Pre-Jurys of FILMFEST DRESDEN

For some of our special awards, pre-juries nominate films from the competitions with a special thematic focus. These nominated films are then presented in special screenings during the festival and the respective jury determines the winning film. This applies to the three film awards Golden Horseman Film Sound, LUCA Film Award for Gender Diversity and "fully political" - Short Film Award for Democratic Culture.

IVAN OLARTE

He was born in Duitama, Colombia, his childhood was marked by music and cinema, from a very young age he was influenced by surrealist painting, and these influences marked him deeply in his adult education, he studied at the best film and television schools in Bogota Colombia, in 2006 he emigrated to Barcelona Spain in order to specialize in the technical and philosophical development of Cinema and Sound , there he was a member of several musical experimental groups, and began the production of soundtracks for fiction films, "music is a state Emotional, sound is the vehicle of cinema”.

ANDREAS CORDIER

has been learning drums since he was six. To better understand music as a whole, bass, guitar, keys and saxophone followed later, so that he now has an understanding of the approaches, techniques and possibilities with these. For him, the main focus of any music is the mood and how it is created. Music composed by him is often described by listeners as film music-ish. This is how he became interested in composing film music. For him, it is especially important how it fits into the entirety of the film.

EMELY HEDEL

is a producer and songwriter. As a studied project engineer in the field of film/TV, she finds film scoring special, because it allows her to experience the interplay of all her fields of work and experiences. Besides artists from all over Germany, she is in close contact with composers. She is a member of Music Women* Germany, Music S Women* and a participant of the Female Producer Collective Season #2. Emely Hedel lives and works in Berlin/Dresden.

DANIELA FRITZ

studies documentary film directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. In addition to directing her own projects, she developed a love for film sound during her studies and worked on numerous sets in the sound department. She has also acquired skills in sound post-production and is always amazed at the level to which stories can be elevated through sound design in film.

LUCAS WILLE

I am currently studying and, besides beatboxing, have been singing in the Dresden Boys Choir for many years. An enthusiastic festival guest for 15 years, I'm even more excited to watch the full competition program again this year. But this great task also comes with a cruel one: comparing the films at the end. Because there are so many facets to film (sound), and even more to short film. I think film sound is often underestimated, because even the most beautiful images and dialogues don't create atmosphere if the sound isn't right. That's why I put special emphasis on the interaction of image and sound.

FELICITAS WENZEL

comes to sound primarily from film. After an artistic childhood, but without television, she wanted to discover the unknown part and enrolled in events on film in the last two semesters of her studies in art history. Since then, she would not want to miss the medium, which unites all areas of art. Previously, she completed a federal voluntary service at Kultur Aktiv in Dresden, where she was able to gain insight into the planning and realization of a wide variety of cultural events.

LEI MENG

studied cultural studies and ethnology at the University of Bremen. During her studies, she worked on film analysis and also co-directed plays. Since 2022, she has been working as an educational consultant at the Gender Competence Centre Saxony, with a focus on gender and migration. The discourses and values conveyed in film are very important for her work. The Gender Competence Centre Saxony networks and strengthens actors for gender equality work in urban centres and rural areas. It works with regional cooperation partners in projects to bring gender equality perspectives into the most diverse fields of action in society. The events and projects aim to motivate and sensitise people to actively stand up against discrimination on the basis of gender.

LEO LENTZ

(they/them) studied political science and communication at the TU Dresden. Since 2022 they are working for the Queer Network Saxony. This network is the umbrella organization of the Saxon associations that work for the equal participation of lgbtiq* persons and represents the interests of its members towards politics, administration and civil society. Leo is active in projects in Dresden with anti-fascist and queer-feminist consensus, such as the Gärtjen, and is committed to a self-determined life without fear of violence and discrimination. 

THOMAS HÖNEL

Born in 1967, press and public relations officer for the LAG Boys' and Men's Work in Saxony. Saxony e. V., men's coach and spiritual mentor from Dresden. He learned the profession of a type and graphic painter, was involved in the GDR civil and human rights movement, was a mail-art artist and co-editor of Samisdat. He was a squatter and founded socio-cultural projects and associations. In 1997 he founded an agency for corporate design. He is a calligrapher and visualiser. He is committed to progressive masculinity and gender-reflective men's work. He deals constructively and critically with images of men and represents these positions in campaigns and workshops.

MAIKE VON HARTEN

Works at the Staatsschauspiel Dresden on the coordination and curation of the Montagscafé - an open space with a changing cultural programme for people in Dresden with and without migration experience. A low-threshold meeting place and forum for migration policy issues.

LUANA BRÜCKNER

I am active in various fields, but my heart definitely lies in the political education work I am allowed to do. My topics are usually democracy building and intersectional feminism. I am a Black queer mother from Dresden and despite the many privileges I have, I have known since the beginning what it can mean to not belong, to be "too much" or not enough and so I am well aware that just being can be very political. Everything we do and who we are plays a role in the political fabric, because basically, for me, it's all one of the many perspectives on our social interconnections and the hierarchies that arise from them. That's why I'm so happy that this film award exists for the processing of political topics and that I can contribute to appreciating this work.

DIAA A. SOLIMAN

is a writer and filmmaker from Egypt. With his long experience in media, journalism, and film-making, Diaa participated in the Filmfest Dresden in 2019 with his documentary film "Bird," which he wrote and directed. He also initiated South Film Days with Sylke Gottlebe, a film event showcasing works from the Middle East and North Africa in Dresden in 2016. 

FANNY VILDEBRAND

*1972 in Halle/S., Communication/Media and Theater Studies in Leipzig, afterwards freelancing in Cultural PR and Editing in Dresden, excessive visiting at Filmfest Dresden. Defected since 2016 to Upper Lusatia, joining the teams of Neisse Film Festival and Kulturfabrik Meda/ Mittelherwigsdorf, which also runs a small cinema. Since 2022 Kulturfabrik Meda became one of 13 “Places of Democracy in Saxony”, which were invited to take part in the preliminary jury for the “Fully Political”-Award.

LAURA SCHULZE

has been project coordinator at FILMFEST DRESDEN since the beginning of 2020 and is responsible for the etc – events.trainings.connections section, among others. She is impressed by the potential of cinematic expression to negotiate socio-political issues. Her enthusiasm for festival work and film already arose during her studies, so she worked for the festivals State of the Art (Hildesheim) and ARENA...der jungen Künste (Erlangen) as well as in the selection committee of the bundes.festival.film2019.