Robert Hinterleitner is an Austrian artist, curator and media pedagogue who has been promoting media education for young people in particular since 2013: through his work at the Crossing Europe Film Festival Linz, where he headed the youth section YAAAS! from 2018 to 2024, which offers film education and DIY video production. He is also active in initiatives such as the Youth Cinema Network and the Academy of Austrian Film's working group on media and film education. His artistic projects are mostly transmedial and conceptual, with a preference for installations and short films. He is currently working on his first feature film, which is about August Walla, an Austrian outsider artist and his delusions, which he expresses in a fantastic world of images.

The films of François-Xavier Destors question how to inhabit a world that is becoming more and more hostile. He started to work in Rwanda where he published his first book and directed his first film (Football Rwanda, Fields of Memories). He wrote and directed numerous historical documentary films for TV (Voices of Srebrenica, Paris, Capital History, 1968 – The Decade, Thiaroye 44, Mandela a symbol against apartheid, Invisibles...), as well as feature-length documentaries for cinema - Melting Souls, immersed in the forbidden city of Norilsk, one of the most polluted in the world; Didy, with Gaël Kamilindi in Rwanda andToxicily, lifting the veil on an ecocide at the gates of Europe in the petrochemical area of Augusta, Sicily.

For almost 20 years of work, Gudkova has made dozens of feature films and series that have been shown in Cannes, Berlin and other world film festivals and markets. In parallel with her producers’ career, Anna established an international educational program for emerging filmmakers in CIS-countries with significant partners (TFL, BFI, Pop Up Residency etc). In 2022 Gudkova spoke against war and left Russia, and became a Head of the educational department of the Alternativa Film Project. In 2023 she organized the first Impact lab in Central Asia (in cooperation with Think Film Impact company and Movies that matter film festival). Participants of her training programs in 2024 have already been selected for a number of programs at the Berlin Film Festival (Tool box, CoProduction market and Berlinale talents).

Content Creator at Ohga. Mattia is a documentary filmmaker with a background as a university researcher. He tells stories about climate, biodiversity and green development. For Ohga he creates content on news, insights and reflections regarding sustainability, with his signature fun and optimistic tone.

Hello, I'm Magali, originally from Strasbourg, I'm at home in Berlin and currently working in Brussels. I'm half German - half French. When I meet new people, that's exactly how I introduce myself: half German - half French.

I have been active in European politics for more than 7 years: in youth associations on local level, in my main job but also through AVIA_Generation. I have the privilege of having two grandmothers with whom I have exchanged and discussed a lot. Behind AVIA are all my questions, interests and attempts to find meaning in the coexistence of a society.

Tom is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of The All American High School Film Festival, the largest student film festival in the world. Tom has worked with young creatives for 25+ years, discovering, developing and connecting a vast network of talented young content creators and building a community of shared passions and lifelong relationships.

An ex-corporate communicator and CSR manager who now uses creativity to promote social change. Sarah has lived in Italy since 1988. After 22 years with Citigroup, Sarah left the bank in 2008 and dedicated herself to developing filmmaking skills as a powerful tool for sharing ideas and motivating people to change. She believes our current societal paradigm is carrying mankind toward grave harm and she seeks to contribute to the emergence of a new narrative, respectful of life and all that sustains us, based on the conviction that together we can imagine, design and co-create a better future.

Steen Johannessen, a Danish senior filmeditor and co-director of Oscar nominated Sundance Grand Jury price winner Last Men in Aleppo. Steen has edited numerous Danish and international award-winning documentaries among other IDFA award winner Who We Were, DOC NYC grand jury award winner Motley's Law, Chinese DOC NYC special mention The Road, the Emmy award winning film Miners Shot Down, Sundance award winner Putins Kiss and Hotdocs award winner Warriors From The North.

He is a member of the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

He is a member of the board of the Fondazione Italia Patria della Bellezza, which supports the communication activities carried out by associations and cultural entities committed to the regeneration and enhancement of Italy's artistic heritage.

Zeb is an award-winning filmmaker who has worked on a range of fiction, documentary and experimental projects. He was recently awarded the Best Micro Short award at the BFI Future Film Festival for his film 36,000 Words for Love. He was recently the Festival Director for the 15th edition of Watersprite Film Festival, the world's largest student film festival.

Besides his film work, he is also pursuing a PhD in Computational Linguistics, using large language models to study how children acquire language.

Flora O’Neill has volunteered for the last two years as Head of Events for the Watersprite Film Festival, the world’s largest student film festival. Over her time at Watersprite she has led the exciting programme of public events for Watersprite 2023 and 2024, as well as delivering the first ever edition of Watersprite Hubs - an access scheme for filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds. From June 2024, Flora will be joining the Watersprite team full-time as Festival Producer.

A BFI / ICO Emerging Producer (2023), Amber is the current Development Director of Watersprite Film Festival. Having worked as its Producer for 2 years, she oversaw a 10x increase in audience numbers and a doubling of funding from industry partners like Bray Film Studios and Amazon MGM Studios. Amber is also the Development Editor for the first female Chair of BAFTA, Hilary Bevan Jones. She is currently working alongside Hilary on a broad TV and film slate (including upcoming projects for the BBC).

Among her collaborations as script consultant and / or co-writer: DISCO BOY by Giacomo Abbruzzese Berlin Film Festival 2023 Silver Bear– LEGUA by Filipa Reis & Joao Muller Guerra

Directors Fortnight Cannes 2023- VIA CASTELLANA BANDIERA (Palermo) by Emma Dante (Coppa Volpi Venice Film Festival), IL 5 APRILE MI UCCIDO, by Sergio Canneto, (Short Competition Rotterdam FF) TOMBE’ DU CIEL by Wissam Charaf (ACID Cannes Festival), MEN DON’T CRY (Special Jury Prize, Europa Cinema Label in Karlovy Vary) RADIOGRAM by Rouzie Hassanova.

Previously she worked out as Sales Manager for Gemini Films and Project Manager for the European co-production Funds, Eurimages. She’s appointed as Head selection for the Project Market of the Red Sea Film Festival, and she works as consultant for the Residencies as Moulin d’Andé, Maison du Film, Civica Scuola di Cinema Luchino Visconti.

Licia wrote and directed three shorts INTIMISTO, LA PETITE FILLE, FRATERNITAS selected in Cannes, Venice and other Festivals, winning several awards

Member of the BoD of Fondazione Empatia Milano, pedagogue and lecturer and collaborator at the University of Milan Bicocca for the Department of Human Sciences for Education "Riccardo Massa." For 20 years she was involved in mental health projects and services at Cooperativa Lotta contro l'Emarginazione. Currently for several institutions she participates in the construction of individualised paths of social inclusion for people with fragility and in community development projects.

I am an anti-speciesist, a student of psychology (master's degree). I work in services related to marginality with the homeless and prisoners.

Daniele Aloisi works as a multimedia communication officer for the Red Cross of Milan and he is a consultant of the International Federation of Red Cross for communication activities and global campaigns on disaster risk reduction.

Since 2008, as a photographer and videomaker, he has been employed during major relief activities in response to natural disasters and other kinds of emergencies in Italy. He also coordinated a project for the promotion and communication of the humanitarian programmes of the Italian Red Cross in seven countries.

After a degree in Cinema and Media Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Turin, he attended a specific educational path at the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studie on communication and advocacy for humanitarian action, with a focus on the ethics of visual communication for NGOs and relief organisations.

For the Red Cross of Milan every day he is involved in the production of many kinds of content for different media, with the aim to promote positively the image of the Red Cross, to publicize projects and activities to potential beneficiaries and donors, and to spread positive messages among the community.