Jury Members

Jury of the International Competition

Louis Beaudemont

Louis Beaudemont is a journalist, news editor at United24media, and producer at Les Steppes Productions, based in Kyiv. A close friend of Ukrainian filmmakers, Louis is currently working to support voices that will shape the post-war reconstruction of the world. At the same time, Louis is working on artistic and immersive exhibition projects by French-Algerian artist Nile Beloufa, seeking to use new technologies to create new relationships between producers and consumers of cultural works.

Jury of the International Competition

Zhanna Ozinna

Zhanna is a film director and screenwriter. She is a member of the Ukrainian Film Academy and the Directors Guild of Ukraine. She participated in Berlinale Talents 2020 (Berlin, 2020), and was a resident at Cité internationale des arts and Les Récollets (Paris, 2022), as well as Marathon Screenings (Los Angeles, 2023). She is the co-writer of the Polish-Ukrainian series "The Unspoken" about the first days of the Russian invasion. The development of her feature-length fiction debut, "Ground Zero," was supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. The project took part in several prestigious international script workshops and film markets at the Rotterdam and Cannes Film Festivals. In October 2021, "Ground Zero" received confirmation of funding from the State Film Agency of Ukraine, but due to the full-scale invasion, filming is currently postponed until 2026. In 2024, Zhanna Ozinna directed her debut feature film about the occupation, "Honeymoon," as part of the low-budget projects program from Biennale College Cinema. The premiere took place at the Venice Film Festival in 2024. The film received a number of awards, including the Grand Prix at the Kyiv International Film Festival "Molodist," the Arras Film Festival, and the Sofia International Film Festival.

Jury of the International Competition

Szymon Stemplewski

Szymon Stemplewski – artist, animator, creator and curator of many film, cultural and artistic projects. Founder of the International Short Waves Film Festival, a constellation of film events scattered in the urban space of Poznan. These initiatives provide a platform for new and unconventional cultural experiences, often combining film, art and music. His efforts in the cultural sector are characterised by a focus on innovation and collaboration, supporting young artists and promoting the creative community in Poland and beyond.

Jury of the National Competition

Laurence Boyce

Laurence Boyce was born in Leeds, UK, and began his career in 1999 at the Leeds International Film Festival. He relocated to Tallinn, Estonia in 2010 and works for the Black Nights Film Festival and is the head of Programme (Live Action) for PÖFF Shorts, the short film section of the festival. He is also an award-winning film journalist who writes for numerous publications, amongst them Screen International, Talking Shorts, Sight and Sound, and Cineuropa. He is a member of the London Critics Circle, the European Film Academy, and BAFTA. He is currently the chairman of the board of the Short Film Conference, a network of short film organisations from across the globe.

Jury of the National Competition

Anastasiyaa Verlinska

Director of the Linoleum Contemporary Animation and Media Art Festival. For ten years, she worked as a project manager at FILM.UA Group, one of the largest film companies in Eastern Europe, implementing promotion projects for both film and animation in Ukraine and abroad. In addition to the Linoleum Festival, Anastasiya organizes screenings of international and Ukrainian animation, as well as educational projects that help develop the local animation industry.

Jury of the National Competition

Jonathan Tyman

Jonathan Tyman began his film career at a Hollywood special effects studio on Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). He then moved to Ann Arbor for its indie-film scene and earned a PhD in Film Studies from the University of Michigan, writing a dissertation on "Film in Science, Education, and Propaganda." As an independent producer in Detroit, he tackled topics including the ongoing impact of Chile’s Pinochet regime, the disappearances of young women in Northern Mexico’s Maquiladora industry, and experimental shorts exploring evolving technology. He spent six years at Internet2, pioneering live video and remote collaboration. As chair of the Ann Arbor Film Festival, he led the team to launch the first online festival in ten days when Covid-19 hit.

The jury of the national competition program from the Ukrainian Film Critics Association

Yana Dudko

Yana Dudko is a film scholar at the Dovzhenko Centre, a cultural manager, and a film critic. She is a member of the Ukrainian Film Academy and the "KINOKOLO" National Film Critics Award committee.

The jury of the national competition program from the Ukrainian Film Critics Association

Kyrylo Pyshchykov

Kyrylo Pyshchykov is a film critic, a member of the Ukrainian Film Critics Union, and a writer for Gogol Media and Vikna-novyny. He is also the author of the Telegram channel Spoiler Runner. He is currently a servicemember.

The jury of the national competition program from the Ukrainian Film Critics Association

Anton Frolov

Anton Frolov is a film critic, the founder of the Bardak independent Ukrainian film festival in Kharkiv, and a servicemember of the State Special Transport Service (DSST)

The jury of the national competition program from the Ukrainian Film Critics Association

Kateryna Slipchenko

Kateryna Slipchenko is a Ukrainian journalist and film critic. She is an art historian by profession. She is a member of FIPRESCI, the Ukrainian Film Academy, and the Ukrainian Oscar Committee.