Born in Chad, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun has directed seven full-length films, notably "Lingui, The Sacred Bonds," which competed at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021. His works have garnered various prestigious awards. In 2010, "A Screaming Man" earned him several accolades, including the Jury Prize at Cannes and the Silver Stallion at FESPACO 2011. Similarly, his film "Darrat" was honored with the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2006 and the Bronze Stallion at FESPACO 2007. His documentary "Hissein Habré, A Chadian Tragedy" was included in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival in 2015 and received the Grand Prize at the Human Rights Film Festival in The Hague, as well as the Ciné Droit Libre Award in Ouagadougou. Selected in the official competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, his film “Grigris” won the Vulcan Award for Best Cinematography. Furthermore, his film “Abouna”, presented at the Directors' Fortnight in 2002, garnered numerous accolades; including the Grand Prize at the Kerala Film Festival in India and the Best Cinematography Award at FESPACO 2003. His feature film "Bye Bye Africa," included in the official selection of the 1999 Venice Film Festival, received the award for Best Debut Film from Cinemavvenire. Acknowledged for his entire body of work, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun has been awarded the Robert Bresson Prize by the Venice Film Festival, the Federico Fellini Medal by UNESCO, and the Humanidade Prize at the Sao Paulo Film Festival in Brazil. Mahamat-Saleh Haroun has also written two novels, published by Gallimard: "Les Culs-Reptiles" (2022) and "Djibril ou les Ombres Portées" (2017).

Film critic, specialist in cultural history, and translator, Ibrahim Al Aris, holding dual Lebanese and French nationality, worked in the Lebanese and Turkish film industries between 1960 and 1970, among other pursuits. He then studied filmmaking at the Experimental Center in Rome in 1970 before heading to London, where he joined the British Film Institute to study film criticism and screenwriting from 1971 to 1972. In 1972, he returned to Beirut to work in the press as a film critic before founding two monthly magazines, "Al-Masira" and "Al-Maqasid," between 1979 and 1985, where he served as the editor-in-chief. Ibrahim Al Aris has translated around fifty books from French, English, and Italian in the fields of philosophy, economics, cinema, and journalism for authors such as Hannah Arendt, Edgar Morin, Alain Touraine, Rosa Luxemburg, Henri Agel, and others. Among his recent translations (not yet published) are "L'Egypte aujourd'hui" and, from English, "Eclairages pour comprendre la réalité" by Hannah Arendt. Additionally, as an author, he has written around sixty books about cinema, cultural history, and thought. His oeuvre encompasses publications such as "Cinema and Society In The Arab World" (published in two volumes, with a third in press), "The Encyclopedia of Human Heritage" (comprising 12 volumes), "Martin Scorsese: A Cinematic Biography," "Cinema: History And The World," "Image And Reality," and "A Journey in Arab Cinema". He has been the recipient of prestigious awards and mentions in recent years including the Press Column Award from the Dubai Press Club. He earned distinctions in Malmö, Sweden, as well as in Muscat, El Gouna Film Festival, where he was honored with the Cinema Cultural Achievement Award, and at the Cannes Film Festival. His literary contributions have been translated into multiple languages, including Italian, French, English, Spanish, Swedish, Bulgarian, and Portuguese. Ibrahim Al Aris has also actively engaged as a speaker in numerous seminars and served as the president of juries at various film festivals worldwide.

Erige Sehiri is a Franco-Tunisian director, screenwriter, and producer. After obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, she joined a Montreal radio station as a project manager and received training in documentary filmmaking. Her first feature-length documentary, "Railway Men," had its world premiere at "Visions du Réel" in 2018. It received the Jury Mention at "CINEMED" and the Audience Award at the "Filmer le Travail" festival in 2019, held in Poitiers. In 2021, she wrote, directed, and produced her first fiction feature film, "Under The Fig Trees" (2022). This film won the Silver Tanit at the JCC 2022 and received numerous awards at various festivals, including the Bayard d'or at the International French-Speaking Film Festival of Namur. "Under The Fig Trees" had its World Premiere at Cannes (Directors' Fortnight 2022) and was pre-selected to represent Tunisia at the 2023 Oscars.

An Independent Jordanian producer and founder of The Imaginarium films, she started with the BBC and Discovery Channel projects in the Middle East, a journey of self- exploration of local stories across Jordan, she joined the Royal Film Commission in 2005 for developing the Filmmaker’s Support Program. THE Imaginarium films produced & line produced many awards winning films locally and internationally & teamed up with many European and regional producers around the world. Her latest Films were “The Alleys” by Bassel Ghandour that premiered at Locarno film festival 2021, “The Holly spider “By Ali Abbasi that was nominated for Palme d'Or 2021 and her latest is “ INSHALLAH A BOY” By Amjad Al Rasheed was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival Semaine de La critique in 2023 and stands as Jordan’s Official selection for the 96th Academy Awards (Oscars) in 2024.

Eliane Umuhire is a Rwandese actress based in France. She made her debut in cinema with the lead role in the Polish film "The Birds Are Singing in Kigali," for which she won several Best Actress awards at various international film festivals. Eliane Umuhire began her acting career with two prominent theater companies in Kigali and has performed at various festivals, theaters, and national events in Rwanda and around the world. She received training under the guidance of the late Tunisian director Ezzedine Ganoun at the Arab-African Center for Theater Training and Research at El-Hamra Theater. In the world of cinema, she played the lead role in the Hollywood film "Trees of Peace" by Alanna Brown (2021), which received numerous awards, and she also had a supporting role in the feature film "Neptune Frost" by Saul Williams and Anisiag Uzeyman, which premiered at the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes in 2021.

Pedro Pimenta started his film career with the National Film Institute of Mozambique in 1997. Since then, he has produced numerous short fiction, documentaries and feature films in Mozambique as well as in other African countries. Between 1997 and 2003, Pedro was the Chief Technical Adviser of the UNESCO Zimbabwe Film and Video Training Project for Southern Africa in Harare. As part of his responsibilities, he conceived and managed various training programs in the region. Until 2005, he was a member of the Prince Claus Fund Awards Committee in the Netherlands. In 2006, he founded and directed the documentary festival DOCKANEMA in Mozambique, and he served as a jury member at numerous international festivals. He also directed the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa until 2016. Since 2016, he has been a mentor at the Ouaga Film Lab, an initiative that supports and guides young filmmakers from the continent in developing film projects and provides production consultations for various African film projects. In 2018, he was appointed a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscars).

Born in Sierra Leone, Bonetti is a film/media consultant, community organizer and former print editor. Prior to founding AFF, Bonetti worked at Young and Rubicam and at Newsweek’s editorial and advertising division. As the founder of African Film Festival, Inc. and the Executive Director of the New York African Film Festival, she curates and facilitates all AFF programming in conjunction with AFF staff and participating partners. She has served on panels for the PanAfrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council of the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, several United States universities, Africa’s U.S. diplomatic offices, among many others. Bonetti is the recipient of France’s Chevalier «De L’Ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres » and she is also a Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Dora Bouchoucha is a producer and a significant figure in both the Tunisian and international film industry. She is renowned for her support of auteur cinema and her commitment to promoting and defending African cinema. Through her production company, Nomadis Image, which she founded, and her Sud-Ecriture workshop, she has played a crucial role in mentoring emerging filmmakers from North Africa and the Middle East. She has produced numerous Tunisian and international films that have been selected for prestigious festivals. Some notable films include "Sabrya" by Abderrahmane Sissako (a short film selected at the Venice Film Festival), "Barakat" by Jamila Sahraoui (awarded at the 20th edition of the FESPACO Film Festival in Ouagadougou), and "Hedi" (Winner of the Best First Film and Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlinale in 2016), among others. In 2017, she was a part of the international jury at the Berlinale, in 2020 a member of the Jury for Debut Films at the Venice Film Festival, and in 2023, she served as the president of the jury at FESPACO. She became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2018. In 2023, she was chosen as the godmother of the 15th edition of the Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde at the Cannes Film Festival.

Amal Ramsis is an Egyptian Spanish filmmaker. She studied cinema at "Séptima Aras" in Madrid. She founded “Cairo International Women’s Film Festival”, the first annual women’s film festival in the Arab world, as well as the Caravan of Arab and Ibero-American Women Films. Also, she has been leading the international program’s women’s workshop series known as “Correspondence between Women” since 2007. She directed and produced “Only Dreams” (2005), “Forbidden” (2011), “The Trace of the Butterfly” (2015) and “You Come From Far Away” (2018). Her films have been screened in art venues and festivals around the world and obtained many international awards, including a Silver Tanit for “You Come From Far Away” in the feature-length documentaries category at the JCC 2018.

MOHAMED Saïd Ouma is a renowned filmmaker, cultural operator and executive director of DocA Documentary Africa. Mohamed is also engaged in "The African Heritage Project", a program which aims to restore fifty African films of historical, cultural and artistic significance. He worked, from 2004 to 2015, as a programming assistant at the the International Film Festival of Africa and the Islands (FIFAI) in the city of Le Port on Reunion Island. His latest film, “Red Card” premiered at IDFA 2020.

Alireza Khatami is an Iranian screenwriter and filmmaker. He began his career in 2000 as an assistant to several prominent Iranian directors, including Asghar Farhadi. He later studied special effects in Malaysia and earned a master's degree in production from the Savannah College of Art & Design. His short film "Focal Point" (2009), which was part of the official selection at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival, won the Best Short Film Award at the San Gio Video Festival. His films explore themes of memory, trauma, and identity with a touch of black humor. He is particularly known for his film "Oblivion Verses" (2017), for which he worked on the screenplay. His latest feature film, "Terrestrial Verses", which he co-directed with the Iranian filmmaker Ali Asgari, was presented in the "Un Certain Regard" section at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

Oumar Sall is a Senegalese film and audiovisual producer. He is the founder and leader of the production company Cinekap Group and Up Courts-Métrages, which serves as one of the cornerstones of the revival of cinema in Senegal, extending its activities across multiple continents. Driven by a passion for cinema and trained at the National Institute of Audiovisual (INA) in France, he is the first Senegalese producer to have been selected at the Cannes Film Festival. Given his experience and accolades, he is trusted by all the emerging talents. His school for screenwriters and directors, Up Courts-Métrages, has given rise to numerous talents and has brought several successful short films to the market. Among his productions and co-productions are feature films that have won awards worldwide: "Tey" (Today) by Alain Gomis, the first Golden Stallion of Senegal at FESPACO 2013, "Félicité" by Alain Gomis, Grand Jury Prize at the Berlinale 2017, Second Golden Stallion of Senegal at FESPACO 2017, shortlisted for the Oscars 2018, "Atlantique" by Mati Diop, Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival 2019, shortlisted for the Oscars 2020. He also has several award-winning short films to his credit in major festivals: France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Burkina Faso, Canada, and the USA.

Abedalsalam Al-Haj is a Jordanian writer and director who has worked on numerous narrative and documentary films. His work has been showcased at various international film festivals. He holds a Master's degree in Cinematography and Directing. He has also contributed to the development of curricula for teaching the art and craft of filmmaking and has supported various civil organizations and universities in Jordan dedicated to film education. Al-Haj embarked on his academic career in the field of cinematic arts as a lecturer at prestigious universities and institutions in Jordan. Since 2012, Al-Haj has held the position of Head of the Capacity Building at the Royal Film Commission in Jordan. In this role, he oversees educational programs aimed at supporting Jordanian filmmakers and residents working or aspiring to work in the film industry across the kingdom. Furthermore, Abedalsalam Al-Haj has played a significant role in establishing and managing eight film centers throughout Jordan. These centers have played a prominent role in promoting and supporting the local film industry, including the production of Jordanian films. He has also successfully managed both regional and local film labs, providing valuable resources and support to filmmakers in the region. These initiatives have further strengthened Jordan's cinema ecosystem and facilitated the growth and progress of aspiring filmmakers..

Alassane Diago is a Senegalese director. He actively participated in the production of several films, including "Lili et le baobab" in 2004, and furthered his skills by undertaking audiovisual training at the Dakar Media Center in 2007, aiming to become a versatile audiovisual technician. His debut feature-length documentary, "Les Larmes de l'émigration" (2010), garnered acclaim, securing the Best Documentary Award and the Casa Africa Award at the Tarifa African Film Festival (Spain), along with the Best Documentary Award at the International Francophone Film Festival of Namur (Belgium). "Rencontrer mon père" (2018) marked his second venture as an author-director in the realm of documentary filmmaking.

Yasmine Dhoukar, a Tunisian production manager, has worked on several films, including "Beb Jdid" (2016), "Barzakh" (2017), and "Streams" (2021). She is also a founding partner of the production company "Clandestino".

An actor in both film and television. A graduate of ISAD, he quickly engaged in cultural and union activism. In 2015, he directed his play 'Tounes.' Currently, he is finalizing the script for his film.

Chief editor at the Tunisian Television, producer, and presenter of cultural programs. She holds a Master's degree in Cultural Management from the University of Dauphine-Paris in Tunis, as well as a professional Master's in Cultural Enterprise Management.

A graduate of ISAMM, he engaged in social activism at a young age. He was responsible for the restoration of film archives. He is the author of three short films, including 'Tamourthiw Azro,' which delves into Amazigh memory.

Ameur Cherqui, a great enthusiast of visual arts, initially delved into photography and the production of documentary films before transitioning to critique, publishing articles and research papers. He has also contributed to the editing of collective works dedicated to cinema. He directed the university film festival that he founded in 2003. "Les murmures des cimes" is his second film. He was awarded the Film Critics Prize in Africa for the year 2020, organized by the Pan-African Agency for Cultural Engineering.

Olivier Barlet is a French journalist, writer, and film critic. He has published numerous translations of books on Africa or by African authors and has authored various works. As a member of the French Union of Film Critics. He has directed the Images Plurielles collection at L'Harmattan Editions, where he published "African Cinemas: Decolonizing the Gaze" (Art and Essay Prize 1997 from the National Center for Cinema, translated into English, German, and Italian) and "Contemporary African Cinema" (2012). From 1997 to 2004, he served as editor-in-chief of the Africultures magazine. He has led numerous practical film critic workshops in Africa.

Souad Ben Slimane is a journalist and film critic at the daily newspaper "La Presse de Tunisie." Since a young age, she has devoted her leisure time to theater as an author and actress. Her first appearance on the big screen was in Nouri Bouzid's debut film "Man of Ashes." As she delved deeper into the cinema industry, she chose the role that best aligned with her skills: that of a storyteller. After receiving training in screenplay writing at FEMIS, she became a screenwriter and script doctor. Specialized master's studies focused on the perceived invisible process of creation also allowed her to lead creativity development workshops with artists of all genres