Juries
Features Jury
Sean Baker
Sean Baker is an Oscar-winning and award-winning writer, director, producer and editor who has made eight independent feature films over the course of the past two decades. His most recent film Anora won five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editor (Baker), Best Original Screenplay (Baker), and Best Leading Actor (Mikey Madison), breaking the record for the most awarded person at the Oscars in one night. Anora premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where it won the prestigious Palme D’Or prize and was distributed by Neon in the US and by Focus Universal internationally.
The film also garnered numerous nominations and awards including the DGA Award for Best Director, PGA Award for Best Film, and the New York Film Critics Circle Prize for Best Screenplay.
His previous film Red Rocket (2021) premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and was distributed by A24 in the U.S. and by Focus Features internationally. His previous film The Florida Project (2017) premiered in the Director’s Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival to widespread critical acclaim.
Among the many accolades the film received — including an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Willem Dafoe — Sean was named Best Director by the New York Film Critics Circle.
Sean’s previous film Tangerine (2015) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won an Independent Spirit and two Gotham Awards. Starlet (2012) was the winner of the Robert Altman Independent Spirit Award and Sean’s previous two features – Take Out (2004) and Prince of Broadway (2008) – were both nominated for the John Cassavetes Independent Spirit Award.
Sean’s first feature FOUR LETTER WORDS premiered at SXSW in 2001.
Olga Kurlyenko
Olga Kurylenko is an international acclaimed actress known for her versatility and her collaborations with some of the most renowned directors in contemporary cinema.
She first gained worldwide recognition as Camille opposite Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace (2008), establishing her as a powerful and compelling screen presence. Olga recently reprised her role as “Taskmaster” in Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts, and stars in Other by French director David Moreau.
Riz Ahmed
Riz Ahmed is an Academy Award (THE LONG GOODBYE) and Emmy Award (THE NIGHT OF) winning multi-hyphenate, excelling in his unique blend of critically acclaimed acting, producing, writing and music creation.
He most headlined David Mackenzie’s cat and mouse thriller RELAY, opposite Lily James and Sam Worthington and before that, starred in Wes Anderson’s eagerly anticipated latest picture THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME, alongside Benecio Del Toro, Tom Hanks, and Bryan Cranston. Also on the horizon, Ahmed will once again collaborate with Aneil Karia in a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic, HAMLET, taking on the titular character. Haunted by his father’s ghost and driven to increasingly unstable heights moving from elite London to the city’s underground, he goes to violent lengths to avenge his father’s murder, ultimately questioning his own role in the family’s corruption.
As his game-changing year continues, Ahmed has also written, produced, and starred in a forthcoming comedy series for Amazon Prime Video titled BAIT. The series will depict the struggles of aspiring actor Shah Latif (played by Ahmed), whose life takes a surreal turn as he navigates an existential crisis and a bizarre conspiracy. Likewise, Ahmed has just wrapped production on Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s upcoming feature for Warner Bros, starring opposite Tom Cruise, dated for an October 2026 release.
Ahmed is the founder of the award-winning production company, Left-Handed Films. As a musician, his journey has spanned two decades across battle rap, techno, artistic residencies, a successful American band Swet Shop Boys, and most recently, his critically acclaimed, award-winning 2020 solo album “The Long Goodbye.” In June 2021, Ahmed launched a multi-layered initiative for Muslim representation in media, in partnership with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative
Nadine Labaki
Nadine Labaki has garnered widespread acclaim for her work as a director, with her advertisements and music videos frequently winning awards. In 2004, she wrote and directed Caramel, her debut feature film, which served as a bold ode to female camaraderie and became the most successful Lebanese film export of all time.
In recognition of her achievements, Nadine was awarded the Insignia of Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture in 2008.
Nadine continued to delve into themes of female experience and religious tensions with Where Do We Go Now?, a 2011 film that presents a universal fable on tolerance and won her several awards.
In 2018, Nadine’s film Capernaum was selected for the official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. This powerful and moving film, a poignant commentary on childhood trauma, refugees, and societal neglect, made a significant impact on the Croisette. Capernaum earned her the Jury Prize and nominations for the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, French Césars, and an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, making her the first Arabic-speaking woman to be nominated in this category.
In 2019, Nadine served as the president of the “Un Certain Regard” jury at the Cannes Film Festival. Since then, she has appeared in several films.
In 2024, Nadine was named a member of the prestigious jury for the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.
Shorts Jury
Darin J. Sallam
Darin J. Sallam is an award-winning Jordanian writer and director of Palestinian roots. She holds an MFA and has directed five short films.
Her debut feature, FARHA (2021), premiered at TIFF and made history as the first film from Jordan to win at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, where Sallam became the first Jordanian director ever to win an APSA. FARHA also represented Jordan at the 95th Academy Awards in 2023.
Sallam co-founded Amman-based production company TaleBox. She is a Berlinale Talent, Asia Pacific Screen Academy member and a Film Independent Fellow. Sallam was recognized with King Abdullah II Bin Al-Hussein’s Order of Excellence, she was named one of Variety’s Impactful International Women of 2023, received the IMEU Storyteller Award 2023 and is featured on the “Making their Mark” wall at the Museum of the Palestinian People in Washington. She is currently working on her next feature film, Churching of Women
Nour Alkhadra
Nour is an award-winning Saudi Arabian actress with a background in technology and video game design, bringing a multidisciplinary approach to storytelling.
She has starred in four feature films, including The Matchmaker (Saudi Arabia’s first Netflix Original), the box office hit HWJN, Saify, and Ahlam Al Asor.
Currently developing her debut project as a writer-director, Nour specializes in science fiction and fantasy, crafting stories that fuse emotional truth with imagination and social resonance.
Her work reflects a passion for cinematic worlds that are both speculative and deeply human.
Kim Magnusson
Kim Magnusson is a multiple Academy Award Winning producer, who has produced or EP’ed more than 160 films such as: I KILL GIANST, MEN&CHICKEN, THE GREEN BUTCHERS, ADAM’S APPLES, HEADHUNTER, TERKEL IN TROUBLE, WORLDS APART, R, PUSHER II &P III.
Headhunted to run Nordisk Film’s Film Division as CEO from 2003 – 2009.
He has been Oscar® nominated in the category “Live Action Short Film” seven times, and won the coveted award 2 times, in 1999 for ELECTION NIGHT and in 2014 for HELIUM, furthermore 6 more films, which Kim held a producer title on, has been nominated with three wins, in total 5 winning films at the Oscars®, latest 2025’s winner I’M NOT A ROBOT.
Kim Magnusson founded M&M Productions in 1995 with his father, Tivi Magnusson. Headhunted to run Nordisk Film’s Film Division as CEO and President of Production from 2003-2009. He has been the chairman of the Danish Producers Association for 9 years (most ever), as well as chairman of the Danish Film Academy for 20 yrs. Kim is a voting member of AMPAS® and as well as The Independent Spirits Awards, The Danish and The European Film Academy. After leaving Nordisk Film in 2010 he launched Dansk Film Kompagni to develop and produce high-end, commercial-driven film for the international market. In Los Angeles, USA, he has multiple projects in development incl. LAST WITNESS, optioned by 20th Century Fox / John Davis. Later he signed with Netflix for a 1st look deal, concentrating on Nordic feature films, which generated two films for the streamer – KADAVER and BLACK CRAB, which is still among the top 5 non-English language films for the streamer. He was also part of forming Scandinavian Film Funds, which has raised $16M to fund a New Pan-Nordic distribution company SCANDINAVIAN FILM DISTRIBUTION, where Kim acted as CCO. SFD is involved in 30 Nordic feature film, incl. acclaimed Cannes entry SICK OF MYSELF, Norwegian Oscar® selection WW2 Drama WAR SAILOR (as EP), and latest THE END by Joshua Oppenheimer, where Kim also served as Executive Producer.
