President of the Jury
About:
- Masoud Kimiai (or Masoud Kimiaei, born on July 29, 1941) is an Iranian director, screenwriter and producer.
- Kimiai started his career as an assistant director and made his debut, Come Stranger, in 1968. With his second film, Qeysar (1969), he and Dariush Mehrjui with The film The Cow, caused a historical change in Iranian film industry. But Dariush Mehrjui's film with more artistic values has sustained its level of greatness through history of Iranian cinema. Qeysar became a great success at the box office and opened the way for young, talented filmmakers who never had a chance in the industry before.
- His films deal with people at the margin of the society with his anti-hero characters that die at the end. Many directors of commercial films imitated his Kaiser/Qeysar for about 6 years, but in the last decade he focuses on young antagonists. He usually writes his screenplays, using slang dialogues based on ordinary traditional people's dialect but some Iranians find those dialogues unrealistic and weird.
- In 1991, he was awarded a prize in 41st Berlin International Film Festival for his Snake Fang. This was not his sole international prize. At the Cairo International Film festival in 1979 he got from the International Catholic Organisation for Cinema (OCIC), the OCIC Prize for his film The Journey of the Stone. The international OCIC jury gave its award to this film because The Journey of the Stone denounced the exploitation of mankind by mankind and called for a more just social order. Crime directed by Kimiai Winner Crystal Simorgh Best Film in Fajr International Film Festival 2011.
Jury Member
About:
- Painter, Writer, Broadcaster but above all Actor
- Monroi was born in 1953 in the C of Mexico; studies at the National School of Painting, Sculpture and Engraving "La Esmeralda". He exhibits collective and individual works in national and foreign galleries. After publishing articles in magazines and newspapers, he begins his training and life as an actor.
- His voice is heard in several radio programs with a cultural cut, and during 2010 he is the institutional voice of the show, Yo México.
- Among his theatrical productions are added: La Llorona de la Mtra. Maricela Lara; The Temptations of María Egipciaca by Miguel Sabido, Tirano Banderas by R. del Valle Inclán and coordinated by Ignacio Lopez tarso, La Guerra de las Gordas CNT, by Salvador Novo, The Man who was Dracula, Expresso al paraiso, Fourteen nails , The controversy of Valladolid, La Llorona, The Construction of Hector Martínez T. directed by Gonzalo Valdés Medellín, among other productions. Traig worked in the spaces dedicated to the brief signed, such as: Micro theater, Short Theater, Art House, etc.
- His work in cinema includes national and international films, among which Apocalypto by Mel Gibson, Blueberry by Jan Kounen, Blow by Ted Demme, Peter Winter's The Librarian (TNT), Ali Atshani lottery, in post prod process. Cinco de Mayo and Family Son of Rafa Lara; Syncopation (ITESM) by Alan Gutiérrez Santo Luzbel by Miguel Sabido, The Gospel of Wonders by Arturo Ripstein, Terminal Rite, Vaho, Syncopation, Guiexuba, among others.
- Among the series and works for TV, in which his work can be seen are: S.O.Z Soldiers or Zombies (Amazon First Video) Texas Rising (History Channel) Chloroform (Adicta Films, La Querida del Centauro; El Mariachi (TeleSet) Malverde (Telemundo); HEH, Hernán el Hombre (Dopamine) Amar a Muerte, Shadow, Alborada , In Lands Wild (Televisa) Descontrol (Lemon films) and others, El Centauro del Norte, a series about Disney's Pancho Villa and other projects in progress.
Jury Member
About:
Leila Otadi was born on August 5, 1983 in Tehran. She started her career by acting in the film Bid Majnoon (The Willow Tree in English), directed by the internationally successful director, Majid Majidi. She also has a degree in architecture and a doctorate in business management. During her career, she has played in more than 50 movies and television series in the genres of drama and comedy, etc. She is also active in the field of short film making and screenwriting.
Jury Member
About:
- Edwin Avaness received his Master of Arts Degree from Northwestern University's Radio-TV-Film Program, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Film and Digital Media productions at University of California, Santa Cruz. He joined the executive board of Arpa Foundation for Film, Music & Art in 1999 and directed the 3rd Annual Arpa International Film Festival in 2000. The annual humanitarian honor, in conjunction with the International Film Festival at Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, is co-created by Mr. Avaness, where filmmakers are awarded for their work that has contributed to the fight for social conscience and human rights issues. Among the past recipients of this award are documentary films Screamers (2006), Darfur Now (2007), Children of War (2009), and Aghet - Ein Völkermord (2010). Mr. Avaness also serves as a board member of Armin T. Wegner Society of USA, where the society revives the legacy of this 20th Century humanist through his work.
- After co-producing his first feature film, My Dark Days (2001), at Bearsmouth Entertainment, Mr. Avaness joined J F Productions where he oversaw all aspects of productions for the company. During his time at J F Productions Mr. Avaness produced and directed the feature film The Journey (2002). This feature was shot internationally with a full international cast and crew. The Journey was awarded the Audience Award at the Milan International Film Festival in 2002. Mr. Avaness also worked at Arbor Vitae Entertainment as a producer of Tabriz: Images from the Forgotten World (2006), an international docudrama, which has gone on to popular reception and awards during its tour of over ten film festivals. Mr. Avaness participated in different film markets as well, including MIFED in Milan, Italy, Bangkok Int'l Film Market, Guangzhou International Documentary Film Market - China, and American Film Market in Los Angeles.
- Mr. Avaness later joined EOS Entertainment as the head of development and productions where he optioned Edward Minasian's book Musa Dagh to produce the documentary Epic Denied: Depriving the Forty Days of Musa Dagh (2022) which covers the trials and tribulations of Hollywood's multiple attempts to produce an epic movie based on Franz Werfel's bestseller novel.
- Mr. Avaness has several projects in development stages with different entertainment companies.
Jury Member
About:
- Elham Hamidi was born on November 29, 1977. She is an Iranian actress. She has appeared in the mini-series Prophet Joseph as Asinaat. She also starred in The Kingdom of Solomon as Mariyam.
- Elham Hamidi is an accounting graduate student from "Roudehen University". She has two elder brothers, and she is married.
- Elham participated in school plays from the age of seven because it was her family occupation. Her father was also an actor and he was much active in theater. This developed an interest in Elham to join this field like her father.
- Elham is well known for her series Pervaneh, Musafir az Hind (Passenger from India), Prophet Joseph, and The Kingdom of Solomon.
- Elham won the best actress award for her performance in Kheili Dour, Kheili Nazdik (So close, So Far).
Jury Member
About:
- Filmmaker with over 30 years of experience as director, director of photography and VFX suppervisor
- Executive producer and cinematographer of the Hollywood film "Loteria" by director Ali Atshani
- Director of the TV Film "La Mano En La Reja" for the Michoacán government and Director/Producer of the documentary film "Memories/Recuerdos" (now in postproduction) about the USA rock band Human Drama
- Working in CGI since 1990, he has been pioneer in 3D animation, motion capture, forensic reconstruction, photogrametry and stereoscopy in Mexico
- Winner of several internationa awards, like third place in the Primer Concurso Internacional de Trailers Cinematográficos de la Ciudad de México and first place in the MOCAP contest by Autodesk and 3D World Magazine in UK
- Winner of the award quetzal by the short animated film "un mundo infeliz" in the 4° Festival Internacional de cine Quetzal
- Director y Co-founder of the 3d animation school and VFX house FilmSFX
- Winner of the award Melies granted by the civil asociation Los realizadores 360 for best editing in the short film Iluminati; also in this film the photograpy was by Miguel Salinas
- Director of photography of the feature film Mujer Bestia by Noe Nolasco, staring Ofelia Medina
- Director of photography of the feature film El Rock esta muerto, by Allan Marquez
- Second unit director of the feature film "Las batallas de Juarez" also VFX and colorist for the same film by director Miguel Rico
- Director, photography and producer of the medium length film "unete a la revolución" winner at Best Shorts Competition en La Jolla California of merit award for, Best Latin short Hispanic and best protest short film
- This same project had 52 laurels for official selection, (including honorific mentions)
- Has imparted lectures and workshops in the Universidad Politécnica de Tapachula (Now as member of the consultive council at the same university in the VFX and cinematography degrees), also in FAD from the UNAM, FES Acatlán, University of Morelia and Durango University
Jury Member
About:
- Theater and television actress
- Author of the book "Emotional Memory, Chilean Actresses"
- Dramaturgy and direction of "Between Them", "If You Were Here" and "El Casting Internacional"
- Web works, script and direction of Nanofilm "Good morning"
Jury Member
Feature Film Category
