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
DIANA CAM VAN NGUYEN
is a Czech-Vietnamese director based in Prague, Czech Republic, who graduated from FAMU. Her short films have been selected at festivals like Locarno, Toronto, Rotterdam or IDFA. Apart (2018) was a finalist in BAFTA Student Film Award 2019. Her latest short Love, Dad (2021) was nominated for Best Short Film at the European Film Awards 2022, won the BFI Short Film Award, Clermont-Ferrand Connexion Award and it has been awarded at Academy Qualifying festivals. In her works she focuses on personal topics through the means of animated documentary. She is currently developing a live-action / animation feature.
FAIYAZ JAFRI
Born in the Netherlands and of Pakistani descent, Faiyaz Jafri is a new-media artist, composer, and filmmaker. His work is a hyperbolized reflection of the tropes of popular media. It takes the cliches of society, and pushes their aesthetics into the hyper-unreal, utilizing intertextuality to explore modern archetypes. The work engages in a dialogue with the familiar and does not shy away from confrontation. Faiyaz is an associate curator at the Supernova Digital Animation Festival in Denver, and teaches digital materiality and animation at Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, and Queens College in New York.
NIELS PUTMAN
Niels Putman (° 1992) is based in Antwerp, Belgium and is the chief editor of the online short film magazines Kortfilm.be and Talking Shorts, the latter which he co-founded. He also works as a film distributor at Avila, which offers a curated collection of contemporary and classic Belgian films, both online and in cinemas. As a freelance programmer and curator he is affiliatd with Fantoche International Animation Film Festival in Switzerland, Leuven International Short Film Festival, Film Fest Gent, queer film festival PinX and has contributed as a guest curator to festivals in Quebec City, Dresden and Poznan. Niels holds a master’s degree in both Film Studies & Visual Culture (University of Antwerp) and Audiovisual Arts (RITCS, Brussels). His work as a journalist and critic and has been published in multiple Belgian outlets. He has served on (press) juries at international film events in the likes of Tampere, Cannes and Festival Regard. Niels is a member of the Belgian Film Press Union and FIPRESCI.
JURY NATIONAL COMPETITION
ALINA CYRANEK
completed a double master's degree in media arts at Bauhaus University Weimar and Tongji University Shanghai and now works as a writer, director and producer in Leipzig. Her works are presented at international film festivals as well as art exhibitions and have won several awards. She uses different media, formats and design elements for her cinematic works. Her latest film HOTEL ASTORIA celebrated its premieres at IDFA in Amsterdam and DOK Leipzig, among others, and was accompanied by ASTORIA VR. Alina is a member of the Film Association of Saxony, where she also serves on the board. Since then, she has been a jury member at the German Film and Media Evaluation Board (FBW) in Wiesbaden and part of the expert panel at the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony.
MATEJA MEDED
works as an author, actress, performer and director. During her studies at the Babelsberg Film University, she already performed at the Maxim Gorki Theatre in Berlin. She has also worked internationally in theatres including Beijing, Shanghai, Tel Aviv, Reims, Lyon, Mexico City, Taipei, Warsaw, Belgrade, Sarajevo, etc.
Her last two plays (Suhrkamp) were created together with Thomas Köck "the world flames like a disco ball"(2022) and "Keeping up with the Penthesileas" (2023).
She regularly does performances, in groups or solo, such as "Fotzenschleimpower gegen Raubtierkapitalismus" at the Kunsthalle Baden Baden in 2022. In 2021 she did digital theatre with her "Shitfluencers" during Corona at the Neumarkt Theatre in Zurich. This resulted in short theatre films such as "7 Tricks to Kick Your Worst Traumapflege by kleine fesche Lola", or also "Monolithic work with Frank".
In the same year, her video installation was also shown at the Venice Architecture Biennale in a group exhibition.
She is currently working on and finishing her film trilogy, which revolves around the themes of Azzlack/Berlin/art. She regularly writes journalistic texts (for Zeit, Spiegel, Welt, etc.) and film reviews and gives lectures on flight, art, politics and migration (Berlinale/Universities/etc.).
ROBERT SEIDEL
works to push the boundaries of abstracted beauty through visual, technological and scientific approaches. In the organic interplay of various structural, spatial and temporal concepts, he creates a constantly transforming complexity that speaks to viewers on an evolutionary and phylogenetically anchored symbolic level. His projections, installations and experimental films have been shown at numerous international festivals, art spaces and museums such as the Palais des Beaux-Arts Lille, the ZKM Karlsruhe, West Kowloon Art Park, Young Projects Los Angeles and the MOCA Taipei and have been awarded the Honorary Prize of the KunstFilmBiennale and the Visual Music Award Frankfurt, among others. Robert Seidel lives and works in Berlin/Jena as an artist and curator.
YOUTH JURY INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
ELISABETH GLAUCHE, 17
Short films are moving and touching. They get to the point, as well as being controversial and unique. Short films connect people and are there for everyone. It is the chance to reflect upon them especially and the discussions that often follow this that accounts for my personal fascination with short film. For me, short films are an important element in the social discourse, giving me the opportunity for a change in perspective, and they are like small cineaste breaks in my daily routine. After several years being a curator for the kids and youth programme, I am delighted that this year, as a member of the youth jury, I will get to know FILMFEST DRESDEN from a completely different perspective.
AMELIE ZIMMERMANN, 20
As a medium, I am excited not only by the final filmic result, which touches me and sweeps me away to other worlds as it triggers off the most diverse feelings in me. Likewise, I think that all of the other work undertaken before, during and after the shooting is highly interesting and exciting. That such a project brings together so many people, as well as differing thoughts, views and opinions is unbelievably amazing. I am delighted that, as part of this year’s Youth Jury, I will be able to join in the lively exchanges with likeminded, and I am excited about the many unique, inspiring and moving films and discussions expected.
SAMUEL GOTTLEBE, 21
Slip into the seat, let the lights go out, and it all begins. Cinema and film permit the arts to merge; from the dramaturgy to the camera work through to the film score and the acting, of course, I become enveloped by the composition in its entirety and am drawn into unexpected reflections on existence and life.
I appreciate films that leave me feeling a little bit different. In a way similar to poems, the tight framing of short films permits a reduction to the basics, with each shot full of meaning and small details becoming the main protagonists. I am very grateful for the nomination and I am looking forward to the festival week, as well as to the lively exchanges about the films.
YOUTH JURY NATIONAL COMPETITION
ELSA FELICE PETER, 19
I am very interested in art and the variety it offers people for self-expression. For me, films are one of the most important forms of art because they express feelings, emotions, tension and passions through the recording of images. The art of short film to familiarise people with a story in the briefest of time is something that fascinates me over and again. And I think it is incredibly enriching and interesting to enter into a dialogue about films and hear various opinions and perspectives. For which reason, I am looking forward to being part of the jury at FILMFEST DRESDEN and getting the opportunity to have exchanges with other people.
MORITZ WILLNER, 19
As I am undertaking a voluntary social year at the Media Culture Centre Dresden, I am dealing with the media on a daily basis, although the film medium is and remains my favourite one. For film triggers off a special fascination in me. A fascination that I do not want to force into the bondage of my words. A fascination that I retrace with each and every new film, or to put it differently, one that I take with me on a journey. A journey on which each film encounters me as a new individual, whose soul is worth exploring. And it exactly because of these encounters on and next to the big screens that I am looking forward to working as a Youth Jury member of FILMFEST DRESDEN.
MAJA SKY, 17
I can never have enough of films. At the age of fifteen, I got my first camera. Since then I have experimented with film from the most diverse perspectives. I am interested in how scenes are broken down and the cinematic space is enacted. And for travelling with others through the filmic cosmos, the Youth Jury is the perfect means of transport. I am looking forward to the get-togethers and the exchanges with film enthusiasts. One highlight for me will be the awards ceremony on the big stage in front of an enthusiastic audience.
JURY FOR THE GOLDEN HORSEMAN SOUND DESIGN
CHIARA STRICKLAND
is a composer for film, television and theatre. Her family background seems to have predisposed her to a career in film. She is the granddaughter of cinematographer Thomas Del Ruth (STAND BY ME, THE WEST WING) and great-granddaughter of film and Broadway actress Winnie Lightner. Her interest in film music was sparked during her studies in musicology at the University of Heidelberg. She followed her master's degree with studies in film music & sound design at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. Since then, she has composed and produced the music for numerous film, television and theatre productions; GLAMSEY by Johannes Preuss, for example, won the "Student Oscar" in 2017; in 2021, together with Marc Fragstein and Luis Schöffend, she was awarded the Golden Rider Film Sound at the Filmfest Dresden. She currently works as a freelance composer in Berlin and Heidelberg.
DENNIS TODOROVIC
Writer and director, professor of script development at Babelsberg Konrad Wolf Film University, former producer and sometimes editor.
Studied directing at ARTTS Int. UK, BA directing at ifs Cologne, EKRAN Masterclass directing at Andrzej Wajda Master School Warsaw, writer's programme at the international film school Cologne, acting guide at Binger Filmlab Amsterdam, screenplay masterclasses at eQuinoxe Europe e.V.
Literature scholarship from the Kunststiftung Baden Württemberg, Wim Wenders scholarship, scholarship from the Mediengründerzentrum NRW.
His feature films, short films and music videos have screened from numerous film festivals worldwide, including Locarno, Oberhausen, Clermont-Ferrand, Dresden and San Francisco: Amor Fati (short film, Audience Award Dresden 2005), Sascha (feature film, 2010), Sister White (feature film, 2016), Lucid (novel with Ch. Mathieu 2017), Tutorial (music video 2018, Filmfest Dresden 2019), Homeshopper's Paradise (by Nancy McGranakyQuaye / co-writer, 2021), Five Songs For The Patriarchy (in development, 2023).
JOHANNES GERSTENGARBE
who was born in Halle, lives in Dresden and has a weakness for his much-missed second home of Nashville, works as a producer and creator of music. This has resulted in cooperative work with various artists, ranging from soundtracks for Jens Rosemann to recordings with CJ Ramone through to videos with Deichkind and Bela B. Thanks to their extensive network, the Ballroom Studios have developed into a location that facilitates encounters between the most diverse creative heads. He mainly works there, in addition to touring with his own band and his own songs.
JURY FOR THE FILM AWARD LUCA
ULLA HEINRICH
(no pronouns) is a cultural mediator, curator and cultural manager as well as managing director of Missy Magazine. From 2015-2018, Ulla worked at HELLERAU - European Centre for the Arts as head of digital communication, assistant to the artistic director and head of special projects. As a music curator and booker, Ulla organises concerts and festivals and serves on juries for the Musikfonds and Initiative Musik, among others. Ulla is also the initiator, curator and producer of the collective DGTL FMNSM, whose festival has been taking place in Dresden and Berlin since 2016 and deals with the emancipatory potential of technology from a queer-feminist and intersectional perspective, and booker of the Balance Club / Culture Festival in Leipzig.
ŞEYDA KURT
writes and speaks about philosophy, culture and cultural politics, domestic and foreign policy and left-wing feminism. She has worked for various film festivals and as a freelance film critic. She was a columnist for the theatre feuilleton nachtkritik.de and contributed as an editor to the Spotify Original Podcast 190220 - A Year to Hanau, which won the Grimme Online Award. In April 2021, her non-fiction bestseller "Radical Tenderness - Why Love is Political" was published, in which she explores norms of love in the force field of patriarchy, colonialism and capitalism. In March 2023, her experimental essay "HASS - Von der Macht eines widerständigen Gefühls" was published. Şeyda Kurt studied philosophy, Romance studies and cultural journalism in Cologne, Bordeaux and Berlin.
PAULO MENEZES
is a queer Brazilian filmmaker, producer and programmer based in Germany and dedicated to LGBTQ+ issues. He studied Film and TV production in London and after graduating he worked on various documentaries for BBC and Al Jazeera in the UK. He moved to Berlin in 2016 where he did his Masters in Media and Visual Anthropology at Freie University. His film Lolo about gay kids navigating a heteronormative world screened in more than 200 festivals around the world. His next short Pommes Paradies premiered at Filmfest Dresden and was selected by AG Kurzfilm as part of their Cannes catalogue in 2021. His last short "Nicht die brasilianischen Homosexuellen sind pervers, sondern die Situation, in der sie leben" screened in many festivals including Filmfest Dresden where it took home the Film Critics Award as well as the LUCA award in 2022. Currently Paulo lives in Berlin where he is finishing his diploma in directing at DFFB ( Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin ).
JURY FOR THE FILM AWARD “FULLY POLITICAL”
PAVEL MOZHAR
Born in 1987 in Minsk. He grew up in and around Berlin since the age of ten. From 2009 to 2012, he studied Philosophy & Economics at the University of Bayreuth. After graduating, various internships and jobs in the film industry followed. Since 2015 he is studying directing at the Babelsberg Film University with a focus on documentary film. His latest work is the short documentary film HANDBOOK about the protests in Belarus in August 2020. In 2022, the film won both the Golden Horseman for the Best Short Film in the National Competition and the „fully political" film award.
ANNA GABERSCIK
(USA/AT) is an anti-racism trainer and activist, performer, writer and director. Her writing, as well as her other work, focuses on anti-racism and questioning patriarchal, heteronormative and white narratives and discourses. Anna is the founder of Through Our Eyes, an interdisciplinary project that explores anti-racism, intersectionality and empowerment in various creative forms. The project develops and curates performances, films and awareness trainings with an anti-racist focus - the project "Through Our Eyes" addresses difficult issues through a critical yet creative lens. Her new film with Triangle Studio, EDELWEISS. is a performative documentary about the often harrowing reality of People of Colour in Austria.
ABHISHEK NILAMBER
(1987, India) works with projects and products which catalyses democratisation of knowledge. He is a researcher and curator at SAVVY Contemporary, Berlin and creative consultant at Backyard Civilization, Kochi, India. He has been living and working in Berlin since May 2016. He considers himself first and foremost a cultural worker and is involved in several multidisciplinary projects bringing communities together both in the physical and digital spaces. As a multidisciplinary artist, he combines the medium of films, installations and texts.
JURY FOR THE FILM CRITICS AWARD
TIM ABELE
from Ravensburg is studying film heritage in Potsdam, after studying media studies and archaeology in Marburg and Istanbul. He regularly publishes film reviews, among others on critic.de, and has so far mainly been active in film exhibition, museum and archive work and for film festivals. His focus is on film and media history, memory culture, film-related materials and curatorial work.
BILAL ZOUHEIR
was born and raised in Rabat, Morocco. He learned English from watching films and considers cinema to be his third parent. He founded agoodmovietowatch.com in 2013, an online film curation service now trusted by 700,000 readers every month. Bilal's work with agoodmovietowatch is focused on offering an alternative to streaming algorithms, which are often used as commercial tools by streaming services. The website aims to be a place where viewers can get genuine handpicked recommendations for what to watch. Last year, it launched Projektor, a film publication dedicated exclusively to non-English-language film. Projektor aims to interview every promising filmmaker not working in English in the next two years. As a curator, Bilal's main focus is immigrant stories in film, having also started uprootedmovies.com, the internet's first immigrant film publication. Bilal Zouheir now lives in Berlin, with his wife and daughter
ANNE KÜPER
first studied theatre studies and philosophy at the Ruhr University in Bochum, then scenic arts and staging of the arts and media at the Foundation University of Hildesheim. As a film critic, she writes for critic.de, Filmdienst and Schweizer Filmbulletin, among others. She was a member of the feature film jury for the German Film Critics Award (2020) and the jury for the Peace Film Award Osnabrück (2022). Since 2022 she has been part of the research training group "The Documentary. Excess and Deprivation" at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, where she is doing her doctorate on the conceptual history of intimacy.