Eduardo Guillot (born in València, Spain in 1967) has worked as a cultural journalist for more than 25 years in different Spanish specialized magazines, and collaborated on books dedicated to Emir Kusturica, noir cinema, Stephen King and the relationship of cinema with video games and rock music, among others. He has been a member of the programming team at València Cinematheque for five years, and has been tutoring since 2016 at the Talents Guadalajara (Mexico).
Cherien Dabis is a Palestinian American film and television writer, director, actor and producer. Her films have opened the Sundance Film Festival and premiered at Cannes, Venice and Berlin, and won dozens of awards including the FIPRESCI. Her debut feature AMREEKA (2009) was nominated for Best Picture Gotham Award, 3 Independent Spirit Awards including Best Picture, and was named one of the Top Ten Independent Films of the Year by the U.S.’s National Board of Review.
Zied Meddeb Hamrouni (artist name Shinigami San) is a multidisciplinary artist working in the crossing between images, sound and space. Parallel to his architectural and cinematographic academic paths, his music is deeply influenced by IDM and Dub music, and in his audiovisual performances he explores the link between time, space and emotions. His work as an experimental filmmaker and editor is leading him through the new boundaries of virtual reality, and his latest explorations on virtual reality cinema look into the ways in which image, sound and space seem to merge.
Shane Smith is Director of Programming at Hot Docs, North America's largest Festival and Market for documentary film. He previously worked at the Toronto International Film Festival as director of Special Projects, and director of Public Programs. Prior to TIFF, he was Executive Producer of In-Flight Entertainment at Spafax, Director of Programming at Channel Zero Inc, Director of the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival, Short Film Programmer for Sundance Film Festival, and Programmer for Inside Out LGBT Film Festival.
Jessica Devaney is a Brooklyn-based producer and the founder of Multitude Films. Her latest film, ALWAYS IN SEASON, premiered in competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and won the Special Jury Award for Moral Urgency. Jessica also produced THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED (Tribeca 2018), ROLL RED ROLL (Tribeca 2018), LOVE THE SINNER (Tribeca 2017), and Critic’s Choice-nominated SPEED SISTERS (Hot Docs 2015). She has been a Women at Sundance fellow and Sundance Creative Producing Lab advisor.
Ranell Shubert is the Educational Programs Manager at the International Documentary Association (IDA), a nonprofit organization located in Los Angeles dedicated to serving documentary filmmakers, artists, and activists.
Youssef Shazli is the co-founder and managing director of Zawya Cinema & Distribution. He first joined Misr International Films in 2013 as festival coordinator of the Panorama of the European Film. He launched Zawya Cinema in 2014 and Zawya Distribution; both initiatives aiming to make quality films more accessible. Aside from his work at Zawya, Youssef occasionally works as a music curator. He holds a BA in International Development Studies from McGill University.
Chérine Lakhdar is a French-Tunisian lawyer by practice but has chosen to carry out the role of executive producer since 2009 in both cultural and advertising sectors. In 2016, she founded with Guillaume Lucas and Damien Gires, HERVÉ: A communication and production agency dedicated to the creation of immersive content and events (vr/ar/xr). She is currently leading the opening of an office in the Maghreb with the collaboration of Zied Meddeb Hamrouni; creating reflection and joint action on innovative digital experiences between different cultures.
Sheyma Buali is a producer and film programmer for the BBC’s Arabic service, and has been Festival Director of the BBC Arabic Festival of documentaries and short films since 2015. Currently, she is leading the festival into a new initiative, working with independent filmmakers on producing short documentaries for BBC Arabic television and digital platforms.
Ehab Assal’s cinematic background started in the 90s as first camera assistant on some iconic Hollywood films such as THE INSIDER, THE APOSTLE, THE BODY, and SLING BLADE under multi-award-winning cinematographers Dante Spinotti, Barry Markowitz, David Burr, and Vilmos Zsigmond. He went on to found Yellow Dawn Productions, an independent company in Palestine offering professional services for local and international productions, starting with the award-winning feature film, THE TIME THAT REMAINS.