Mihai Fulger

Bio

Mihai Fulger has been a film critic since 2002. He has been a member of FIPRESCI since 2008 and of the European Film Academy since 2018. He is currently a researcher at the Institute of Art History of the Romanian Academy. He served as a FIPRESCI Jury member at several major international film festivals, for example Berlin Karlovy Vary, and Stockholm. He has been an editor of the quarterly magazine “Film” since its first issue in 2013 and has been coordinating its online content since 2024. He collaborates with several Romanian and international print and online publications. He was awarded by the Film Critics’ Association the “George Littera” Prize for the Best film book of the year in 2007 and the “Ion Cantacuzino” Prize for his writings on film in 2020.

Bogdan Mureșanu

Bio

Bogdan spent almost a decade in advertising, during which time he launched one of the most successful campaigns of the 2000s, "Afacereza" for The Money Channel. At the same time, he published the short story collection “Erata” (2006), one of the stories being the basis of the animated film The Magician, which had its world premiere at Annecy 2025 and can also be seen at TIFF. The first screenplay, The Living Torch, won the Best Short Film Screenplay award at the HBO competition at TIFF 2008. The short film The Christmas Gift (2018) won the Best Short Film Award at the European Film Academy Awards and was shortlisted for the 2020 Academy Awards. His feature debut The New Year That Never Came took the top prize of the Horizons competition at Venice 2024 and is now competing in the Romanian Days at TIFF 2025.

Bogdan Mureșanu

Bio

Bogdan spent almost a decade in advertising, during which time he launched one of the most successful campaigns of the 2000s, "Afacereza" for The Money Channel. At the same time, he published the short story collection “Erata” (2006), one of the stories being the basis of the animated film The Magician, which had its world premiere at Annecy 2025 and can also be seen at TIFF. The first screenplay, The Living Torch, won the Best Short Film Screenplay award at the HBO competition at TIFF 2008. The short film The Christmas Gift (2018) won the Best Short Film Award at the European Film Academy Awards and was shortlisted for the 2020 Academy Awards. His feature debut The New Year That Never Came took the top prize of the Horizons competition at Venice 2024 and is now competing in the Romanian Days at TIFF 2025.

Agustina Chiarino

Bio

Agustina is a renowned Uruguayan producer with more than 15 Latin-American feature films that have premiered in some of the most prestigious film festivals worldwide, receiving more than 100 awards. Since 2007, she has been an executive producer at Control Z Films, where she produced feature films directed by Adrián Biniez, Pablo Stoll, Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge. In 2011, she set up Mutante Cine with Fernando Epstein, producing The Waves from Adrián Biniez, History of Fear from Benjamin Nahistat, and Monos from Alejandro Landes, among many others. She is a tutor at the Biennale College. She is part of the selection committee at San Sebastián’s Co-Production Forum and has been project advisor for Sundance Film Institute, Doha Film Institute, Torino Film Lab, and Ventana Sur.

Agustina Chiarino

Bio

Agustina is a renowned Uruguayan producer with more than 15 Latin-American feature films that have premiered in some of the most prestigious film festivals worldwide, receiving more than 100 awards. Since 2007, she has been an executive producer at Control Z Films, where she produced feature films directed by Adrián Biniez, Pablo Stoll, Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge. In 2011, she set up Mutante Cine with Fernando Epstein, producing The Waves from Adrián Biniez, History of Fear from Benjamin Nahistat, and Monos from Alejandro Landes, among many others. She is a tutor at the Biennale College. She is part of the selection committee at San Sebastián’s Co-Production Forum and has been project advisor for Sundance Film Institute, Doha Film Institute, Torino Film Lab, and Ventana Sur.

Fabrice du Welz

Bio

After starting Theatre Studies at the Liège Conservatoire, Fabrice Du Welz (1972) studied in the Production section of the INSAS in Brussels. Afterwards, he worked as a television presenter and actor in France and Belgium. He directed a number of short films, including Quand on est amoureux, c’est merveilleux, which won awards at several French and Belgian festivals in 1999. His first feature, Calvaire (2004), was selected for Cannes. Du Welz’s sixth feature, the France-Belgium co-production Adoration, premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival 2019 and screened in the Limelight section of IFFR 2019. His newest feature, Maldoror (2024), premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.

Fabrice du Welz

Bio

After starting Theatre Studies at the Liège Conservatoire, Fabrice Du Welz (1972) studied in the Production section of the INSAS in Brussels. Afterwards, he worked as a television presenter and actor in France and Belgium. He directed a number of short films, including Quand on est amoureux, c’est merveilleux, which won awards at several French and Belgian festivals in 1999. His first feature, Calvaire (2004), was selected for Cannes. Du Welz’s sixth feature, the France-Belgium co-production Adoration, premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival 2019 and screened in the Limelight section of IFFR 2019. His newest feature, Maldoror (2024), premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.

Ciro Guerra

Bio

Hailing from Colombia, Ciro enjoyed attention from his first features The Wandering Shadows (2004) and The Wind Journeys (2009), were selected at festivals such as Cannes, Toronto and San Sebastian, receiving more than 40 international awards. His third feature, Embrace of the Serpent (2015), which can be seen at TIFF 2025, won the top prize at the Director´s Fortnight in Cannes 2015 and became the first Colombian production to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film. In 2018, his Birds of Passage opened the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, while his latest film, Waiting for the Barbarians (2019), starring Academy Award Winner Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson, was nominated for the Golden Lion of the Venice Film Festival.

Ciro Guerra

Bio

Hailing from Colombia, Ciro enjoyed attention from his first features The Wandering Shadows (2004) and The Wind Journeys (2009), were selected at festivals such as Cannes, Toronto and San Sebastian, receiving more than 40 international awards. His third feature, Embrace of the Serpent (2015), which can be seen at TIFF 2025, won the top prize at the Director´s Fortnight in Cannes 2015 and became the first Colombian production to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film. In 2018, his Birds of Passage opened the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, while his latest film, Waiting for the Barbarians (2019), starring Academy Award Winner Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson, was nominated for the Golden Lion of the Venice Film Festival.

Paula Vaccaro

Bio

Paula is an award-winning producer and screenwriter with a career spanning over two decades. Born in Buenos Aires and based in London, she is the founder of Pinball London, a production company which worked with acclaimed directors such as Sally Potter, Luca Guadagnino, Jim Jarmusch, Guillermo Arriaga and Emir Kusturica. Her films have won over 100 international awards, including three Venice Lions, and have premiered at the world's biggest film festivals. A strong advocate for diversity and mentorship, she has led pioneering industry initiatives, including the first EPC-Netflix training program for women producers. Her latest production, Giovanni Tortorici's first feature Nineteen, premiered at Venice 2024, winning the Youth Jury Dragon Award at this year’s Göteborg film festival.