FEATURE AND SHORT NARRATIVE FILMS COMPETITION JURY
HANY ABU ASSAAD (Palestine) – JURY PRESIDENT
Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad, renowned for his powerful storytelling, is celebrated for films such as Omar, which won the Tanit d’Or at the Carthage Film Festival in 2014, and Paradise Now, which earned the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006. Both Paradise Now and Omar were also nominated to represent Palestine at the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category. He is one of the leading figures of the «New Palestinian Cinema,» recognized for his powerful and humanistic portrayals of Palestinian stories. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, on October 11, 1961, Abu-Assad moved to the Netherlands in 1980, where he studied aeronautical engineering. In 1990, he founded «Ailoul Production,» a film production company, and began his directorial career in 1992 with the short film «Paper House,» which garnered several awards at international festivals. His filmography includes critically acclaimed works such as «Nazareth 2000,» «Rana’s Wedding,» «Ford Transit,» «Paradise Now,» «Omar,» and «Huda’s Salon.» Abu-Assad has also directed two Hollywood films: «The Specialist» in 2012 and «The Mountain Between Us» in 2017.
SALMA BACCAR
A pioneer of Tunisian cinema, she began her career with the Tunisian Federation of Amateur Cinema, directing her first two short films. She studied cinema at the IFC in Paris and later worked for Tunisian television (ERTT). Throughout her professional journey, she directed films and television series. In 1989, she became Tunisia’s first female producer by founding her production company. Her most notable works include La Danse du Feu (1995) and El Jaida (2017).
PEDRO PIMENTA
Pedro Pimenta began his career at Mozambique’s National Institute of Cinema. He has produced numerous films in Mozambique and across Africa. Since 2016, he has been a mentor at the Ouaga Film Lab, supporting and guiding young filmmakers on African film projects. In 2018, he was appointed a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
IBRAHIM AL-ARISS (Liban)
A film critic, cultural historian, and translator, Ibrahim Al Aris worked in the Lebanese and Turkish film industries in the 1960s and 1970s. From 1979 to 1985, he founded and edited two monthly magazines, Al-Masira and Al-Maqasid. Al Aris wrote around 60 books on cinema, philosophy, and cultural history, including Cinema and Society in the Arab World.
MARIANNE KHOUR
For over 30 years, Marianne Khoury has been a close collaborator of iconic director Youssef Chahine. Co-managing MISR International Films since 1984, she has produced award-winning documentaries and feature films. In 1999, she debuted as a director with the documentary The Time of Laura. Khoury also co-founded the Cairo Panorama of European Film and established Zawya, Egypt’s first arthouse cinema.
BABA DIOP (Sénégal)
Journalist, film critic, and academic, he currently teaches journalism at ISSIC (Dakar) and documentary filmmaking in the Master’s program at Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis, Senegal, following his tenure at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. In 2008, he served as president of the Senegalese Association of Film Critics (ASCC) and was later elected president of the African Federation of Film Critics (FACC, Dakar) until December 2015. He is also a contributing writer for Africiné Magazine (Dakar).
ELIANE UMUHIRE (Rwanda)
Eliane Umuhire is a Rwandese actress based in France, known for her lead role in the Polish film The Birds Are Singing in Kigali, for which she won several Best Actress awards. Umuhire starred recently in “Trees of Peace” (2021) by Alanna Brown and “Neptune Frost” (2021), by Saul Williams and Anisiag Uzeyman (2021).
DOCUMENTARY AND SHORT NARRATIVE FILMS COMPETITION JURY
DORA BOUCHOUCHA – JURY PRESIDENT
Dora Bouchoucha is a producer and a significant figure in both the Tunisian and international film industry. Through her production company, Nomadis Image, and her Sud-Ecriture workshop, she has mentored emerging filmmakers from North Africa and the Middle East. Bouchoucha has produced numerous films selected for prestigious festivals, such as Sabrya (Venice), Barakat (FESPACO), and Hedi (Berlinale). She served on juries at Berlinale (2017), Venice (2020), and FESPACO (2023), and became an Academy member in 2018. In 2023, she was chosen as the godmother of the 15th edition of the Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde at Cannes.
OUMAR SALL (Sénégal)
Oumar Sall is a Senegalese film and audiovisual producer, founder of Cinekap Group and Up Courts-Métrages, pivotal in the revival of Senegalese cinema. He is the first Senegalese producer selected at the Cannes Film Festival. Sall’s notable productions include Tey (Golden Stallion at FESPACO 2013), Félicité (Berlinale 2017, Oscars 2018 shortlist), and Atlantique (Cannes 2019, Oscars 2020 shortlist).
AMAL RAMSIS
Amal Ramsis is the founder of “Cairo International Women’s Film Festival”, as well as the Caravan of Arab and Ibero-American Women Films. Also, she has been leading the international workshop series for women known as “Correspondence between Women” since 2007. Her documentary “You Come From Far Away” won the Silver Tanit in the feature-length documentaries category at the JCC 2018.
ASMAE EL MOUDIR
Asmae El Moudir is a Moroccan director, screenwriter, and producer. She has directed numerous award-winning documentaries. Her debut feature film, The Mother of All Lies, was selected for Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2023, where it won the Best Director Award and the L’Œil d’Or.
MOHAMED SAID OUMA
Mohamed Saïd Ouma is a renowned filmmaker, cultural operator, and executive director of DocA Documentary Africa. He is also a key player in «The African Heritage Project,» a program dedicated to restoring fifty African films of historical, cultural, and artistic importance. His latest film, Red Card, premiered at IDFA 2020.
JURY CINÉ-PROMISES
ABEDALSALAM AL-HAJ (Jordan) – PRÉSIDENT DU JURY
Abedalsalam Al-Haj, a Jordanian writer and director, holds a Master’s in Cinematography and Directing. He lectures on cinematic arts, contributes to filmmaking curricula, and supports Jordanian film education. Since 2012, he has led Capacity Building at the Royal Film Commission, overseeing programs aiding filmmakers across Jordan. Al-Haj established and managed eight film centers, fostering local film production and supporting the industry. Additionally, he supervises regional and local film labs, providing vital resources for filmmakers. His initiatives have strengthened Jordan’s cinema ecosystem, promoting growth and opportunities for aspiring filmmakers while advancing the country’s cinematic presence.
ALEDDINE ABOU TALEB (Tunisie)
Alaeddin Abou Taleb is a visual artist and director who studied design and audiovisual arts. In 2010, he directed his first short film, COMA, which marked the beginning of his career in filmmaking. In 2011, he co-founded the Tunisian Association for Cinema Action, aimed at supporting the local cinema community. Between 2013 and 2014, he produced and directed the animated short film DIASPORA, which received the Tanit d’Or at the JCC 2015. Abou Taleb’s work has been featured in several international festivals.
EDUARDO GUILLOT
Eduardo Guillot is Artistic Director of Mostra de València-Cinema del Mediterrani film festival since 2018. He has worked as a cultural journalist for thirty years in different Spanish specialized magazines. He has collaborated on books dedicated to Emir Kusturica and noir cinema. Member of the International or Fipresci Jury in festivals like Moscow IFF, Cyprus Film Days, Rotterdam IFF, Palestine Cinema Days, Mediterrane IFF Malta or Cairo IFF, among others.
DOCUMENTARY NATIONAL COMPETITION JURY
SAID OULD KHELIFA (Algérie) – JURY PRESIDENT
An Algerian filmmaker and film critic, born in Tunis. Between 1969 and 1989, he worked as a journalist in Algeria and France. He directed his first film, Ombres Blanches, in 1991. Since 1989, he has collaborated with the «Théâtres Au Cinéma» Festival in Bobigny, France, and has directed several plays, including Aux deux rives. His films include A’ichate. He served as the director of the Annaba Mediterranean Film Festival in 2015, 2016, and 2018.
HOUDA IBRAHIM (Liban)
Houda Ibrahim studied in Beirut and Paris, earning degrees in journalism, theater, and Arabic literature. In Paris, she worked as a correspondent for the Lebanese newspaper As Safir and for TV channels . She wrote for the Arabic-language film journal Cinema. In 1996, she joined Radio Monte Carlo Doualiya as the host of Studio 1, a program focused on cinema. Currently, she works at RFI and publishes daily articles on cinema in the Arab press and on specialized platforms.
OLIVIER BARLET (France)
Olivier Barlet is a French journalist, writer, and film critic. He has directed the Images Plurielles collection at L’Harmattan Editions, where he published «African Cinemas: Decolonizing the Gaze» and «Contemporary African Cinema» (2012). From 1997 to 2004, he served as editor-in-chief of the Africultures magazine.
SALEEM ALBEIK
Film critic, novelist, and film programmer. He published many novels, including The cock’s eye (2022), Scenario (2019), and two tickets to Saffuriyah (2017). Among his publications is Reflections on Palestinian Cinema (2023). Albeek edits Romman cultural magazine, and produces and presents the cultural news on Monte Carlo Doualiya radio. He is part of the programming teams for both the Palestine Cinema Days and Amman International Film Festival.
SOUAD BEN SLIMEN (Tunisie)
Souad Ben Slimane, journalist and film critic at La Presse de Tunisie. She debuted on screen in Nouri Bouzid’s debut film Man of Ashes. She received training in screenplay writing at FEMIS in Paris. Her specialized higher education enabled her to lead workshops for developing creative projects by artists from various fields.
