JURIES

Eleni Alexandrakis was born in 1957 in Athens. She studied Cinema at the Sorbonne, Paris I, (License 1980) and at the National Film and TV School in England (Graduated in 1985). She created her production company in 1986 which subsequently took on the distinctive title of POMEGRANATE FILMS 2. She writes, directs, and produces fiction and documentary films as she believes there is no difference between the two. Her films have won awards in Greece and abroad.

H Ελένη Αλεξανδράκη γεννήθηκε το 1957 στην Αθήνα. Σπούδασε κινηματογράφο στην Σορβόννη, Paris I, (License 1980) και στο National Film and TV School της Αγγλίας (Αποφοίτηση 1985). Είναι σεναριογράφος / σκηνοθέτης / παραγωγός ταινιών μυθοπλασίας και ντοκιμαντέρ γιατί πιστεύει ότι δεν υπάρχει ουσιώδης διαφορά ανάμεσα στα δύο είδη. Ταινίες της έχουν βραβευτεί στην Ελλάδα και στο εξωτερικό.

Orfeas Peretzis is a Greek director, producer and screenwriter. His debut feature film, “RIVIERA,” premiered in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and won 4 awards at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. His essay film, “IODINE,” won the Fischer Audience Award at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival and was nominated for an Iris Award in 2023. He has also directed seven short films and the feature documentary “Into the Centre of the Wheel” (2018). His short films have garnered significant accolades, including a Panhellenic Film Critics Association Award, a Bronze Award at Mexico International Short Film Festival, a Royal Television Society Award, and Best Short at Drama Int. Short Film Fest. He is a Berlinale Talent (2019) and co-founder of StudioBauhaus.

Ο Ορφέας Περετζής ξεκίνησε να σπουδάζει Ψυχολογία στο Stirling της Σκωτίας. Έπειτα Κινηματογράφο & Βίντεο στο UCA (Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο) και Σενάριο στο London Film School. H πρώτη του μεγάλου μήκους ταινία μυθοπλασίας “RIVIERA”, έκανε παγκόσμια πρεμιέρα στο Sao Paulo της Βραζιλίας και απέσπασε 4 βραβεία (FIPRESCI, Βραβείο ΕΡΤ, Βραβείο Πρωτοεμφανιζόμενης Ηθοποιού και το Location Award του ΕΚΚΟΜΕΔ) στο Φεστιβάλ Κινηματογράφου Θεσσαλονίκης. Η ταινία του δοκίμιο IODΙNE διαγωνίστηκε στο Διεθνές Τμήμα του Φεστιβάλ Ντοκιμαντέρ Θεσσαλονίκης για το οποίο κέρδισε το Βραβείο Κοινού Fischer και το 2023 ήταν υποψήφια στα βραβεία Ίρις της ΕΑΚ. Είναι Berlinale Talent (2019) και τo 2020 έλαβε την υποτροφία καλλιτεχνών του SNF Artworks από το Ίδρυμα Σταύρος Νιάρχος. Είναι συν-ιδρυτής της εταιρίας παραγωγής StudioBauhaus και μέλος της Ένωσης Σκηνοθετών Παραγωγών Ελληνικού Κινηματογράφου (ΕΣΠΕΚ).

Nancy Biniadaki is an Athens-born Berlin-based director and writer. Her sophomore film MAYSOON (2024) will be released in 2025. Her debut THE SURFACE OF THINGS (2017) premiered in Competition at Thessaloniki IFF and won Best Greek Newcomer Director Award at Athens IFF. She has directed many award-winning shorts, among which THE MOON AND I (2015) that won the prestigious German “Grimme Preis” and was finalist at Prix de Jeunesse International, and STILL COUNTING (1998) that was officially selected to participate at the Biennale of Young Artists in Rome and received the Melina Merkouri Greek State Award. Nancy has directed many documentaries for the Greek National Television ERT and was part of the creative team of the Closing Ceremony of Athens 2004 Olympic Games. As theatre director she created performances in Athens, video projections for theatre and opera in Greece and Italy, collaborating among others with the Greek National Theatre, Athens and Epidaurus Festival and Athens Concert Hall Megaron. After studying Cinema and Literature in Athens, she received a MA in filmmaking from Sheffield Hallam University, on an Onassis Foundation scholarship.

Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk is a Ukrainian author and filmmaker, graduated from the Kyiv National I.K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University. Participant of the Berlinale Talents, Locarno Film Academy, he is the founder of the script platform Terrarium. Member of European Film Academy and Ukrainian Film Academy. His first feature, «PAMFIR», was developed by TorinoFilmLab, Midpoint and Cinefondation Residence and achieve a selection at CANNES FILM FESTIVAL Directors’ Fortnight in 2022.  «PAMFIR» has been chosen for a nomination in the category European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI at the 35th European Film Awards. The feature debut won 11 awards from the Ukrainian National Film Award Golden Dzyga and 5 awards from the National Film Critics Award Kinokolo (including the best film, best director, best screenplay, and best debut from both Awards).

Born in 1993 in Paris, France, Zoel Aeschbacher is of Swiss and Vietnamese descent. Deeply fascinated by cinema from a young age, he was particularly influenced by the short films of the Kourtrajmé collective, which inspired him to begin experimenting with a DV camera during his teenage years.

In 2017, he earned a bachelor’s degree in film from ECAL (École cantonale d’art de Lausanne), where he developed his distinct style and a strong interest in rich, nuanced human stories. His graduation film, BONOBO (2017), premiered in the international competition at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. In 2019, BONOBO was awarded the Student Academy Award for Best Narrative, a major distinction that opened new doors for his career.

He continued exploring bold and unconventional narratives with FAIRPLAY (2022), a short film that premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and won the Pardi di Domani Junior Jury Award. In 2023, it also received the National Jury Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival.

Drawing on his multicultural background and strong visual instincts, Zoel Aeschbacher crafts a hybrid cinema that blends social realism, visual poetry, and dark humor. His work reflects a deep sensitivity for outsiders and universal themes, portraying human connections through inventive and immersive storytelling.

He is currently developing his first feature film in collaboration with the production company Chi-Fou-Mi, continuing his pursuit of narratives that are both universal and singular.