Mahdi Asghari Azghadi was born in 1995 in Mashhad. He earned a bachelor's degree in film directing and a master's degree in cinema from the city's University of the Arts. He is also a member of the National Elite Foundation of Iran. He is writing his thesis on the theme of combining different genres in a single film. He is a well-known film professor in Iran and runs a prestigious film school in Tehran, the Clapp Film School. He writes and directs television films and programs. He is also the author of a novel, Degh-Marg, which means Tragic Death. He is presenting in competition, with producer Elahe Nokbat, Maria, his first fiction feature film.
Patiparn Boontarig graduated in cinema and photography from Thammasat University in Bangkok. He works on a number of short films and documentaries as a director and screenwriter. He is assistant director to Phuttiphong Aroon Pheng on the film Manta Ray (Venice, 2018) and to Jakrawal Nilthamrong on Anatomy of Time (Tokyo FILMeX Grand Prix, 2021). He is presenting, in competition, Solids by the Seashore, his first fiction feature film.
Zero Chou was born in Keelung in 1969. Initially a documentary filmmaker, she then turned to feature-length fiction films. Her philosophical and literary works are often on the theme of female emotions, associated with reflections on destiny. Spider Lilies won a Teddy Award at the Berlinale. His other works have also won numerous awards at the Golden Horse and international festivals. She is also a screenwriter and producer. Member of the international jury, she presents with the director of photography Hoho Liu, her film Untold Herstory.
Mostofa Sarwar Farooki was born in 1973 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Passionate about media and cinema since his childhood, he began his career on television. He directed several films there and produced advertisements. He shot his first feature film in 2003: Bachelor. He has become a notable figure in Bangladeshi cinema. He is at the origin of Chabial, a movement of avant-garde directors. Member of the international jury, he presents his film Saturday Afternoon which won the NETPAC prize at FICA.
Wafa Ghermani is a specialist in Taiwanese cinema. She worked for many years at FICA both as guest manager and as a programmer. She organizes retrospectives devoted to Taiwanese cinema in France and Europe. She also writes numerous articles on this subject and is preparing a book devoted to this cinema. After working at the Cinémathèque française, she now teaches at the National Central University in Taiwan.
Rarish G graduated from Thiruvananthapuram Film Institute in Kerala. He works as a cinematographer and assistant on several films. He writes and directs a documentary series of more than 50 episodes on world history on television. In the View on Kerala Cinema section, he presents The Hounds and the Runners, his first feature film.
Rajesh S. Jala was born in Kashmir in 1969. Victim of terrorists in 1990, he survived and lived in a refugee camp in Delhi for ten years. His documentary films are selected in major international festivals, including Rotterdam, Amsterdam, MoMA, Busan... He presents The Spark, his first fiction feature film.
Shokir Kholikov graduated with a master's degree in directing and television from the National Institute of Arts and Culture of Uzbekistan in 2023. His short films and documentaries have been selected and awarded at numerous festivals. In 2021, he has the opportunity to study at the prestigious New York Film Academy. His first feature film, Sunday, won the Asian New Talent Award for Best Film at the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival. He is developing his second feature film, with Kazakh producer Aigerim Satybaldy.
The Maw Naing was born in Myin Gyan, Myanmar in 1971. He graduated in Burmese literature and technology. He studied cinema at the Yangon Film School then at the Faculty of Cinema and Television in Prague. He is a poet, artist and director at the same time. In 2008, he directed Again and Again, a short documentary, then, in 2012, Nargis: When Time Stopped Breathing, which won awards at several festivals. The Monk is his first feature-length fiction film. Her next film The Women is in post-production.
Laha Mebow was born in Nan-ao in 1975, Taiwan. After graduating from Shih Hsin University with a degree in film, she joined Taiwan's indigenous television. In 2011, she made her directorial debut with Finding Sayun, a film focusing on the stories of the contemporary Atayal people in Yilan County, which was well received by audiences. In 2015, she directed her second film, Hang in There, Kids! which received 5 awards at the Taipei Festival. In 2017, she filmed a feature-length documentary It's Been So Long. In 2022, she won the Best Director award for her third feature film Gaga at the 59th Golden Horse Awards. She is the first Taiwanese and indigenous woman to win this award. She presents her film, Gaga, in the Looking at Taiwan Cinema section.
Park Hong-jun was born in 1986 in South Korea. He studies library and information science at university. While working full time, he took film classes. He began shooting short films, including Moving Day and Smoke on the Love which were invited to several film festivals such as the Busan Independent Film Festival in 2017 and the Indie Forum in 2018. He presented in competition, Work to Do, his first fiction film based on his personal work experiences.
Guillaume de Seille, born in 1968, studies civil engineering. After two award-winning short films as a screenwriter/director, he worked for ten years for Canal+ in the cinema department (pre-sale of French and European films), was a commissioned editor for several years in the Canal+ short film department and artistic producer for the French public channel France 2. Independent producer since 2000, he produces or co-produces more than sixty non-French art house feature films invited to all major festivals and released in theaters in France.
Kenzhebek Shaikakov was born in Aktobe, Kazakhstan, in 1977. He studied at the T. Zhurgenova Institute of Theater and Cinema and graduated with a degree in theater and film acting. He also works as a journalist, editor and director for Kazakh television. His first feature film, Tent, in 2014, was invited to the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. He is also an actor. He is presenting, in competition, Scream, his second fiction feature film.
Louise Shao Zhong Qin plays many traditional Chinese musical instruments. She is also a dancer, painter, calligrapher, trainer, expert interpreter and sworn translator. His calligraphy combines a purely visual art and an interpretation of literary meaning. It focuses on the documentary film Immersed Ears, Dyed Eyes, the theme of which is ancient Chinese music. She also runs calligraphy workshops with young audiences. She plays several instruments all week, especially on Chinese New Year.
Tetsen Tashi is currently known for his role in the film The Snow Leopard. After working with director Pema Tseden, he decided to become an actor, even though he was not a professional. The experience he had in this film made him understand that the character he plays is in fact himself. The influence of the director was decisive in his life and he is deeply grateful to him, considering him his “guru” in matters of art. It presents in competition the film The Snow Leopard by Pema Tseden, twice Cyclo d’or at the FICA, who died in spring 2023.
Jean-Robert Thomann was born in 1969, in Casablanca. A graduate of the University of Valenciennes, where he obtained a master's degree in audiovisual communication, he worked as an editor on various television programs before turning to directing. He has lived in Taiwan since 2020 and makes documentaries and short films there, mostly on themes related to this country. He is presenting in competition his documentary film Taiwan: Chronicle of a Threatened Democracy and, in the Regard on Taiwan Cinema section, his short film The Flavor of Ginger.
Prasanna Vithanage was born in 1962. After his studies, he became interested in theater and directed international plays. He then turned to cinema and, in 1992, made his first feature film. His films are selected and awarded at numerous international festivals. He received the NETPAC prize and the Cyclo d'or for With You Without You, in 2013. He is a member of the International jury at FICA in 2015. He presents Paradise, his eleventh feature film, in competition, and in the NETPAC section, With You Without You.
Indhu VS is an alumnus of the Chetana Media Institute in Thrissur in the Indian state of Kerala. For the past twelve years, she has been an assistant director, screenwriter, writing mentor and creative consultant. She is one of the founding members of the Women in Cinema Collective of Kerala. She is working on her new feature film. She presents 19(1)(a), her first feature film as director and screenwriter.
Jing XU has joined Rediance as Sales Manager since the very beginning of the company in 2018. Representing the company in major markets and festivals, Jing is in charge of sales of programming and the entire catalog, she also participates in the acquisition. With strong international sales experience, Jing is one of the representative Asian salespeople in the industry.
