2019

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.

Michael Dudok de Wit (1953) grew up in the Netherlands and lives in London. He directs TV commercials and independent short animated films, and also illustrates children’s books and teaches animation at art colleges in England and abroad. Michael’s short films have won numerous international awards, including an Oscar and a BAFTA award in 2001 for FATHER AND DAUGHTER. His most recent film, THE RED TURTLE, is his first feature length film.

Marlies van der Wel is a Dutch animator and illustrator whose short films have been recognized at prestigious festivals including the Berlinale, Toronto Film Festival, and Sundance.

Samer Ajouri (born in Damascus in 1977) studied video editing and visual effect arts in Syria and worked as Art Director for many media production houses, making music videos, commercials, experimental video art, animated graphics, and other film visual effects for local and Arabic films and TV drama.