Asian Films Competition Section


Åge Hoffart

Åge Hoffart has worked in the film industry in Norway and Europe since 1980’s. After a “Cinema Paradiso”-like start as a projectionist at 14 years old in 1971, and education from the university of Stockholm he began to distribute and market films in the cinemas; arthouse productions, local films, and big international blockbusters like Harry Potter and James Bond. He has distributed more than 1000 feature films theatrically, of which 101 were local Norwegian films.  He is one of the founders of the Norwegian Film Academy, and also works with releases of jazz recordings on vinyl and CD.




Ilias Kanchan

Ilias Kanchan started his carrier as a film actor in the lead role of the film Bashun- dhara which got national recognition. After that he acted in many films like, Parinita, Shasti and many others. He acted in Beder Meye Josna, which was one of the top grossing films in Bangladesh’s history. He is also a film director and producer. He has been awarded by many festivals and events. He has been bestowed with the Mohan Ekushe Padak, the second highest civilian honor for his Social Work by the Govern- ment of Bangladesh.





Enamul Karim Nirjhar

Enamul Karim Nirjhar is an architect, filmmaker, and creative organizer breaking out of stereotypical concepts. He is an award-winning photographer, writer, lyricist, composer, and social worker. He received a national award for Best Director and three other categories for his first fiction, AHA! in 2007. His architectural work, NinaKabbo, was nominated for the Aga Khan Award. He has consciously embraced many successful incarnations. He has received the Kodak FIAP National Award for Photography, Architect of the Year Award in India, and Excellence in Architecture from IAB. His second featured film, Nomuna, a political satire, received a government grant. In addition to architecture, he is developing an independent filmmaking process with nine feature films under EKNC's 9STEPS initiative.


Zhang Yudi

Yudi Zhang is a writer-director born in Beijing, China. She has a passion for storytelling that was cultivated during her undergraduate studies in journalism and further honed during her graduate studies at USC Film School. She became a participant in Talents Tokyo 2023. Her debut feature ‘The midsummer’s Voice’ premiered at the Far East Film Festival, and won the “Best Debut Feature” in 37th Golden Rooster International Film festival, “audience favorite price” in Shanghai International Film Festival’s ‘The Belt and the Road’ Film Week, and ‘The Best Screenplay’ at the First Film festival.

 

 

 


Dragan Milinkovic

Prof. Dragan Milinkovic Fimon is an eminent university professor, producer, drama writer and director with an admirably rich career. He graduated from the Belgrade Drama School. Following scientific research in Paris and London, he completed his PhD with thesis on Possibilities of filming a novel. Fimon is also known to be a producer, director and associate of films and TV projects, writer and director of various theatre plays, author of several film books and well acclaimed workshops (Reading Emir Kusturica, Children’s Cinema Education, Film and Media Literacy, Stage and Screen Acting). For many years Professor Fimon is an active member of FICC, CIFEJ, CILECT and served as jury in the various film festivals.

 

 

 


Interfaith Jury for the Spiritual Films Section


Lisa Martelli

Lisa Martelli, a versatile professional with extensive expertise in media, public relations, and cultural event management. Currently Lisa Martelli is the President of the Religion Today Film Festival, a renowned international event promoting interfaith dialogue through cinema, with over 25 years of versatile experience in media, cultural event management, and social communication. She also serves as Councillor for Culture, Equal Opportunities Library, and European Affairs for the Municipality of Villorba (Treviso, Italy). She is board member of ITTV Forum (Los Angeles & Venice) and collaborates with the Italian Paralympic Committee. With 22 years at Fabrica (Benetton’s communication research center), Lisa also contributed to the Oscar-winning No Man’s Land (2002) and numerous cultural projects.

 

 

 

 

 


Lakshantha Rukman Kumara Abenayake

Lakshan Abenayakehas been formed in the Art and Theatrical school of Pygmalion in France. He has born in Sri Lanka and immigrate to France 34 years ago. His 25 years of experience in the French television and in film industry is well recognized by the role as Rudy in the known French television series Les Mystères De L’amour that he started 25 years ago. This Franco – Sri Lankan Actor has appeared in a number of international films such as Chok-Dee, Milady, Doosra, Miles of Dreams etc. and also the new French film of Franck Debosc “un Ourse Dans Le Jura » He is also the producer of «Doosra« which nominated in Moscow International Film Festival.


Mahnaz Tafaghi

Mahnaz Tafaghi is an Iranian producer, distributor, lecturer and the founder of Ayvision Films, an independent film production and distribution company based in Turkey. She began her career as a journalist, working with international news agencies and contributing to various media outlets. Her passion for storytelling led her to cinema journalism, where she worked with numerous film festivals. She later transitioned into film production and distribution, gaining experience with international companies before founding Ayvision Films. Her company focuses on projects from the Middle East, particularly Iran and Turkey, while also collaborating with European partners on co-productions. AYVISION Films offers a full range of services, including development, production, post-production, and distribution, her films have been showcased at festivals and receiving awards around the world. She served as a jury in the various film festivals.

 

 

 

 


Fakhrul Arefeen Khan

Fakhrul Arefeen Khan is an acclaimed Bangladeshi Producer cum filmmaker, writer, and creative director, with a career spanning over two decades. Starting as a film activist in 1997, he transitioned to independent filmmaking, earning widespread recognition for his impactful storytelling. His documentary won the National Award in 2011. He also won best screenplay writer national award in 2022.  Known for his distinctive narrative style, Khan has directed celebrated feature films, including Bhuban Majhi (2016), Gondi (2020), and JK 1971 (2023), earning multiple National Awards and global accolades. Apart from feature he directed 10+ documentaries, and produced 15+ short films. With a profound understanding of cinema, Fakhrul Arefeen Khan brings expertise and passion to the jury of this International Film Festival.

 

 

 

 

Women Filmmaker Section


Mei Po Rainbow Fong

Rainbow Fong is a Producer and the Artistic Director of China Golden Rooster Awards/Film Festival, foreign films section. She served as jury member to various international film festivals including Hawaii International Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival, World Film Critic Awards for Arabs Films, Guanajuata International Film Festival. She was consultant to the Hong Kong International Film Festival, Film Academy of Baptist University in HK, etc. Besides acting as a guest-curator for special sections/ “China Spotlight” at various overseas film festivals, Rainbow advocates and runs film festival forums at various film festivals/societies including her own and at film academies to young filmmakers and film students on film festival strategies. As a writer, Rainbow publishes works on culture/film in both lifestyle magazines and trade journals from Esquire to fipresci’s. Rainbow is a member of NETPAC and China Film Association.

 

 

 


Azmeri Haque Badhon

Ms. Azmeri Haque Badhon is a Bangladeshi actress and model. She continues her modeling career, representing prominent local and global brands. After working in numerous TV dramas, she played the lead role in the film “Rehana Maryam Noor” in 2021 which became the first Bangladeshi film in the Cannes Film Festival’s official selection. She received much praise and appreciation for her brilliant performance in the film and went on to win multiple awards in the film festivals around the world such as the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in the Best Actress Category, Best Performance in the Cinemajove Valencia Film Festival, Mosaic South Asian Film festival, and the Best Film Actress award in the critics’ choice category in Meril Prothom Alo Award 2021, National film award in the lead actress category 2021. She is a fierce supporter of women’s empowerment and gender equality.

 

 

 

 


Hoda Moghaddam Manesh

Dr. Hoda Moghadam Manesh started her artistic career from young age by acting in the theater stage and after performing 5 plays as an actress, then she entered the professional cinema and has played as main role in 3 movies so far, and in 2023, she won the best actress award from Ahmedabad International Festival in India for her role in the movie “Life and Life” directed by Ali Ghavitan. She has also been invited to the festivals today’s religion in Italy, Baikal in Russia, Parshim in Germany, Casablanca in Morocco and Marbella in Spain. She also wrote a book focusing on art history and it was published in 2016.


Leesa Gazi

Ms. Leesa Gazi has dedicated her career to presenting stories told from women’s perspectives. Co-founder of Komola Collective, she co-wrote and performed in the Offie-nominated Birangona: Women of War, later adapting it into the award-winning documentary Rising Silence, which chronicles the lives of wartime rape survivors from the Bangladesh Liberation War. Amazon Crossing published Gazi’s acclaimed novel Rourob (Good Girls, trans. Shabnam Nadiya) in 2023. Gazi has created several counter-extremism films for a UK-based think tank. Her debut feature, “A House Named Shahana,” garnered acclaim and awards. Currently, she is developing her second feature, Shasti (Punishment), and serves as a founding member of the Global Survivors’ Network, SEMA.

 

 

 


FIPRESCI Jury: Bangladesh Panorama Film Section


Sadia Khalid Reeti

Sadia Khalid Reeti is a film critic and screenwriter. She studied Screenwriting at the University of California, LA(UCLA). Currently the Showtime Editor of Dhaka Tribune, she has served as a jury member at different film festivals. She served as a FIPRESCI jury at Cannes Film Festival, International Film Festival of Kerala, Bengaluru International Film Festival and Dhaka International Film Festival-DIFF. She is the first international voter for the Golden Globe Awards from Bangladesh. A Berlinale Talents alumna, she attended mentorship programs with Film Independent and Locarno Open Doors and is the recipient of Charles Wallace Fellowship from the British Council. She is the co-convener of West Meets East Screenplay Lab and Film Haat of DIFF. She also teaches film studies at different universities and institutions.

 


Fatema Amin

Fatema Amin is an accomplished scholar and film critic pursuing her PhD in Visual Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Alongside her doctoral studies, she is an Assistant Professor at Jagannath University, a prominent public university in Bangladesh. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Dramatics from Jahangirnagar University. She completed her MA in Film Studies at Jadavpur University, India, where she refined her critical and theoretical approach to cinema. Now, as a doctoral candidate, she explores the complex intersections of film theory, visual communication, and cultural discourse while contributing to film scholarship and education at national and international levels.

 


Tan Yi Jian

Tan Yi Jian work in documentary filmmaking and academic film criticism closely intersects with his interests in philosophy, affect, and the environment. His films have been screened at DocEdge, SSFF & Asia, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. He has also assistant-edited AI: African Intelligence (Berlinale 2023) and Angela Davis: A World of Greater Freedom (Sharjah Biennial 2023). He holds a BA in Film and Philosophy from NYU, and an MSt in Film Aesthetics from the University of Oxford as a Chevening Scholar, where his academic criticism explored postcolonial, eco-, amateur, and metamodern cinema. He presently lectures in film at Multimedia University, Malaysia.