Jury
Chantal Moens
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Chantal Moens studied Film and Photography at the Luca School of Arts. Since the late ’70s she has felt at home in the Film Museum. Since then she has explored just about all aspects of the film profession, ranging from editor for the Yearbook of Belgian film to film critic for various magazines or still press attaché and marketing manager in the film distribution. She has a preference for youth films, animated films and arthouse films. She has been a PR member of the UFK-UCC for decades.
Adrien Corbeel
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Adrien Corbeel is the editor-in-chief of the Belgian film magazine Surimpressions and works also as a film critic for Télépro and RTBF Culture.
Yves Calbert
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Film journalist since 1999, now affiliated with the "Union de la Critique de Cinéma" ("UCC"). He was, in Louisiana, the director-animator of a francophone cultural radio program and associate professor of French, after being a dancer in the troupe "Up With People" in the USA and Latin America, where he was also a tour guide for different tour operators, working also for them in Asia and Europe.
Christel Dequinnemaere
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Christel - after years in the entertainment sector (music, TV and corporate video) – ended up at SABAM at the end of April. Her task is to familiarize (potential) members with the ins and outs of Sabam. Sabam is the Belgian association for authors, composers and publishers. In 2023, the Woord & Beeld department distributed no less than 25.7 million euros with its 4 disciplines (audiovisual, literature, visual arts and performing arts). With the Sabam for Culture cultural fund, they support through scholarships, prizes and partnerships of many events, associations, students and members with the development of their careers. Similarly, Filem'On.
Pauline David
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As a trained historian, Pauline likes to be told stories. Independent programmer of contemporary real cinema and heritage for several cinemas in Brussels for almost 15 years (asbl LPC), she also ensures the direction of the film festival En ville!. Cinéphile and passionate about issues of transmission, she has organized several training courses and activities for young audiences.
Zoé Leclercq
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Creative and passionate, Zoé has always been fascinated by the world of animation. After completing an art course, she is currently the coordinator of hospitality and box office at the Quai10 cinema in Charleroi. Her job allows her to be in daily contact with the clientele, especially the young public, with whom she exchanges and shares her passion for animation.
Renaud Flemal
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Fascinated by cinema and fed on films by Scorsese, Spielberg or Zemeckis, Renaud takes care of general communication and film programming for the Cultural Center of Perwez. He is the co-organizer of the PIFF festival (formerly «Vivre debout»), and also a radio film columnist and podcast host on the 7th art.
Aline Bouillaud
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Aline works as animator for young audiences at the Ciné4 of the Cultural Centre of Nivelles and is responsible for the school section and the Clap4 project for teenagers in Nivelles who are passionate about cinema. She is also a member of the organization of the Festiv'elles which takes place every year in March. For Festiv'elles she organizes creative workshops, playful debates, collaborative workshops, thematic events... A key word for her? Creativity.
Sarah Semana
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Sarah Semana is responsible for programming and film acquisition for the Sooner platform, available in the Benelux and specializing in art house films. Previously, she coordinated audiovisual documentary projects at RTBF. She produced a podcast called "Les Glaneuses" profiling women filmmakers in Belgium, for which she won the Audience Award 2022 at the Brussels Podcast Festival.
Emilie Praet
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Communications and Press Relations Assistant for the Belgian streaming platform Sooner. She contributes to the editorialization of the platform to promote art house cinema. As a cinema enthusiast, she has also volunteered at the BIFFF, BSFF and Korean Film Festival.
Emma Pendiuc
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Emma Pendiuc is the founder and president of the first school of film and television for children in Romania, LITTLE STARS SCHOOL which aims to help children aged 6 to 12 find their artistic skills while becoming more confident and relying on their own inner strength. To strengthen the non-existent Romanian children's film industry, she organized acting and television courses for children, both in front and behind the camera. Her own production house now produces more than 50 films for children every year with educational messages. Seven of them were selected for the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, and for various youth film festivals. Furthermore, Emma is the vice president of CIFEJ.
Karen Vázquez Guadarrama
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Karen Vázquez Guadarrama was born in Mexico City and studied film at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium. Her short film 'Mont d'Or', her short documentary 'FLOR DE MIL COLORES' and her long documentary 'WHEN THE BULL CRIED', were selected at several important international film festivals. Karen won the prestigious Camerimage for her work as a DOP. In addition to directing the film 'WE ARE FIRE' about the Mexican cartoonist Maremoto, in the documentary series 'Draw for Change !', she was also the DOP for the Egyptian episode about Doaa El-Adl.
Doros Demetriou
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Doros Demetriou is a film historian, organizer of film events and curator. He is a member of the European Children's Film Association (ECFA) and an elected member of the Director's Board of the International Center of Films for Children and Young People (CIFEJ). As the curator of the Cultural Workshop Agion Omologiton in Nicosia, he organizes film screenings, events and educational programs. He is also an artistic advisor, director of international development and youth programs at the film festival Archaeological, Ethnographic and Historical (AEI) in Nicosia.
Marjo Kovanen
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Marjo Kovanen works as a senior specialist at Koulukino (School Cinema Association). Koulukino develops film education and film literacy in Finland and promotes film screenings for children and young people in cinemas during the school day. Kovanen is currently a doctoral student at Tampere University and a member of the board of The Finnish Society for Cinema Studies, The Finnish Society on Media Education, and ECFA.
Olivia Anna Christensen
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Olivia Anna Christensen works as responsible for development and projects at BUSTER Film Festival in Copenhagen. BUSTER Film Festival is one of the biggest children and youth film festivals in the Nordic area and is a part of the NoJSe festival network, a collaboration between the Nordic children and youth festivals. Olivia has a background in Culture events and communication.
Sannette Naeyé
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Sannette Naeyé, an independent media consultant and producer, is the former CEO of Cinekid Film, TV and New Media Festival for young people in the Netherlands. The largest of its kind in the world (Variety), supporting also the media industry. She curated for 20 years the main film section herself.
Pieter Van Eecke
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Pieter Van Eecke is a Brussels-based filmmaker. After the medium-length documentary GOUDOUGOUDOU (2011) about the earthquake in Haiti, his first feature-length documentary film SAMUEL IN THE CLOUDS (2016) about melting glacier in Bolivia won worldwide awards. In 2023, he released 2 films. HOLDING UP THE SKY follows a shaman in the endangered rainforest in Brazil and PLANEET B follows two young people over 4 years fighting climate change.
Günther Kinstler
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Director of the International Children's Film Festival in Bonn. He has been active in the media field since the 90s in many different functions. He is chairman of the German Association of Children's and Youth Film Clubs and board member of the International Federation of Film Societies.
Ilona Herbert
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Ilona Herbert works at the Munich Media Center, where she focuses on film productions for children and young people and organizes the Munich Youth Film Festival flimmern&rauschen. There she is responsible in particular for the design of the children's program. In order to get to know other children's and youth festivals, she is happy to be appointed to the jury. Ilona's path to moving images began with concert recordings and skate videos, and soon led to reports and documentaries with a focus on music and culture.
Levan Dvali
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Levan Dvali obtained his bachelor's degree in art management from Shota Rustaveli Theater and Film Georgia State University. He continued his education by obtaining a Master of Business Administration from Business and Technology University. Driven by a passion for promoting emerging talent and film art, he took on the role of founder and director general of the Taoba International Youth Film Festival in 2018. Levan is actively involved in various events aimed at promoting film art and cultivating a young audience. In 2023, he was honored with membership in the Georgian Film Academy. In addition, Levan Dvali is a member of the steering committee of the EU digital education initiative, DigiEduHack. Here he uses his expertise to contribute to the development of digital education and promote literacy among young people across Europe.
Polar Vaes
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Polar Vaes’ passion for film sparked at a young age. He graduated in Film & Television studies at the University of Gent. After an internship at the Ostend Film Festival he’s now currently active as Sales Coordinator at the Brussels based international sales company Best Friend Forever, bringing carefully curated arthouse-titles to the international market.
Alessandro Stevanon
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Alessandro Stevanon is an Italian producer, director and film lecturer. His productions include short films and documentaries that have been presented in several international festivals (Clermont-Ferrand, Visions du Réel, Toronto International Film Festival, Tirana International Film Festival, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica di Venezia, etc.) and have received important awards, including the “Michelangelo Antonioni” Award. From 2016 to 2021, he was the director of Frontdoc - International Documentary Film Festival. Since 2021 he has been the artistic director of the Cactus International Children's and Youth Film Festival for which he is also responsible for the educational program.
Jule Murmann
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After studying media studies in Bonn, Jule Murmann was curator and project manager for exhibitions and film educational projects at the the Deutsches Filmmuseum in Frankfurt. Since 2023 she has been responsible for the program for kids and young adults at the Internationales Frauen Film Fest Dortmund+Köln.
Els Kuiper
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Els Kuiper (1959) received her Master’s degree in Art and Culture Studies from the University of Amsterdam in 1986. She worked in Television since then, in several positions. Started at Dutch Public broadcaster VPRO TV as a buyer and co-producer of childrens programmes and films. As buyer of foreign childrens films for all Dutch broadcasters and editor of Dutch family films since 2005, she is now considered a specialized childrens film-expert in Holland.