Feature Competition

Born in 1960 in Cairo to Armenian parents, he was raised in Western Canada. Studied International Relations and Music at the University of Toronto where he began making short films. He won attention at the Sundance FF for earlier work, then broke through critically and commercially with The Sweet Hereafter (1997). Three time Cannes IFF winner and the best, since Sergei Parajanov, filmmaker of Armenian ethnicity, Oscar-nominated master of cinema, has collected four awards from the Toronto IFF. A seven-time recipient of Canada's top Genie Awards, he is one of the most remarkable figures of contemporary independent filmmaking. Returned to his ethnic "homeland" when he filmed Calendar (1993) in Armenia. Winner, Golden Apricot Award for Ararat at 1st Yerevan IFF (2004).

Worked for many years as a freelance writer, lecturer on cinema before becoming Director of Cinema at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1988. For eight years he programmed the ICA's two cinemas and ran their film distribution company, ICA Projects. He left ICA to become the Director of the Rotterdam IFF in 1996, where he remained until 2004. He is currently the director of the London Production Company Illuminations Films.

She is an American film critic, screenwriter and filmmaker based in Rome. As a long-time film reviewer for Variety, she has written extensively on the cinema of Italy, Iran, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Brazil and Argentina. She has programmed films for the Venice FF, the Taormina FF and New Italian Cinema Events (NICE). She is currently a programming consultant for the Tribeca FF. The Tour, a short feature she wrote and directed, premiered at Venice in 2002.

Born in 1945 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. He studied Fine Arts and Graphics. Jos Stelling's first feature Mariken van Nieumeghen was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 1975. He has also been awarded many international and national prizes: four Golden Calves in The Netherlands, a Golden Rose in Montreux, two Golden Gryphons and the prize of the city of St. Petersburg. In 1999 Stelling received a lifetime achievement award in Waterville, Maine (USA), and in 2001 an award of the Association of Czech film clubs for major achievement in world cinema. The Gas Station was awarded the Grand Prix of the Mediawave Festival in Gyor, Hungary in May 2001. Jos Stelling is the owner of an art house cinema. For his cultural achievements, Jos Stelling has received the royal decoration of Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion.

Born in 1951 in Buenos Aires. He was trained as a mathematician and worked as such among, other activities (football referee, computer programmer, philosophy student). Turned film critic in 1991 when he co-founded the monthly film magazine El Amante del Cine. He also wrote for several media in Argentina and abroad. Founder of the Argentinean branch of "Beautiful Armenians" FIPRESCI in 1997 and its first president. From 2001 to 2004 he was the director of the Buenos Aires Independent IFF.