International competition jury
Rada Šešić
Rada Sesic is a film programmer, director, and lecturer based in the Netherlands. She heads the Documentary Competition at the Sarajevo Film Festival and programs at the Trieste Film Festival. With over 20 years of experience, she has worked with IDFA and the DOHA film fund. Her films have been showcased in over 60 festivals, including MoMA. She is the founder of the Eastern Neighbours Film Festival and mentors at various European and Asian workshops.
Holly Gilliam
Holly Gilliam is a film and television lawyer, curator, producer, and founder of HDG Projects Limited. In 2020, she founded MMXX, an independent film and theatre production company currently developing several feature films, including a co-production with Fremantle. With over 20 years of experience, she has worked in film PR, produced exhibitions and books, including Terry Gilliam’s Gilliamesque. She also co-produced Monty Python Live (mostly) – One Down, Five to Go and Monty Python – The Meaning of Live, which premiered at the TriBeCa Film Festival in 2015. She has collaborated with talents such as Tilda Swinton, Colin Farrell, Matt Damon, and works with the BFI on funding and archive projects.
Houda Benyamina
With Divines, her first feature film, Houda Benyamina won the Caméra d’Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes and won three César Awards, including Best First Film (2017). After a stint in the United States where she directed the pilot for a series, she teamed up with Damien Chazelle and directed two episodes of the series The Eddy (Netflix). In 2022, Houda Benyamina presented Salam in the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival, a film she co-directed with Diam’s and Anne Cissé.
Romy Trajman
Belgian director, writer, producer and composer Romy Trajman is a versatile and accomplished creative voice in contemporary cinema. After studying at the Conservatoire de Levallois, the École de la Cité, and UCLA, Romy founded her production company, Panach Company, upon her return to Paris. She writes and collaborates with Ruben Amar, Audrey Diwan (Golden Lion at Venice 2022), Micha Wald, and Olivier Megaton (Taken 2 & 3). Her debut film, Le divorce de mes marrants, a musical documentary, was selected for the Millenium Festival before touring several others (e.g., Torino, Tallinn, Groland) and being released in cinemas in 2022.
Antonio Vigilante
Antonio Vigilante, former United Nations director in Brussels and United Nations representative in Bolivia, Bulgaria, Egypt and Liberia. His view and his relentless commitment to fundamental rights and the Sustainable Development Goals make Antonio Vigilante an exceptional jury.