Jabu Nadia Newman is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker working across film, photography, curation, and events programming. Her work blends storytelling with activism, exploring identity, intersectional feminism, and underrepresented narratives, particularly those of South African women. From directing award-winning films and web series to curating innovative film programs and exhibitions, her practice bridges visual art, cinema, and community-building to create impactful and collaborative works.

EJ Gagui (b. 1999) is a filmmaker from Pampanga, Philippines. He studied filmmaking at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and ASEAN-ROK Film Leaders Incubator (FLY) as a Philippine delegate. His latest film, Rock in a Windless Wadi, premiered at Visions du Réel and earned special mentions at Gawad Alternatibo and SeaShorts, plus nominations at Pinoy Rebyu and Gawad Urian. The film is now streaming on the Criterion Channel. He co-founded a small film company, Eximious Produkt, to create a creative space for regional filmmakers working outside the capital like himself.

Mahmoud Ibrahim is a 25 year old Egyptian filmmaker. He was among the first class of students to graduate from the Higher Institute of Cinema in Alexandria in 2023. He is interested in the relationship between the individual and the city, and the intersection of collective and personal archives. His debut short film "The last day" participated in Berlinale International Film Festival 75 in the Forum Expanded. He co-founded HandyCam Films, an independent collective that seeks to explore new art spaces and create alternative production methods.

Mohammadreza Mayghani (b. April 20, 1995) is an Iranian filmmaker with a Master's degree in Dramatic Literature. His first short film, Cleaner (2018), marked the beginning of his career. In 2021, his short film Orthodontics, inspired by his childhood orthodontic experience, was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and also screened at the Sundance Film Festival. He later joined the Base Camp program at the Locarno Film Festival (2022), and in 2023 was accepted into the Cannes Residency, where his feature project Diba won the Best Pitching Award. He also attended the Locarno Film Academy. In 2025, his short film YoYo premiered at the Locarno Film Festival.

Mai Huyền Chi is a Vietnamese writer-director whose work explores memory, identity, and belonging. She began in screenwriting, co-writing My Mr. Wife (Vietnam’s Golden Kite winner), A Brixton Tale (UK, 2022), and The Girl from Dak Lak (2022), which she also co-directed. Her recent directing includes 50 Years of Forgetting (Al Jazeera, 2025) and The River Runs Still (NYAFF, 2025). Her debut feature The River Knows Our Names won the Tokyo Talents Award 2024.

Ružica Anja Tadić (b. 1994, Belgrade) is a film director and multimedia artist. A graduate of the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Novi Sad and a Talents Sarajevo alumna, she also works as a television director, 1st AD, and editor. She is developing an international directing career driven by her passion for storytelling and visual expression.

Daniel Sterlin-Altman (he/him) is multi-disciplinary filmmaker based in Berlin, Germany. Daniel has directed several independent short films as well as commissioned works that have earned the Cristal at Annecy Festival, Golden Horseman Award at Filmfest Dresden, and Best Student Film at Animafest Zagreb, among others. He is also a collaborator with the intersectional queer collective, Critical Queer Solidarity, and facilitates politically-minded animation workshops throughout Germany.

Laura van der Zee (1997) is an independent film director, producer and screenwriter from the Netherlands. Known for "IUD" (2024), "The Colour of Rosa" (2023) and "Through the Eyes of You" (2019). Laura has written, directed and produced multiple short films in both animation and live-action. Her work has been screened around the globe and has won multiple awards.