The Jurors of FILMFEST DRESDEN
Each year, FILMFEST DRESDEN appoints several independent juries which decide on the winners of the Golden Horsemen awards. Beside the International and the National Jury, these include the Jury for best Sound Design, for GenderDiversity and our two Youth Juries. In 2021 two new juries were added: for the film award "fully political" and for the Film Critics Award.
Here you can find our pre-jurys who preselect the nominated films for our special thematic awards.
JURY INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
JESSICA ASHMAN
Based in London, Jessica Ashman is a multi-disciplinary artist working in the fields of animation, moving images, painting and music. A Royal College of Art graduate, Ashman combines traditional hand-drawn animation techniques with installations and performances in her work, creating frenetic, textured and abstract narratives that explore gender, identity and race. She is a 2011 BAFTA in Scotland award-winning animator and a 2020 Arts Foundation Futures Award nominee in Experimental Short Film.
Jessica teaches experimental animation at Goldsmiths, London, and also works with art galleries as part of a wider arts education workshop strand of her artistic practice. She has worked with Tate, Welcome Collection and South London Gallery. Jessica is currently in residence at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery as part of UAL’s 20/20 programme, with her solo show “Those that do not smile will kill me” launched in February 2025.
DIEGO ARMANDO APARICIO ELIA
Diego Armando Aparicio Elia, born1993, is a Cypriot-Salvadoran film professional. He is the founder and artistic director of Queer Wave: the Cyprus LGBTQIA+ film festival established in 2020. After graduating in physics from Imperial College London, he served as one of the cinephiles on the jury for Giornate degli Autori at the Venice IFF in 2018. He went on to assist the Giornate programming team as pre-selector for five editions. Since 2019 he has worked in the production and direction departments of several international co-productions, including feature films and limited series that have premiered in Sundance, Venice, the Cannes Critics’ Week and the Karlovy Vary IFF. He is an alumnus of the Atelier for Young Festival Managers, the Future of Film Festivals Forum, the Global Cultural Relations Programme and Developing Your Film Festival. In 2021 he was one of 20 finalists worldwide shortlisted for the Commonwealth Youth Awards. He was part of the selection panel for the LUX Audience Award in 2022 and served on the jury for the Berlinale Teddy Award in 2024. He is a member of the European Film Academy.
BENITA BAILEY
Benita Sarah Bailey was born in Thuringia and is an actress, filmmaker and lecturer. She is a member of the Canadian artist collective Diasporakidz and on the board of the Schwarze Filmschaffende e.V. German Black filmmakers association. She studied acting in Berlin as well as international relations and African studies at Leipzig University and in Hong Kong. She works internationally in theatre, film and television. Currently, she is developing her first feature film, as well as a performance with Diasporakidz, which is premiering in 2025. Since July 2020 she has also produced her own talk format entitled @yellit on IG & YT, in which she presents Black artists. For her commitment to more diversity, she was voted one of the 100 women of the year by Focus magazine in 2022, in addition to winning the DEI Initiative Award in 2024. On TV, she can be seen in the title role of the ARD series DIE PFLEGIONÄRIN about care staff. Last year, she appeared on stage at the Deutsches Theater Berlin, the Hessisches Landestheater Marburg and the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin.
JURY NATIONAL COMPETITION
VIC SO HEE ALZ
After studying screenwriting, Vic So Hee Alz attended the DFFB film school’s Serial Eyes programme. She provided the idea and books for the web series #HEULDOCH – THERAPIE WIE NOCH NIE (ZDF/arte). Moreover, she was also involved as an author in several series formats, including DRUCK (ZDFneo/funk). Vic was head writer of the second season of PARA – WE ARE KING (Warner TV Serie/HBO Max) and is currently head writer of a six-part series based on the novel “Die Gespenster von Demmin”, produced by Oma Inge Film GmbH. In addition, Vic is developing two other series and is working on her debut film in collaboration with director Zara Zandieh, which has been funded by the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film support body. In addition to her work as a screenwriter, Vic also acts as a dramatic advisor on film and series projects and is currently supervising several projects in various stages. She not only advocates for structural changes in the German film and television landscape, but also holds workshops and panel discussions on gender and diversity. In all her projects, she is committed to a decolonial, collective and solidarity-based working method. The screenwriter and activist – born in South Korea and raised in Germany – lives and works in Berlin.
TOMER ESHED
Tomer Eshed, born 1977 in Tel Aviv, graduated from the School of Arts High School Jerusalem in 1999. Tomer studied animation at the Film and Television University KONRAD WOLF in Potsdam-Babelsberg from 2004 to 2009. After graduating, he immediately began working as a director. In 2010, he co-founded the Talking Animals animation film studio. Among others, he directed the internationally successful shorts OUR WONDERFUL NATURE (2008), FLAMINGO PRIDE (2011) and OUR WONDERFUL NATURE – THE COMMON CHAMELEON (2016). Tomer has been awarded numerous national and international prizes. He received a nomination for the Student Academy Award for his short film OUR WONDERFUL NATURE and was honoured with the FFA’s SHORT TIGER short film award in 2017. His first feature-length film DRAGON RIDER was released in 2020. In 2021 he founded Lumatic Animation & VFX with four partners. In addition to his position as one of the managing directors at Lumatic, Tomer works on the SCHOOL OF MAGICAL ANIMALS franchise (1-4) as Lead Character Designer/Head of Story/Animation Director.
STEFFEN KRONES
Steffen Krones is a German director and filmmaker based in Dresden. After graduating in art and design, he spent time in Canada, which shaped his international perspective on filmmaking. In his career, he has collaborated with artists and scientists worldwide to produce films, commercials, music videos and documentaries. He made his feature-length film debut in 2022 with THE NORTH DRIFT, which premiered at the renowned CPH:DOX Festival and went on to win numerous international awards.
YOUTH JURY INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
TANITA GOLA, 19
My name is Tanita, I am 19 years old and completing my Voluntary Social Year of Culture at HELLERAU – European Centre for the Arts. I have been fascinated by films ever since I was little, and I have been involved with FILMFEST DRESDEN since then. I was a member of the festival’s Young Curators for five years, and I am delighted to now be a member of the Youth Jury. FILMFEST DRESDEN is always a wonderful and exciting experience, yet also a kind of return home for me. I am looking forward to having a wonderful time with the other festival attendees, as well as enjoying many exciting new films.
HENRIETTE GLAUCHE, 17
Short films have accompanied and inspired me for a long time – and I am always fascinated by their extraordinary multifaceted aspects. They manage to shed light on political issues, introduce foreign cultures and immerse us in unknown realities of life, all in the shortest time. They utilise a variety of techniques – from animation to fictional film, minimalist or with impressive effects – and delve into complex content in a concise way. I love getting deeply involved in a short film, immersing myself in its world, and then afterwards thinking about it, discussing it and exchanging impressions. I am all the more pleased to be able to pursue this passion as a member of the Youth Jury at the 37 FILMFEST DRESDEN.
ANNIKA EICHLER, 19
My name is Annika, I am 19 years old and currently work as a croupier at Casino Bregenz. Last year, I had an opportunity to experience the magic of short film firsthand through my Federal Voluntary Service work at FILMFEST DRESDEN. The diversity and creativity of the short films I saw, as indeed the inspiring way in which the filmmakers were able to convey great emotions and profound themes with limited time and resources thrilled me, and I am eagerly awaiting this experience again this year. I am looking forward to having many new encounters and enjoying unique stories.
YOUTH JURY NATIONAL COMPETITION
ANNA BÜTTNER, 18
Film is a medium that has always fascinated and inspired me. It reveals new worlds and stimulates thinking. For me, being at FILMFEST DRESDEN means discovering exciting stories and exchanging ideas with other people interested in film. What I find particularly fascinating about short films is how they can make a lasting impression and trigger strong emotions in such a limited amount of time. I am looking forward to discovering new perspectives, experiencing inspiring films and meeting new people.
MARIE GOTTLEBE, 20
My name is Marie and I am 20 years old. Short films fascinate me because they combine great emotions and complex themes in just a few minutes. They are surprising, intense and usually touch me deeply. They challenge us to think outside the box, alter our perspectives and question our points of view. The variety of creative narrative formats and artistic forms of representation in short film also inspires me over and again. For me, FILMFEST DRESDEN is a place for encounters, exchanges and political debates on moving topics. I am looking forward to everything that happens there.
LUISA GOETHE, 20
My name is Luisa Goethe, I am 20 years old and I have developed a fascination with films partly through my brothers. Studying art brought me to Dresden. Here, my work is more in the areas of painting and photography, but I am currently trying my hand at sculpture, and I would also like to broaden my horizons in the direction of film. I am most interested in topics such as subcultures, feminism and the environment. What intrigues me especially is how we can articulate ourselves through moving images and make other realities of life tangible and visible. I am inspired by the ideas inherent in films and how they are adapted in short films especially through the camera work, choice of scene, sound design, etc. For this reason, I am particularly pleased to be part of this year’s FILMFEST DRESDEN and have an opportunity to watch a wide array of shorts.
JURY FOR THE GOLDEN HORSEMAN SOUND DESIGN
CAROLINE KOX
Caroline Kox grew up in Luxembourg and Saarland, and studied at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM). Since 2013, she has worked as a filmmaker, producer and composer. In 2014, she founded the company PARADIES together with Antonio De Luca, which produces images and sounds. Together they compose the film scores for various cinema and TV feature films, including the TATORT Kiel police TV series. In 2016, she won the German Short Film Award as producer on the film EIN AUS WEG by Hannah Stragholz and Simon Steinhorst. In 2021-22, together with “Schuldenberg Films Berlin”, she produced Ilaria di Carlo’s experimental film SIRENS. Since 2023, Kox has also worked as Managing Director of the KFFK Short Film Festival Cologne. Moreover, since the start of 2025 she has been shooting her first feature film DIE LIEBHABERINNEN based on a novel by Elfriede Jelinek. In 2024, Kox was nominated for the German Film Award as a composer together with the team of VERGISS MEYN NICHT. For the film IMMACULATA by Kim Lea Sakkal, which she also composed the score, she has been invited to the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
CHRISTOPH ETZLSDORFER
Christoph Etzlsdorfer is the curator and co-founder of the Austrian and international music video programme at the Vienna Shorts Film Festival. During the day he is employed as a programmer and archivist, while at night he works as a DJ and party organiser. He also curates music video programmes for the Austrian Film Museum in Vienna and the ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival. The countless hours he spent watching MTV already shaped his broad interest in visual and musical storytelling from a very early age.
THOMAS STILLE
Thomas Stille is a sound visionary whose work evolves at the intersection of art, music and technology. Since 2019, he has moulded the Schmalfilmtage film festival in Dresden as its Technical Director for Sound and Light. His artistic journey began in the 1990s in Berlin, Amsterdam and London, where he created experimental soundscapes as a DJ and sound artist. As a founding member of the electronic band K.Pelle and as a composer of film music – including for the Interfilm Festival Berlin – he has shaped acoustic narratives.
At the same time, Stille moves between the fields of art and engineering artistry: He was a sound designer for Daimler AG, developed studio monitors with M. Zoller Acoustic and constructed recording studios for innovative music productions. As an IT consultant at the Jamaican Embassy in Berlin, he combined technological know-how with intercultural communications. His training as a graduate engineer for urban and regional planning at the TU University Berlin flows subtly into his acoustic compositions – always with a feeling for space, structure and atmosphere. Stille’s artistic oeuvre is a tribute to the synergy of sound, space and technological precision.
JURY FOR THE FILM AWARD LUCA
MONA GAMIE
Mona Gamie, alias Tobias Urech, is a Zürich drag queen with charm, roguery and nostalgia. She has enchanted audiences in Switzerland and occasionally in Germany for more than 11 years on small and medium stages. In Zürich, she is an integral member of the queer community, consistently standing up for their rights. Since 2016, she has been a member of the ensemble at the Salon Morpheus variety theatre, where she acts as compere on evening shows and performs as a diseuse. With pianist Simon de Sonoré at her side, she also delights the audiences with pop songs and passionate chansons translated into Swiss German. Since 2023, Mona has written a regular column for the Mannschaft magazine. Last year, Mona was a member of the jury for the Pink Apple Film Festival’s short film award.
Beyond her stage work, Mona spent ten years building up “Milchjugend. Falschsexuelle Welten”, the largest queer youth organisation in Switzerland, and was a member of its board. She studied history and gender research in Zürich and Basel and worked part-time for a member of parliament. She is currently writing her doctoral thesis at the Department of History at Basel University.
ELISA FINK
Elisa Fink (she / they) is an author, curator and filmmaker. With a sharp eye for social inequality and a consistently feminist perspective, her work focuses on sociopolitical issues at the intersection of film, art and activism. She creates spaces for dialogue, exchanges and emancipatory participation.
Elisa writes about gender and right-wing populism, as well as being the author of the scholarly monograph Gemeinsam gegen Rechts. As founder and curator of the queer feminist short film festival Visibilities, she provides critical support for a more equitable and inclusive film scene. She is currently working on the short film projects JUST WORLD and POLITICIZED DESIRE.
BORIS HADŽIJA
Boris Hadžija is a filmmaker and musician from the former Yugoslavia, currently based in Berlin. After earning a degree in classical piano from the University of Arts in Belgrade, he pursued directing studies at the DFFB. He worked as a writer, director, producer and editor on the "Mother Trilogy" - Mother Prays All Day Long (2022), AS IF MOTHER CRIED THAT NIGHT (2023), MOTHER IS A NATURAL SINNER (2024) - a series of short films that premiered for three consecutive years at the Locarno Film Festival. These films were created in collaboration with Hoda Taheri, with whom he currently works as a directing duo. In addition, he wrote and directed YUGOTRANSPORT (2023), premiering at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, as well as two short films commissioned by arte - BACK TO THE WEST (2020) and A SIMPLE EVENT (2021). He was nominated for the German Short Film Award and is a recipient of the DAAD Artist Scholarship. Currently he is working on feature film I PLANT MY HAND IN THE GARDEN (co-directing with Hoda Taheri).
JURY FOR THE FILM AWARD “FULLY POLITICAL”
CONSTANZE WOLPERS
Constanze Wolpers, born 1986, is a filmmaker and producer. Together with Jonas Eisenschmidt, she founded the Leipzig-based production company radpaar films. After taking cultural anthropology, Constanze studied documentary film directing at the filmArche in Berlin. She is an alumna of the Werkleitz Gesellschaft’s PMMC professional media programme and the Documentary Campus Masterschool. In 2021 she was the recipient of the cast&cut scholarship from nordmedia and the Hanover Cultural Region Foundation, as well as the Bremen Documentary Promotion Award in 2024. Her short documentary EINE EINZELNE TAT was awarded the 2024 German Short Film Award.
OCEAN HALE MEISSNER
Ocean Hale Meißner (no pronoun) lives in the small Saxon town of Döbeln and is active in nine associations and alliances. Focusing on queer and anti-fascist activism, Ocean Hale organises demonstrations and conducts educational, awareness-raising and youth work, in addition to campaigning for a more open-minded and non-discriminatory coexistence in rural regions.
POL MERCHAN
Pol Merchan is an artist, filmmaker and curator of the Xposed Queer Film Festival, as well as a member of the 2025 Berlinale Panorama Selection Committee. He holds a BA Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona and an MA from the Art in Context programme at the University of the Arts Berlin.
His work has been screened at numerous film festivals, including Hot Docs, Dok Leipzig, International Film Festival Rotterdam, VIDEONALE – Festival for Video and Time-Based Arts, Guanajuato International Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival and Anthology Film Archives. His film PIRATE BOYS was nominated for the Lichter Art Award, and THE GARDEN OF THE FAUNS received a Golden Key nomination at the Kassel Dokfest. His work has also been exhibited in art spaces and museums, and he is currently preparing an exhibition at the Centre d’Art La Capella in Barcelona, in addition to a project focusing on the Spanish Civil War.
He has been invited to give lectures, workshops and seminars at institutions including the Folkwang University of the Arts, Concordia University Montreal and the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Moreover, he has curated short film programmes in community spaces such as the LGBT Centar Split and served as a juror for the TRANSlations: Seattle Trans Film Festival.
JURY FOR THE FILM CRITICS AWARD
GABRIELE SUMMEN
Studied journalism in Münster. Gabriele has been a film critic for over 20 years, as well as a book reviewer, photographer, reporter, poetry teacher and radio playwright. In her youth, she made short films herself, but nowadays she likes to ramble around with her camera, take part in group exhibitions or photograph bands. Together with her husband Maurice Summen, she writes the regular pop column “Die Summens” for the Jungle World weekly newspaper and is also a writer with Die Rheinpfalz, nd, Stadtrevue and Missy Magazine publications.
MATTHIAS DELL
Studied theatre and literature in Berlin and Paris. Film editor of Der Freitag weekly newspaper until 2018, now a freelance critic and editor with Deutschlandradio radio. Author of “Autopsy Report” weekly reviews of current Tatort and Polizeiruf TV police series episodes for Zeit.de. Further texts published in Cargo film magazine and Tagesspiegel daily newspaper. Recent book publications: “Peter Hacks auf der Fenne in Groß Machnow (1974-2003)” in the Frankfurt-based Buntbücher series (2023) and “Duisburg Düsterburg – Werner Ružička im Gespräch” (2018, together with Simon Rothöhler).
GÜNTER AGDE
Film historian, co-founder and long-standing member of CineGraph Babelsberg and the Filmblatt editorial team. Co-curator of “The Red Dream Factory” retrospective at the 2012 Berlinale and DOK Leipzig documentary film festival. Long-time curator of the “Rediscovered” film programme series at the Zeughauskino cinema in the German Historical Museum Berlin. Stipendiary at the German Historical Institute Moscow (2020) and the Kulturstiftung Schloss Wiepersdorf foundation (2021). Extensive film journalistic work as author and editor. Recent film history publications as editor: “Peter Voigt: Filmarbeit” (2018), “Wolfgang Kohlhaase: Um die Ecke in die Welt” (2021) and “Kunerts Kino” (2023).