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.

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.

Emily Meinke is the CEO of the German distribution company MFA Film, based in Regensburg, Bavaria. MFA has been distributing international films to cinemas for more than 45 years, focusing primarily on arthouse and children’s films. The program includes numerous renowned directors – often their first films – such as Spike Lee, Danny Boyle, Bong Joon-Ho, Noah Baumbach, Paul Verhoeven, Kelly Reichardt, David Cronenberg, Joachim Trier, Luca Guadagnino, Park Chan-Wook, Andrea Arnold and Lars von Trier. As the daughter of a distributor, Emily has been in direct touch with films and cinema all her life and has developed a great love and passion for movies as a result.

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.

Aalam-Warqe Davidian is an award-winning director and screenwriter, born in Ethiopia and a graduate of the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School. Her work explores themes of identity, immigration, and womanhood, combining personal and social perspectives. Her films include “Fig Tree”, “Facing the Wall”, “Transitions”, and the documentaries “With No Land” and “Honey Trap”.
Davidian’s films have been screened and recognized at festivals in Israel and around the world. She believes that, as filmmakers, we must create from the unique lens of our life stories—bringing perspective, knowledge, and a spirit of open conversation into the world. Through this, she aspires to expand cinematic language into new realms of emotion, understanding, and inspiration.

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.

Yair Agmon is an author, filmmaker, and columnist.
Born in 1987, he is a graduate (with honors) of the full program at the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School and holds an M.A. in Literature from Tel Aviv University.
He has published seven books, including “Chafash” and “One Day in October”, the latter of which became a bestseller with over 50,000 copies sold.
His film work spans full-length documentaries (“Rachel Agmon”, “Like a Working Heart”), web and television series (“Wai Wai Wai”, “The Hitchhikers”), short films, and the VR film “A War Song”, which was screened at the Venice Film Festival in 2019.
Agmon also writes a weekly column for the Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon.
His accolades include the Israeli Ministry of Culture’s Cinema Art Award for Emerging Filmmakers (2019), the Israeli Academy of Television Award (2019), and the Prime Minister’s Prize for Hebrew Writers (2022).

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).

Lior Ashkenazi is one of Israel’s most prominent and beloved actors, with a diverse career spanning film, television, and theater. He has won three Ophir Awards for his performances in “Late Marriage”, “Foxtrot”, and “Footnote”, and has starred in numerous films, television shows, and stage productions presented both in Israel and at leading international festivals. In addition to his work as an actor, Ashkenazi is also active as a director, narrator, voice actor, comedian, and television host.

Karina Gechtman is the VP of International Marketing and Publicity at Anton, a leading global film production, finance, and sales company. With over two decades of experience in marketing, production, and distribution of fiction and documentary films, she works closely with filmmakers to shape international strategies from script to screen.
She has held senior positions at companies including Disney, Paramount Pictures International, and Altitude Sales, and led campaigns for directors such as Asif Kapadia, Lynne Ramsay, Noah Baumbach, and Alejandro G. Iñárritu.

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.

Evgeny Gusyatinskiy is a member of the selection committee of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), where he is focused on programming features from Central and Eastern Europe, Israel and Greece.
He was a member of the curatorial team of Garage Museum of Contemporary Art (Moscow) where he curated film, as well as worked on a variety of projects related to moving images.
He has contributed to a number of international book publications on contemporary cinema and has written on film for a variety of international media.

Ido Tako is a theater, film, and television actor. In recent years, he has become one of the most prominent actors in Israel. He has appeared in many diverse productions, including the films The Vanishing Soldier, Close to Me, and Miriam. Tako is known for his versatile acting skills and strong presence both on screen and on stage.

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.