West co-production market connecting cottbus as Programme Manager in 2018. Prior to this, she worked for many years as a development executive at a Berlin-based film production company. She regularly collaborates with the Berlinale Co-Production Market as well as other international film festivals and industry markets. She holds an MA in Film Studies from King’s College London.
 

The short film competition jury includes Javier Martín-Domínguez, a Spanish filmmaker, journalist, and curator whose career spans cinema, television, and cultural journalism. He led the Seville Film Festival between 2008 and 2011 and has served on juries at festivals such as Moscow, Sarajevo, and Documenta Madrid. He has also directed documentaries and fiction films and worked for over a decade as a correspondent in the United States and Japan for RTVE and La Vanguardia.