FIPRESCI

Born in Aachen, Germany, Birgit Beumers is Reader in the Russian Department at Bristol University. She completed her D.Phil at St Antony’s College, Oxford and, after a fixed-term appointment at the University of Cambridge, joined Bristol University in 1994. She specializes in contemporary Russian culture, and has published widely on cinema and theatre. Her most recent publications include Nikita Mikhalkov (2005), Pop Culture Russia! (2005), A History of Russian Cinema (2009) and, with Mark Lipovetsky, Performing Violence (2009), and, as editor, 24 Frames: Russia (2007); The Post-Soviet Russian Media (2009, with S. Hutchings and N. Rulyova), Alexander Shiryaev, Master of Movement (2009, with D. Robinson and V. Bocharov), and Directory of World Cinema: Russia (2010). She is currently working on Russian animation. She is editor of the online quarterly KinoKultura and of the scholarly journal Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema.

Övgü Gökçe is a film critic and a member of the editorial board at Altyazı, the prominent independent monthly film magazine in Turkey. She has contributed to many publications as writer and editor, and has been working on Turkish cinema and international cinemas for several years. She is a Ph.D. candidate at Ohio University School of Interdisciplinary Arts, and writing her dissertation on historiography of sentiments in contemporary Turkish film. Övgü Gökçe is currently working as the project coordinator of Diyarbakır Arts Center, Turkey.

Born in Yerevan, Armenia, David P. Vardazarian is a freelance translator, journalist, editor, filmmaker, lecturer. Graduated from Damascus Institute of Arabic for Non-Native Speakers (Syria, 2002-2003), Cairo University Professional Courses of Arabic (Egypt, 2004), Yerevan State University, Department of Arabic Studies, with Ph.D in Mediaeval Arabic literature (2010). Currently works as a lecturer in Arabic literature at the same university. Has been working as a journalist since 14, covering mainly cultural issues (at National Radio, various TV channels). Recently has been working mainly as a guest author for several magazines (now with Slide, Business Class, Luxury). As an editor worked for EL Style and Elite Life magazines (2004-2008). Was the deputy editor-in-chief in CinemArt magazine (2008 - 2009), editor-in-chief for Ararat magazine (2010-2011). As a filmmaker has been making shorts with the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art since 2007. His latest work, Lady with the Dog. Dog’s Version (2010) was awarded Jury Special mention (One Minute, One Shot IFF, Armenia, 2010), nominated for the President’s Award. Translated foreign cinema production for Public TV Company of Armenia (2006-2010), Golden Apricot, Sunchild IFFs. Pursued photography, scriptwriting for documentaries and TV projects for Paradoxima Company, Public TV Company of Armenia, Naregatsi Art Institute. Represented Golden Apricot Master School of Cinema at La Corrida Audiovisuelle 2011 (Toulose, France, 2011), worked on catalogues Armenian Cinema 1924-2008, for annual British Film Festival in Yerevan, Golden Apricot IFF. Member, Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists. Co-author and head of Armenian People of the Year Project.