Jury

Tamira Yardeni is the owner of Teddy Productions, which she founded together with Dudu Yardeni in 1973. In 1991, with the launch of commercial television in Israel, Yardeni became a central figure in Israeli television production.
Teddy Productions is one of the most influential, stable, and high-quality production companies in Israel’s media and entertainment industry.

Karin Anna Rywkind Segal is a curator and artistic director with extensive international experience working with cultural institutions, archives, and film festivals. She served as the Artistic Director of the Docaviv Film Festival from 2017 to 2024, and prior to that held roles including Program Director at Docaviv, worked at the Harvard Film Archive and the Boston Jewish Film Festival, and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Israeli film magazine Ma’aravon. Rywkind Segal has also participated as a juror and panelist at film festivals around the world. She is a graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, and her work has been exhibited at institutions in Israel and abroad, including the Anthology Film Archives in New York, the Fogg Museum at Harvard University, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

Valentina Zalevska is a film curator, distributor, and researcher based in Berlin. She is the founder of the Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin and runs the distribution company Plivka Films, promoting Ukrainian cinema internationally.
Since 2009, she has been a programmer and curator for the Lviv International Short Film Festival Wiz-Art. Valentina holds Master’s degrees in Culture and Arts (Lviv) and Media (University of Nebraska) and collaborates with festivals and institutions such as Berlinale, Fracto Experimental Film Encounter, and Human Rights Film Festival Berlin among others.
She has implemented numerous film projects in Ukraine and abroad, combining programming, curating, and producing. She is currently pursuing a PhD on postcolonial narratives in Ukrainian cinema, focusing on decolonization, national identity, and resistance.

Or Lee-Tal is a film and television editor with 15 years of experience. He has edited seven feature films, including “35 Downhill” (2022), for which he was nominated for the Ophir Award for Best Editing.
The films he has edited have participated in leading festivals worldwide, including Berlin, Toronto, Locarno, and Tallinn, and have won numerous awards, including two Best Film prizes at the Jerusalem Film Festival.
He has edited nine television series, among them “Fireflies”, “Shlomi 6”, “Indal”, “Ma’abarot” (2019), for which he won the Israeli Academy Award for Best Editing, as well as “Corduroy” and “HaGashash – The Tip of the Kettle”, both of which earned him Academy Award nominations.
In addition, Ori has edited dozens of short films, five of which were nominated for the Ophir Award, with one winning. Other shorts he edited have been screened at prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, and Tribeca.

Producer, director, and screenwriter, nominated for nine Israeli Academy Awards. Co-creator and director of the acclaimed series The Unimportants, which aired for four seasons on Israel’s public broadcaster Kan 11. Director and producer of Kafka’s Last Trial, which won Best Israeli Documentary at the Haifa Film Festival (2025). Writer, director, and co-producer of the musical feature film Victory, released theatrically in 2024. Co-director and producer of Cinema Rex, winner of the Annecy Festival, which screened at over 100 international festivals and was acquired by Canal+. Currently developing international projects in the U.S. and Germany, alongside a new scripted series for Kan 11.

Limor Shmila is a director, screenwriter, and one of the leading casting directors in the Israeli film and television industry. Among the projects she has cast are Yona (dir. Nir Bergman), Big Bad Wolves (dir. Navot Papushado and Aharon Keshales), Losing Alice (dir. Sigal Avin), and Sand Storm (dir. Elite Zexer), for which she won the Ophir Award for Best Casting in 2016.
In 2015, she wrote and directed her first feature film, Montana, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won Best Actress at both the Haifa and Montreal film festivals that same year. Her second film, This Is How You Love, won the Best Editing Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival in 2019 and was released theatrically in 2021. She is currently working on her first television project as a creator

Martin Scheuring Studied Theater & Audiovisual Media, North American Literature, and Economics.
Works for German Films, the international promotion agency for films from Germany. Responsible for short films, including the presentation of upcoming German directors in Cannes, supporting filmmakers with the international distribution of their films, selecting films for screenings and compilations, and maintaining close cooperation with international film festivals.
Co-initiated the Queer Film Festival Munich in 2016 and programmed short films for the Hof International Film Festival from 2016 to 2021.

One of Israel’s leading filmmakers, his award winning, critically acclaimed films include The Syrian Bride, Lemon Tree, The Human Resources Manager, Dancing Arabs (aka A Borrowed Identity), Cup Final, Zaytoun, Vulcan Junction and most recently Reading Lolita in Tehran. Created numerous hours of TV drama, documentaries and shorts. A graduate of The National Film School, Beaconsfield, England. A member of AMPAS and the European Film Academy.

Born in 1986 in Strasbourg, Noé Debré decided early on that he wanted to be a doctor. Lacking the skills and empathy, he instead pursued a career in screenwriting. Moving to Paris, he met Thomas Bidegain, who taught him everything one needs to know about writing a script, especially how to lure directors and abandon all self-esteem. Since then, he has collaborated on a number of films including Jacques Audiard’s “Dheepan” (Palme d’Or at Cannes), Romain Gavras’ “The World is yours” and Tom McCarthy’s “Stillwater”. He has also directed some short films and despite the protests of his family and friends, completed a feature film as well, “le Dernier des Juifs”. He is now thinking of moving away from showbusiness to rigorously prepare for the end of the world, which he, along with most serious climate scientists, thinks is impending.

Alma Dishi Plaut is an actress and director. She starred in the acclaimed series “Very Important Person” (2014), for which she won the Israeli Television Academy Award for Best Leading Actress in a Drama Series. She also starred in “Your Honor” (2015), “Unchained” (2019), “Nehama” (2019), and “Our Boys”, produced for HBO. Her film credits include the German-Polish co-production “Delegation” (2023), as well as “Karaoke” (2021), “The Client” (2023), “Ticklish” (2023), and more. In recent years, she has also been directing and writing for the theater.

Estee Yacov-Mecklberg is a partner, producer, and content developer at 2team Productions, one of Israel’s leading film production companies. The company produces high-quality feature films that have won dozens of awards at major international festivals, including Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Toronto, while also achieving commercial success both in Israeli cinemas and international markets.
Among the company’s acclaimed productions are: “Pink Lady” (Nir Bergman & Mindy Erlich), “Come Closer” (Tom Nesher), “Sand Storm” (Elite Zexer), and “Next to Her” (Asaf Korman).

Maya Shekel is a creator in the XR field and the founder of Studio Moosh, specializing in interactive experiences that combine storytelling, social impact, and advanced technology. Maya serves as a Product Manager at the Advanced Reality Lab at Reichman University, where she is a partner in the “Finding the Tools” project, which develops virtual reality technology to promote mental health. The project is implemented in security, educational, and medical frameworks. Among her notable works are TAZOO, an AR project that recreated the historic Tel Aviv Zoo; TAMA, a project developed in collaboration with Reichman University, featuring an AI-based virtual guide presented at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art; and Eddie and I, an interactive narrative VR experience using hand-tracking technology to foster empathy, teach sign language in an engaging way, and bridge the gap between different populations. Maya’s works have been showcased at leading international festivals, including Tribeca, the Venice Film Festival, and NewImages, and have received support from technology and cultural institutions.

Nir Miretzky is the Head of Innovation and Artificial Intelligence at the company Crazy Labs. The company is a global leader in mobile game development and publishing, specializing in integrating GenAI into its development processes. Previously in his career, Nir was a film producer and the owner of a production company. He also served for a decade as the Chairman of GameIS – the umbrella organization of the Israeli gaming industry.

Omer Shiby is the Chief Operating and Creative Officer at The Dor Brothers, a visionary who bridges the worlds of creativity, technology, and management. With a degree in Industrial Design and experience in film and the high-tech industry, Omer combines design thinking with a strategic and innovative approach. In his role he leads the company’s workforce, oversees daily operations and steers the creative direction, with a focus on developing and producing video using AI-driven technologies. His work lies at the junction of concept and execution, serving as a key driving force in the company’s ongoing growth and innovation.

Haviv Kaptzon, born in 1983, lives and works in Tel aviv.
Kaptzon received his BFA at Shankar school of art and Design and his MFA at Bezalel Academy.
Kaptzon exhibited a solo exhibition in Alfred Gallery (2015) ,Sadnaot Haomanim (2016) Kav-16 gallery (2020) and participated in group exhibition at Gabirol Gallery (2014) Helena Rubinstein pavilion (2014) the city Gallery of Kfar Saba(2016) Sadnaot Haomanim (2018) the center for contemporary art (2018) and the jerusalem film festival (2020)The Center for digital art in Holon (2021). His work “Power” was recently acquired by the tel aviv museum.
Kaptzon attended Andrea Zittel’s residency program (2016). And received the Ministry of Culture and Sports, Young Artist Award (2018)The Margaret and Sylvan Adams prize for young artist (2018) and a grant from the Rabinovitch Foundation.(2016)The Lia van Leer Award in the Israeli Video Art and Experimental Film Competition (2020) The Keshset award (2022)

Sally Haftel Naveh is an independent curator of contemporary art. She has curated numerous solo and group exhibitions in Israel and abroad, including at the Israel Museum, the Center for Contemporary Art Tel Aviv, the Rockefeller Museum, the Brno House of Arts, the Meetfactory space in Prague, and the Grimani Palace in Venice. Her work is based on in-depth research, site-specific perception, and ongoing dialogue with artists. She served as co-curator of the Jerusalem Biennale for Drawing (2016), directed the Kav 16 Gallery (2010–2013), and was a curator at the Braverman Gallery (2003–2009). She was the artistic advisor for Villa – an art gallery, and served on the project committee in the art department of the Tel Aviv Municipality. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in Art History from Tel Aviv University. She lectures at the Edmond de Rothschild Center, is a member of the advisory board at ARTPORT, and serves as an art consultant to the Municipality of Kiryat Ono.

Maya Lahat-Kerman is the head of the “Finish Line” project at the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television, a PhD candidate and a lecturer in the Department of Communication at Tel Aviv University. She has served as a senior content editor and development executive at various media outlets, including Yedioth Ahronoth, Keshet, and Reshet, and was formerly Head of Development at Channel 8 and Program Director at Galatz (IDF Radio). She currently heads the non-fiction division at Kinneret-Zmora Publishing House.

Maor Levy is a rising actor in the Israeli film and television industry. He has appeared in the series “Bney Or”, “Ziggy”, and “Magpie”. His film credits include “Bliss” by Shemi Zarhin and “Virginity” by Maor Zaguri. He was nominated for the Ophir Award for Best Leading Actor for his role in Virginity.

Rotem Zisman-Cohen is a director and actress. She has appeared in numerous films and television series, including God’s Neighbors, Our Father, The Kind Words, A Place in Heaven, Amamiyot, and more. Her directorial debut, Between Walls, is currently streaming on Netflix. She is a wife and mother of two.

Sharon Angelhart is a director, screenwriter, script editor, and lector. Her short films have been screened at numerous international festivals, including Cannes, Sarajevo, and Jerusalem.
She is currently completing the editing of her debut feature, Cuz you’re ugly, a co-production between Israel, Canada, and France. Angelhart is also writing her second feature, I hate you from the bottom of my heart, as part of a residency in Berlin from the Israel Film Fund, with development support from the Yehoshua Rabinovich Foundation.

Journalist, film critic, and culture section editor at the website Newsru.co.il. She is a PhD candidate at Bar-Ilan University and a lecturer at the School of Film and Communication at Ariel University. She is also a member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).

Yael Shuv has been the chief film critic at Time Out Tel Aviv since the publication’s first issue in 2002. Having graduated from New York University with a master’s degree in cinema studies, she teaches film courses at the Open University of Israel. She has served as an artistic advisor for the Israeli Film Fund and as a FIPRESCI juror at international film festivals such as Locarno, Venice, Karlovy Vary, Palm Springs and Rotterdam. Yael is also the author of two books for children: “The Ice Cream Princess” and “The Enchanted Carousel.”

Hagit Bat-Eliezer is a poet who has published five books, a film and theater critic, a member of the Hebrew Writers Association and the Israeli Film Critics Forum, and a software engineer with a Master’s degree in Mathematics.