Jury-2019
ECFA JURY
Felix Vanginderhuysen s – BELGIUM
Felix was born in 1954 and has a master degree in Social Sciences at Louvain University in 1976. He started in 1978 at “Jekino”, a non-profit-organization for the promotion of quality films for children. In 40 years Jekino was built into a leading association for as well distribution as film education. In 1989 he founded the “European Youth Film Festival” in Antwerp and in 2000 co-founded of “Lessons in the Dark”, a school film project in Flanders. In 1988 he also founded the “European Children’ Film Association” (ECFA) and since this start in function as the General Secretary of this association. In 2007 Felix Vanginderhuysen received the Flemish Cultural Award from the Ministry of Culture.
Jitendra Mishra spatie ontbrak – INDIA
He is the festival director of the unique film festival ‘SIFFCY’ (Smile Int’l FF for Children & Youth) for India’s development organization Smile Foundation He has been elected on the Board of directors for the children media network CIFEJ and is an active member of the European children’s film association ECFA/ Jitendra Mishra is also one of the few Indian film producers & promoters who have been able to create a benchmark in ‘Alternative method of Film Production, Distribution & Promotion’ at international level. Committed towards meaningful cinema, Jitendra has associated only with socially relevant films which are a balance of the right content and creativity, with an objective to get meaningful cinema out there for everyone and to encourage issue based independent filmmakers
Franziska Ferdinand spatie ontbrak – GERMANY
Franziska Ferdinand studied cultural sciences in Hildesheim and Bologna. She started to work for the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen in 2011, where she’s been in charge of the Children’s and Youth Cinema since 2013. Since 2017 Franziska Ferdinand is also head of the KinderKinoFest Düsseldorf, an annual film festival for children which takes place in several venues all over Düsseldorf. In the last few years Franziska Ferdinand has been involved in different film events and projects for kids and youngsters in the Ruhr area.
Joris Van Dael – BELGIUM
Born on october 21 1956 in Antwerp – Belgium, Joris Van Dael graduated as an actor at the Royal Music conservatory in Liège in 1984. After developing an acting and directing career for theatre and television, Joris founded the « KIDSCAM animation studio for children and youngsters » in 2003. The aim of the studio is to support and develop « Child produced movies » as a genuine part of our cultural and artistic curriculum (heritage). The KIDSCAM filmprojects are the result of a collaboration between professional artists and children Every year, about 52 films are produced with the participation of more than 1200 children. (www.kidscam.be)
Rowena Martinez Ulayan-Tuzcuoglu – TURKEY
Rowena is known in the field of children’s cinema as an organizer as well as a cinematic arts education and media specialist. Her career spans 30 years of dedicated work in promoting quality children’s films and media programs; Rowena finished her Bachelors Degree in child pedagogy at the University of the Philippines and her Masters Degree in Educational Technology from the same University specializing in Media Education. She was granted a post graduate fellowship by the former Soviet Union Government to take up Children’s Cinema and Film Directing in VGIK (Vzesayuzni Institut Kinemtografi) Rowena Martinez Ulayan-Tuzcuoglu is the founding chairperson of the Children’s Film and Art Association, the organization, behind the Universal Kids Film Festival.
CIFEJ AWARD
Ines Eshun – BELGIUM
Writer and director Inès Eshun graduated from the Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema, and Sound in Brussels in 2017. She won the Student Visionary Award at Tribeca Film Festival 2018 with her short film ‘The Life of Esteban’. The film went on to be selected and win awards at film festivals across the globe, proving to be able to win the hearts of both juries and audiences. She was one of three laureates of the prestigious Flemish writing competition ‘Babylon’s Interuniversity Prize’ with her short story ‘Broken Water’. Her previous short films ‘Bright Lights’ and ‘The Flood’ participated in various film festivals. Born in France, Inès has Belgian, Estonian, and Ghanaian roots. She is currently developing her first feature film in collaboration with the New York and Paris based production company Velvet Film.
PRESS AWARD Filmmagie – UFK- UCC
This Award is an new initiative to promote children’s and youth films in Belgium. The category contains recent films that will be distributed in Belgian cinema, during and after the Filem’On festival!
Frans Lefever 
Film critic for Radio 1 (VRT) from 1971 to 1977. He was then responsible for the selection and purchase of feature films for VRT-TV until 2007. Since then he has been a member of the selection committee of the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) on the film and media department. He has been an honored member of the UFK-UCC for decades
Yves Calbert. C
Former director of a weekly French radio program in Louisiana (USA) and leader of youth groups in various countries of North and South America,Asia and Europe. Since 1999 cultural journalist for « Tausend Augen, les mille Yeux », a French monthly film magazine published in Lille. Currently a reporter for (among others) Confluent, Brussels-Star and Brussels Diplomatic. Recently a member of the UFK-UCC
C
Chalotte Timmermans
Charlotte Timmermans (°1991) is an Antwerp-based film critic. She works as an editor and coordinator for Filmmagie, an online and print magazine analysing the contemporary movie landscape with a focus on arthouse films. As a curator, she programs Animarama, a monthly animation themed evening in Filmhuis Klappei (Antwerp). For Filmmagie she writes reviews on (among other genres) youth film, an interest that also brings her to this festival.
BELGIAN COMPETITION
This selection of recent Belgian short films is perfectly child-sized, made by young talents, students and veteran directors.
The jury will be composed of three members of La Quadrature du Cercle (QdC), a network of indie cultural venues (theatres, cinemas, community centres, associations, etc.) in Wallonia and Brussels. QdC also organises the brand-new film festival « 1, 2, 3… CinéMômes », dedicated to films for children and teenagers.
www.laquadratureducercle.be.