A
Bahram Ark & Bahman Ark |
BIO
Bahram Ark and Bahman Ark (b. 1989, Tabriz, Iran) are twin filmmakers, screenwriters, and actors. Graduates of the Iranian National Film School, they founded Tabriz Ark Film Company and Tabriz Cinema Theater Art Cultural Institute. Their work blends folklore, myth, and surrealism within contemporary social and political contexts.
2026
BYE BYE GARBAGE (Horror, 26', IR)
2020
SKIN (Horror, 90', IR)
2017
ANIMAL (Drama, 16', IR)
2016
Soyoogh (Drama, 88', IR)
B
MAX BLOMAARD |
BIO
AFTER TELLING STORIES THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY FOR YEARS MAX BLOMAARD SHIFTED HIS CREATIVE FOCUS TO THE WORLD OF CINEMA. HE RECENTLY GRADUATED AS A FILM DIRECTOR FROM THE ROYAL INSTITUTE FOR THEATER CINEMA AND SOUND IN BRUSSELS. ALTHOUGH ORIGINALLY HAILING FROM AMSTERDAM, HE SOUGHT TO ABSORB AS MUCH KNOWLEDGE AS POSSIBLE FROM THE NOW THRIVING BELGIAN FILM SCENE. MAX’S JOURNEY INTO FILMMAKING IS EPITOMIZED BY HIS GRADUATION PROJECT, ‘A PLACE OF OUR OWN.’ THIS FILM SERVES AS A QUINTESSENTIAL REPRESENTATION OF HIS ARTISTIC VISION: SMALL FILMS ABOUT HUMANE THEMES, TOLD IN A SUBTLE AND MINIMALISTIC WAY BUT WITH A LOT OF ATMOSPHERE.
2023
A PLACE OF OUR OWN (Drama, 21', NL)
2021
LA GRANDE DESCENTE (Thriler, 9', NL/BE)
C
GIULIA CAFAGNA |
BIO
GIULIA CAFAGNA IS A DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER OF ITALO-BRAZILIAN DESCENT. SHE GRADUATED IN 2022 FROM THE MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI FILM ACADEMY, PRESENTING HER FICTIONAL SHORT FILM “PADRE,” A ROCK AND ROLL MUSICAL, AS HER THESIS, WHICH IS CURRENTLY IN DISTRIBUTION. IN 2019, SHE GRADUATED IN DOCUMENTARY DIRECTING AT CIVICA LUCHINO VISCONTI, WHERE SHE MADE “LA NAVE DAVIDÒ,” A SHORT FILM SELECTED AT THE MY ART FILM FESTIVAL AND AMONG THE FIVE FINALISTS AT THE DOCUCITY FESTIVAL. THIS PROJECT WAS IN COLLABORATION WITH MUDEC, MUSEUM OF CULTURES IN MILAN, IS AN EXHIBITION SPACE THAT EMBRACES ANTHROPOLOGY AND CONTEMPORARY ARTS TO GIVE VOICE TO THE DIVERSE CULTURES OF THE WORLD. SHE HAS BEEN A STUDENT AT THE QUELLI DI GROCK ACTING SCHOOL FOR FOUR YEARS, AND HAS ACTED FOR THEATER AND CINEMA.
IN RECENT YEARS, GIULIA HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY INVOLVED IN FILM PRODUCTION, WORKING ON VARIOUS SHORT FILMS (BOTH FICTION AND DOCUMENTARIES) AND FEATURE FILMS. ADDITIONALLY, SHE HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN THE WORLD OF INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL ADVERTISING PRODUCTION, DEVELOPING HER ROLE IN DIRECTORIAL RESEARCH.
2023
PADRE (Musical/Drama, 12', IT)
YURI CASAGRANDE CONTI |
BIO
BORN IN MILAN WHERE HE TRAINED AS AN ACTOR, HE CONTINUED HIS STUDIES IN LOS ANGELES. WHILE WORKING CONSTANTLY IN THEATRE, HE PLAYED THE PROTAGONIST IN THE MOVIE “L’ASSOLUTO PRESENTE” BY F. MARTINA, “L’ULTIMO SPEGNE LA LUCE” BY T. SANTAMBROGIO AND “LE RAGAZZE NON PIANGONO” BY A. ZULIANI. “COME NEI RAMI LA PIOGGIA” IS HIS DIRECTORIAL DEBUT.
2023
COME NEI RAMI LA PIOGGIA (Drama, 20', ITA)
RICCARDO COPRENI |
BIO
DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER OF SEVERAL SHORT FILMS SCREENED ALL OVER THE WORLD. HE IS FOUNDER OF ECLETTICA, PRODUCTION COLLECTIVE BASED IN MILAN. HE LIKES MUSICALS, PIRATE MOVIES AND 007.
2024
154 (SCI-FI, 20', ITA)
2022
ADDIO, PER ADESSO (EXPERIMENTAL, 7', ITA)
2022
IL DIO DEI GATTI É IMMORTALE (Drama, 20', ITA)
2020
OSCAR (Drama, 20', ITA)
D
GIULIA DI MAGGIO |
BIO
GIULIA DI MAGGIO WAS BORN IN PALERMO IN 1995. IN 2016 SHE GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PISA IN COMMUNICATION AND ENTERTAINMENT. FOLLOWING HER BACHELOR STUDIES, SHE MOVED TO ROME AND WORKED AS AN EDITOR’S ASSISTANT, FIRST AD, SECOND AD AND CASTING ASSISTANT, WRITING AND DIRECTING SEVERAL FICTION AND DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS IN HER FREE TIME. IN 2022 SHE GRADUATED AS A DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER FROM THE EXPERIMENTAL FILM SCHOOL IN PALERMO “CENTRO SPERIMENTALE DI CINEMATOGRAFIA” WITH THE FILM “ONCE MORE”, SELECTED BY VISION DU REEL 2023, VISIONI ITALIANE 2022, AND WINNER OF THE NEW TALENTS PRIZE IN VISIONI DAL MONDO FESTIVAL 2022. GIULIA IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING HER DEBUT FEATURE FILM.
2023
LE FENNE (Drama, 15', ITA)
2022
IL PERIODO (Archive film, 3', ITA)
2021
Una volta ancora (Doc, 17', ITA)
F
FEDERICO FASULO |
BIO
FEDERICO FASULO IS A YOUNG WRITER, DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER BORN IN MILAN. AFTER GRADUATING AT THE MET FILMSCHOOL BERLIN IN 2016, HE WROTE AND DIRECTED FOUR SHORT FILMS: “WILL THERE BE ENOUGH WATER?”, “DORSIA”, WITH WHICH HE WON THE BEST DIRECTING AWARD AT THE TENTH EDITION OF THE ASTI FILM FESTIVAL, “BICCHERI”, SHOT ON 35MM, AND “ZUM SEE”. HE IS CURRENTLY PART OF THE ECLETTICA PRODUCTION COLLECTIVE, AS DIRECTOR AND SENIOR PRODUCER, FOLLOWING PROJECTS FROM DEVELOPMENT TO PRODUCTION AND POST-PRODUCTION. HE ALSO WORKS AS 1ST AD AND LINE-PRODUCER ON DIFFERENT INDEPENDENT SHORT FILMS, COMMERCIAL PRODUCTIONS AND INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS. HE HAS BEEN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND CASTING ASSISTANT TO MIGUEL LOMBARDI, ON THE FEATURE FILM “GLI SDRAIATI” AND THE BRANDED FILM “THE LEGEND OF RED HAND” BY STEFANO SOLLIMA. HIS INTEREST FOR ART IS COUPLED WITH THE ONE FOR PHILOSOPHY, WHICH HE STUDIED AT THE UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO AND THE UNIVERSITY OF OSLO.
2023
ZUM SEE (Romance, 9', ITA)
2022
BICCHÈRI (Drama, 6', ITA)
2020
DORSIA (Drama, 12', ITA)
2018
WILL THERE BE ENOUGH WATER? (Drama, 20', DE)
MIRKO FOIS |
BIO
Mirko Fois (b. 2000) is a self-taught filmmaker raised in the industrial area of Venice. With a background in visual arts, he develops horror and sci-fi projects, including The Nightmare of Moonfish Island (selected at Trieste Science+Fiction 2025) and Il Mostro delle Nevi.
2026
IL MOSTRO DELLE NEVI (HORROR | SCI-FI, 10', IT)
2025
The Nightmare of Moonfish Island (HORROR | SCI-FI, 10', IT)
PIPI FRÖSTL |
BIO
PIPI FRÖSTL WAS BORN IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA IN 1992. SHE STARTED OUT AS A FILM CRITIC AT A NATIONAL NEWSPAPER, WHILE STUDYING POLITICAL SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA. AS PART OF HER JOB SHE WATCHED FILMS RELENTLESSLY AND BECAUSE OF HER PASSION FOR THE MEDIUM SHE APPLIED TO THE FILM ACADEMY VIENNA, WHERE SHE IS CURRENTLY EARNING HER MASTER’S DEGREE IN SCREENPLAY AND DRAMATURGY. IN 2021 PIPI WAS AWARDED THE ‘CARL MAYER SCREENWRITING PRIZE’ IN GRAZ, AUSTRIA AND IN 2022 SHE WON ‘BEST SCREENPLAY’ AT THE ‘FIRST STEPS AWARD’ IN BERLIN, GERMANY. SHE ALSO RECEIVED SEVERAL GRANTS FOR HER WRITING-PROJECTS. PIPI ENJOYS COLLABORATING AND CO-WORKING WITH OTHER FILMMAKERS AND ARTISTS AND IN ADDITION TO BEING A SCREENWRITER SHE ALSO WORKS AS DRAMATURGICAL ADVISOR. SHE LIVES AND WORKS IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA.
2024
SKY IS THE LIMIT (AT)
2024
STRANGERS LIKE US (Thriller, 22', AT)
2023
VERBUNDENE RÄUME (EXPERIMENTAL, AT)
2018
FARCO&ORHAN (DOC, AT)
2018
ROBERT (DOC, AT)
G
LORENZO GONNELLI |
BIO
Lorenzo Gonnelli is an Italian director and photographer. In 2023, his screenplay Catene was selected for the ShorTS Development & Pitching Training, the Figari Film Festival and the Omladinski Film Festival, and also won the Sentiero Film Lab Award. In 2024, he directed the short film Animali Senza Dio. At the same time, he is pursuing a photographic research project on landscape and memory. In 2025, he presented the Acciaio project at Ma.Co.f, the MArteLive Biennale and the Liquida Photo Festival, where he received the Fiuto Art Space Award. In 2026, under the guidance of Jean-Marc Caimi and Valentina Piccinni for Yogurt Magazine, he developed the project Fuochi Fatui. In the same year, he took part in Michelangelo Frammartino’s directing workshop in Naples. Resti Umani is his latest short film.
2026
RESTI UMANI (THRILLER | EXPERIMENTAL, 18', IT)
2024
ANIMALI SENZA DIO (Drama , 7', IT)
I
VIKTOR IVANOV & EDOARDO PASQUINI |
BIO
EDOARDO PASQUINI AND VIKTOR IVANOV ARE A DIRECTING DUO WHO HAVE BEEN COLLABORATING SINCE 2019, DEVELOPING A DISTINCTIVE VOICE THROUGH A SERIES OF SHORT FILMS THAT BLEND DARK COMEDY WITH UNSETTLING, OFFBEAT NARRATIVE STRUCTURES. THEIR WORK EXPLORES THEMES OF DISCOMFORT, ABSURDITY, AND EMOTIONAL DISSONANCE, OFTEN USING HUMOR AS A TOOL TO UNEARTH DEEPER HUMAN CONTRADICTIONS. THEIR SHORT FILMS HAVE BEEN SCREENED AND AWARDED AT VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS, GAINING RECOGNITION FOR THEIR BOLD TONE AND INVENTIVE STORYTELLING. PASQUINI AND IVANOV CONTINUE TO CHALLENGE CINEMATIC NORMS WITH EACH NEW PROJECT. THEY ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THEIR DEBUT FEATURE FILM, FURTHER EXPANDING THEIR EXPLORATION OF THE STRANGE AND THE INTIMATE.
2026
GIRLS: SEQUOIA ADVENTURES (Comedy, 16', BG)
2022
OLD TRICKS (Comedy, 6', BG | IT)
J
GUIDO F. G. JEURISSEN |
BIO
Guido F.G. Jeurissen (1992) is a Rotterdam-based writer, director, and producer, and co-founder of the production company Rauwkost Film. His work is defined by an expressive and often raw style, supported by precise cinematography and thoughtful production design. His recent film “When I Was Little, I Wasn’t Afraid” (2025) was broadcast on NPO 2 and introduced his work to a wide national audience. Earlier, his film “A Little Less Ordinary” was selected for the Golden Calf competition at the Netherlands Film Festival 2022, establishing him as a distinctive and ambitious voice within Dutch cinema.
2025
WHEN I WAS LITTLE, I WASN'T AFRAID (DRAMA, 20', NL)
2023
A Little Less Ordinary (Drama, 24', NL)
2020
EXODUS (Drama, 6', NL)
Zvonimir Jurić |
BIO
Zvonimir Jurić is a Croatian director and screenwriter, born in 1971 in Osijek. He studied film directing at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles before completing his degree at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb, where he now serves as professor.
His short film Yellow Moon (2009), part of the Zagreb Stories omnibus, premiered in official competition at the Berlinale. His feature The Blacks (2009), co-directed with Goran Dević, screened at over forty international festivals and collected multiple awards, including the Golden Arena for Best Director at Pula. The Reaper (2014) traveled from its Toronto premiere to Karlovy Vary, Rotterdam, Palm Springs and Raindance, earning widespread critical recognition. In 2016 he co-wrote and directed the TV mini-series Road Patrol for Croatian national television. In 2026 he returns to the short form with Early Spring and is completing his new feature The Fourth King.
2026
EARLY SPRING (Drama, 15', HR)
2014
The Reaper (Drama, 98', HR & SI)
2009
The Blacks (Drama, 75', HR)
K
RUMI KAUL |
BIO
Rumi Kaul is an Indian-Dutch director who graduated from the Netherlands Film Academy in 2020 with a visually striking and experimental dance film. His second short film, Cage, a coming-of-age story exploring toxic masculinity in street football culture, was selected for the debut competition at the Netherlands Film Festival and earned nominations in four categories at the Shortcutz Film Festival Awards. It also won the Best Next Generation Award at Berlin Commercial and premiered online on Directors Notes. Currently, Rumi has finished his third short film, Class, a humorous drama that uncovers systemic issues within the Dutch education system. His films are known for being stylish and engaging, offering stories that seem small on the surface but ultimately reveal deeper societal problems, all within the realms of drama, tragedy, and irony. In addition to developing a feature script, Rumi also directs music videos, commercials, and fashion films, always bringing his narrative expertise to different mediums.
2025
KLAS (Drama, 26', NL)
2022
CAGE (NL)
2021
AWAKE (NL)
JEROEN KOOISTRA |
BIO
JEROEN KOOISTRA, BORN IN 1997 IN THE NETHERLANDS, INITIALLY HARBORED ASPIRATIONS OF BECOMING A JAZZ PIANIST, A DREAM THAT TOOK ROOT DURING HIS FORMATIVE YEARS. HOWEVER, AS HE MATURED, HIS ARTISTIC HORIZONS EXPANDED TO ENCOMPASS A DIVERSE ARRAY OF CREATIVE DISCIPLINES, INCLUDING PHOTOGRAPHY, WRITING, AND TEXTILE DESIGN. HIS DIRECTORIAL JOURNEY COMMENCED IN 2019 WHEN HE BEGAN CRAFTING MUSIC VIDEOS FOR DIVERSE MUSICIANS, HONING HIS SKILLS IN VISUAL STORYTELLING. IN 2022, JEROEN DIRECTED AND WROTE A POIGNANT 5-MINUTE SHORT FILM TITLED “HET KORT GEDING.” SIMULTANEOUSLY, WHILE IMMERSED IN THE PROCESS OF DIRECTING AND SCRIPTING “HET KORT GEDING”, JEROEN KOOISTRA EMBARKED ON THE CREATION OF “TRIPTYCH,” A PROJECT THAT REACHED ITS FRUITION IN 2023.
2023
TRYPTICH (Drama, 14', NL)
2022
HET KORT GEDING (Drama, NL)
FELIX KRISAI |
BIO
FELIX KRISAI WAS BORN IN 1991 IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA. HE DISCOVERED HIS PASSION FOR FILMMAKING AS A TEENAGER WHERE HE SPENT ALL HIS FREE TIME BOTH SHOOTING AND WATCHING FILMS. AFTER GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL HE STUDIED CINEMATOGRAPHY AT THE FILM ACADEMY VIENNA. THE FOLLOWING YEARS HE FOCUSED ON DOING CAMERA WORK IN BOTH FICTION AND DOCUMENTARY FILMS, BEFORE STARTING HIS DIRECTING STUDIES. OVER THE YEARS FELIX WROTE AND DIRECTED SEVERAL SHORTFILMS, AMONG THEM „FROM ABOVE“ WHICH HAD ITS WORLD PREMIERE AT THE MAX OPHÜLS FILM FESITVAL IN GERMANY IN 2018. FELIX HAS ALSO BEEN TEACHING YOUNG ADULTS IN FILMMAKING WORKSHOPS AND HE IS CURRENTLY WORKING AS A FREELANCE-DIRECTOR. IN ADDITION HE WORKS AS LOCATION MANAGER FOR FEATURE FILM PRODUCTIONS WHILE EARNING HIS MASTER’S DEGREE IN DIRECTING. HE LIVES AND WORKS IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA.
2024
STRANGERS LIKE US (Thriller, 22', AT)
2018
FROM ABOVE (AT)
2014
EUPHORIA (AT)
L
VASILIKI LAZARIDOU |
BIO
Vasiliki Lazaridou (they/them) is a visual artist, writer and filmmaker, from Northern Greece. Their experimental short SPLIT was selected for the international shorts program of Berlin Porn Film Festival in 2021 and is shown in galleries and festivals around the world. They have been awarded a scholarship for young artists by Stavros Niarchos Foundation, while their multimedia projects have been exhibited nationally and internationally during the last decade. Their genre short HOPEPUNK is developed and produced by Homemade Films and Les Films de Juillet with the support of Greek Film Center, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) and the National Centre of Audiovisual Media and Communications – EKOME.
2025
HOPEPUNK (Horror, 20', GR & FR)
BODHI LE BELLE |
BIO
Als As a self-taught writer-director, Bodhi develops suspenseful and tragicomic stories that reflect on people and society for a wide audience. His latest short film Unreal Estate Agent was selected for the Dutch Film Festival. His short film The Ideal Son in Law was selected for ShortCutz Amsterdam and Rotterdams OpenDoek. Bodhi has also been working as a commercial director since 2016. He is currently represented by production house CZAR, that is also the co-producer of Unreal Estate Agent.
2024
UNREAL ESTATE AGENT (Dark Comedy, 12', NL)
2017
THE IDEAL SON IN LAW (Dark Comedy, 8', NL)
2016
HANS AND WAF (Mockumentary, 3', NL)
FRANCESCO CARLO LORENZINI |
BIO
He graduated in Cinema and New Technologies from IULM University and later specialized in screenwriting at the Luchino Visconti Civic School of Cinema in Milan. He works as a freelance filmmaker, director, and editor based in Milan. L’Oro della Lama is his directorial debut in cinema. He is currently working on his second film, a personal reflection on the nostalgia of lost time.
2025
L'ORO DELLA LAMA (Drama, 18', IT)
THOM LUNSHOF |
BIO
THOM LUNSHOF GRADUATED WITH THE SHORT FILM “HARMONIA” IN 2020, A FILM ABOUT A MASS BURN-OUT EVENT AT A PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITY. HE ALSO CO-WROTE THE SCREENPLAY, A ROLE HE ALSO TOOK ON FOR HIS FUTURE PROJECTS. HE IS CURRENTLY IN THE PRE-PRODUCTION OF HIS FIRST FEATURE “FLOWER STONE”.
2023
LEAF (Drama, 20', NL)
2020
HARMONIA (Drama, 25', NL)
M
FRANCESCO MANZATO |
BIO
FRANCESCO MANZATO, BORN IN 1996, GRADUATED IN MODERN LITERATURE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MILAN. SINCE 2020 HE HAS CO-DIRECTED TWO DOCUMENTARIES CHARACTERISED BY A STRONG POLITICAL AND MILITANT CONNOTATION: URAGANO NEGLI OCCHI ON THE HARDCORE PUNK SCENE AND BRUCIA ANCORA DENTRO ON THE MILANESE ANTI-FASCIST MOVEMENT. IN 2022 HE DIRECTED THE SHORT FILM LETIZIA. IN 2023 HE MADE THE SHORT FILM A MISSED CALL DURING THE NOUVELLE BUG VOL. 2 FILM RESIDENCY. IN 2024, HE PARTICIPATED IN THE LOCARNO SPRING ACADEMY DURING WHICH HE MADE THE SHORT FILM DREAM NOW REVOLUTION TOMORROW UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF ALICE DIOP, SCREENED AT THE 77TH LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL. HE RECENTLY FINISHED NERO ARGENTO, A SHORT FILM THAT CROSSES FICTION AND DOCUMENTARY BY EXPERIMENTING WITH THE LANGUAGE OF CINEMA. THE FILM WAS SELECTED IN COMPETITION AT THE 38TH SETTIMANA DELLA CRITICA, A PARALLEL SECTION WITHIN THE VENICE FILM FESTIVAL.
2024
Nero Argento (Drama, 18', IT)
2024
Dream Now Revolution Tomorrow (Drama, 10',IT)
2024
A MISSED CALL (DOC, 10', IT)
2023
BRUCIA ANCORA DENTRO (Doc, 72', IT)
2022
Letizia (Drama, 17', IT)
2020
URAGANO NEGLI OCCHI (DOC, 48', IT)
DIMITRIS MOUTSIAKAS |
BIO
Dimitris Moutsiakas was born in 1986 and studied at the Lykourgos Stavrakos Film School. With his first film, “”Who’s Santa?””(2011), he competed in the national and international section of Drama International Short Film Festival. The film also participated in international festivals around the world and was awarded the Odysseus Award of Best Short Film at the LGFF and Award of Silver Reel at Lucerne Film Festival 2013. In 2020 he made his second short film, Bourn, which has competed at the Drama International Short Film Festival, Athens International Film Festival and other festivals abroad. His last short film ”GEKAS” won Best Film Award (Oscar® qualifying), Best Script, Best Photography at 47th Drama International Short Film Festival.
2024
GEKAS (DRAMA, 26', EL)
2020
BOURN (EL)
2011
POIOS VASSILIS (DRAMA, EL, 25')
N
ANDREA NEGRONI |
BIO
Born and raised in Cremona in 1995, Andrea Negroni is an italian film writer and director, whose voice finds its higher expression in realism, in simple acts of everyday life. He mastered in Modern Literature and he trained as a photographer in Palermo during a year of social and anthropological research in the popular districts of the city. The encounters that occurred in this time are fundamental for his creative growth, shaping and strengthening his vision of the world, helping to define his visual language.
2024
MATÈL (Drama, 20', IT)
EMILY NORLING |
BIO
Emily Norling is a writer and director based in Stockholm, Sweden. Her feature debut, the documentary All We Own (2019) had its world premiere at Gothenburg Film Festival. The film won the prize New Doc at Tempo Documentary Festival and was later in competition in the Nordic:Dox section at CPH:DOX. In January 2020 Emily was awarded the Best New Talent award at the Guldbagge Gala (the Swedish Oscars). Her second film, the hybrid documentary Megaheartz premiered in Next Wave Competition at CPH:DOX. It was later screened at DOC:NYC among other festival. Megaheartz had thearatical distribution in Sweden during the spring of 2024. Skråbock / Scraps is her first fiction film.
2025
SCRAPS (Drama, 14', SE)
ANI NOVAKOVIC |
BIO
ANI NOVAKOVIC WAS BORN IN ST. POELTEN, AUSTRIA IN 1992. SHE DISCOVERED HER PASSION FOR STORYTELLING AT THE AGE OF 14 WHEN SHE WROTE A TEXT ABOUT HER MOTHER, WHICH INEVITABLY LED TO DOMESTIC TURMOIL. ANI DROPPED OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL AT THE AGE OF 17 AND MOVED TO LOS ANGELES A YEAR LATER. DURING HER TIME LIVING IN CALIFORNIA FROM 2010-2014, SHE HONED HER WRITING SKILLS AND PENNED A SATIRICAL NOVEL ABOUT HER UPBRINGING. UPON HER RETURN TO VIENNA, SHE OBTAINED HER HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA WHILE WORKING TWO JOBS. SHE PURSUED HER PASSION FOR STORYTELLING BY STUDYING SCREENWRITING AND DIRECTING AT THE FILM ACADEMY VIENNA FROM 2017-2021. CURRENTLY, SHE IS PURSUING DUAL MASTER’S DEGREES IN THESE FIELDS. IN 2022, SHE RECEIVED A SCREENWRITING GRANT. ALONGSIDE HER STUDIES, SHE WORKS AS A FREELANCE WRITER.
2023
I/ME (DRAMA, 24', AT)
2022
CRANBERRY JUICE (Drama, 30', AT)
Alexandra Ntelitheou |
BIO
ALEXANDRA NTELITHEOU is a Greek film director, screenwriter, photographer, videographer, and actress.She graduated from the Athens Drama School and she studied directing at the Experimental School of the National Theater of Greece.She studied photography at the Athens Leica Academy, and videography at SAE istitute.
2026
HOLTERLINE (DRAMA, 20', GR)
O
GIOVANNI ORTOLEVA |
BIO
Giovanni Ortoleva is a director and author in theater and cinema. He graduated from the Paolo Grassi School in 2017, was awarded a special mention as “Director Under 30” by the Venice Biennale in 2018 and was invited to present his work in two editions of the festival. Since then he has collaborated with some of the most important Italian and Swiss theaters. From 2022 to 2024 he is resident director at the Teatro della Tosse in Genoa. His short film “Autoritratto con Arma,” with which he made his film debut, was selected at the Turin Film Festival 2021 and won the Ermanno Olmi Award. In 2023, the script for “Innocent days” won the SIAE “Per chi crea” funding. The New York Times wrote that his work “shows remarkable promise and imagination.
2026
GIORNI INNOCENTI (Drama, 19', IT)
2026
Autoritratto con arma (Drama, 10', IT)
P
JULIA PATEY |
BIO
JULIA STARTED HER FILMMAKING CAREER IN CANADA AT THE AGE OF 6, MAKING FAKE COMMERCIALS WITH HER SIBLINGS ON THEIR FAMILY CAMCORDER. SHE THEN RECEIVED A BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS IN VANCOUVER, WHERE SHE STUDIED PHILOSOPHY AND FILM PRODUCTION, EXPERIMENTING WITH VISUAL STORYTELLING AND PHOTOGRAPHY. IN 2013, SHE LEFT HER HOMELAND BEHIND AND SET OFF FOR BERLIN IN PURSUIT OF NEW INSPIRATION. JULIA’S WORK AIMS TO CREATE A SENSUAL EXPERIENCE FOR THE VIEWER USING IMMERSIVE CINEMATOGRAPHY AND ASMR-LIKE SOUND DESIGN. HER AIM IS TO GET UNDER THE VIEWER’S SKIN, TO SHOW THE FAMILIAR IN A WHOLE NEW WAY, AUGMENTING REALITY BY FOCUSING ON THE DETAILS. FOR HER, STORYTELLING IS THE DANCE BETWEEN THE WHOLE AND THE PARTS, THE WIDE AND THE MACRO, THE OBJECTIVE AND THE SUBJECTIVE. THE GOING MOTTO : DO NOT GET COMFORTABLE.
2023
THE TREE OF DELIGHT
2023
ONCE UPON A TIME IN DELIGHT
2023
LETTUCE NEVER GIVE UP
2023
MUM (Drama, '18, DE)
2022
KEEP LIVE ALIVE
2021
WOMEN IN MEDIA
2021
ELEMENTAL
2020
NO EXIT
2018
SP(L)IT
2017
ENTR'ACTE (Erotic)
2015
JUICE PORN (Erotic, '1)
2014
JUICE: CHAPTER 1
2014
I'VE HEARD THAT SONG BEFORE
2013
THE GREEN DESERT (Doc)
2012
FROM BARBARA TO TXI (Doc)
2012
SWIM
Q
LORENZO QUAGLIOZZI |
BIO
Lorenzo Quagliozzi (Rome, 1999) is a self-taught director. After graduating from high school, he interned on the sets of Paolo Sorrentino’s The New Pope and Marco Bellocchio’s Exterior Night. From 2018 to 2019, he curated the video documentation for the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome and collaborated on archive research for Giuseppe Tornatore’s documentary Ennio. Following Illusione (2020) and Il mio cuore è vuoto come uno specchio – Episodio di Odessa (2022), he won the Nastro d’Argento for Best Short Film in 2024 with De l’amour perdu. ARCA is his fifth short film.
2025
ARCA (SCI-FI, 20', IT)
2023
DE L'AMOUR PERDU (Drama, 17', IT)
2022
IL MIO CUORE È VUOTO COME UNO SPECCHIO (Doc, 28', IT & UA)
2020
ILLUSIONE (Drama, 15', IT)
R
ANGELO RAAIJMAKERS |
BIO
ANGELO RAAIJMAKERS (1992) IS A DUTCH WRITER AND DIRECTOR. HE GRADUATED IN 2015 FROM ST. JOOST – SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS AND DESIGN WITH HIS SHORT FILM SAD SPIRIT. IN 2017, HE DIRECTED THE PORN FILM CORN FOR VPRO’S DIRTY FILM DOCUMENTARY SERIES, VIEWED BY OVER 500,000 PEOPLE. AFTER THAT, ANGELO DIRECTED THE SHORT FILMS WHEN I EXPLODE AND I, ADONIS. HIS WORK SCREENED AT FESTIVALS SUCH AS UPPSALA, NASHVILLE, TORONTO AFTER DARK AND GRIMSTAD, WAS FEATURED ON OMELETO AND NOMINATED IN COMPETITIONS LIKE THE SILVER LYNX COMPETITION AT FEST – NEW DIRECTORS, THE MÉLIÈS COMPETITION AT IMAGINE FILM FESTIVAL AND THE F3 COMPETITION IN BOGOTÁ. ANGELO RECENTLY COMPLETED HIS SHORT FILM A PERFECT NIGHT, WHICH WAS PART OF THE CINESUD ‘TALENTS TO CANNES’ PROGRAM AT THE 76TH CANNES FILM FESTIVAL.
2024
A PERFECT NIGHT (Drama, 18', AT)
2021
I, ADONIS (Horror, AT)
2020
WHEN I EXPLODE (Drama/Dark Comedy, 7', AT)
2017
CORN (Erotic, AT)
2015
DROEFGEEST (Fantasy, 10', AT)
REZA RASOULI |
BIO
REZA RASOULI, BORN IN MASHHAD, IRAN, IS A DIRECTOR AND SCREENWRITER. SINCE HIS CHILDHOOD HE HAS BEEN ACCOMPANIED BY A GREAT PASSION FOR THEATER AND CINEMA, ALREADY DURING HIS SCHOOL YEARS HE IS ACTIVE IN THEATER AND REALIZES HIS FIRST OWN CINEMATIC PROJECTS. AFTER GRADUATING FROM SCHOOL, HE IS ACTIVE IN FILM IN TEHRAN AND REALIZED HIS OWN SHORT FILMS. SINCE THE END OF 2019 REZA RASOULI LIVES AND WORKS IN AUSTRIA, WHERE HE STUDIES DIRECTING AT THE FILM ACADEMY VIENNA SINCE 2021.
2024
LASAGNE (Drama, 12', AT)
2022
CHARLOTTE (Doc, 12', AT)
2022
DU RIECHST GUT (Drama, 11', AT)
2021
KÖNNTEST DU ENDLICH STILL SEIN, BITTE (Drama, 5', AT)
2021
ANKOMMEN (Drama, 14', AT)
ALESSANDRO ROCCA |
BIO
ALESSANDRO ROCCA WAS BORN IN MILAN. HE’S A DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE VIDEO PRODUCTION DESTINATIONFILM. HIS DEBUT SHORT FILM “AGOSTO IN PELLICCIA” WON THE BEST DIRECTOR AWARD AT VISIONI ITALIANE 2022 AND BEST SHORT FILM AT RIFF 2023 AND CINÉ OFF. HIS SHORT FILM SANS DIEU IS CURRENTLY DISTRIBUTED AT FESTIVALS AND ALESSANDRO IS WORKING ON HIS THIRD AND FINAL SHORT FILM WITH THE PROVISIONAL TITLE “KROLIK!”.
2024
SANS DIEU (Drama, 10', IT)
2022
AGOSTO IN PELLICCIA (Drama, 20', IT)
PASQUALE RUSSO |
BIO
Born in 2003, Pasquale Russo is a screenwriter, director and photographer. At 17, he was nominated for the 9th edition of the Prix Pictet, a prestigious Swiss photography prize. After high school, he directed an independent short film that premiered at Sguardi Scomodi Film Festival, followed by a successful pitch with Italian actor, director and producer Marcello Macchia for his second short film, Carne.
2026
CARNE (Horror , 9', IT)
Q
MATTEO SANDERS |
BIO
Matteo Sanders was born in Innsbruck in 1989 and has been making his own short films, music videos and commercials since 2006. In 2017, he began his studies in directing and screenwriting at the Vienna Film Academy under Michael Haneke. In 2019 he spent a semester in Oslo, Norway, at the Westerdals School of Arts, Communication and Technology and in 2021 he was Artist in Residence in Paliano, Italy. In 2023, the short film “Am Grat” (2022 – “On The Edge”) was in the semifinals of the Student Academy Awards, as well as a Vimeo Staff Pick Premiere release in 2023. His short documentary ” 33′ 66º ” (2023) was included in the VOD of the Doc Around Europe network. In 2024 he completed the essay film trilogy “Farewell” (2024) with the artist Julia Haugeneder, which has been presented at an exhibition at Neue Galerie Graz in 2024. In January 2025, his short film “Taschengeld” (2025) had it’s premiere at the Max Ophüls Preis film festival.
2025
TASCHENGELD (SATIRE, 16', AT)
MARCO SANTORO |
BIO
Marco Santoro is an Italian D Taodue Films, dividing his time between film and TV productions. His first international proving ground was Expo 2010 Shanghai, for which he directed “Greening the Future.” Produced by the Italian the Ministry for the Environment, this documentary was screened around the world. Shortly after, he moved to Los Angeles. There he would spend the next three years as Assistant Editor on Marvel Comics productions and working on numerous feature films as both Editor and Camerman. After returning, full of hopes and regrets, to Italy for personal reasons, he began his ongoing career in television direction. To date, he has directed numerous TV shows, commercials and clips for the principal Italian broadcasters. In 2024 he created the series “Confusi 2 (2024)” for Rai2 and RaiPlay and directed and produced the short film “The Mole,” set in his home city.
2025
LA TALPA (Comedy, 14', EL)
ANDREA SBARBARO |
BIO
ANDREA SBARBARO, BORN IN CERNUSCO SUL NAVIGLIO IN 1998, MADE HIS DEBUT IN 2018 WITH “HYPOCHONDRIA”, A SHORT FILM IN MIXED TECHNIQUE. IN 2020 HE DIRECTED THE SHORT FILM “HIKIKOMORI” WITH WHICH HE GRADUATED IN FILM AND TELEVISION DIRECTION AT THE CIVICA SCUOLA DI CINEMA LUCHINO VISCONTI. IN 2021 HE MADE “THE HUMAN IMPLANT”, A SHORT FILM STARRING GIOVANNI STORTI AND TERESA ACERBIS, PRESENTED AT THE RIFF ROME INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL AND IN 40 OTHER FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD. IN 2022 HE CO-DIRECTED WITH RICCARDO COPRENI THE SHORT FILM “FAREWELL FOR TODAY”. IN 2023 COPRENI AND SBARBARO RETURN TO THE SET TO DIRECT THEIR SECOND SHORT FILM TOGETHER: “154”, A SCI-FI MOVIE STARRING GIOVANNI STORTI AND GIULIA BELLU. SINCE 2021 HE IS PART OF THE ECLETTICA COLLECTIVE AS DIRECTOR AND EDITOR ON SHORT FILMS AND ADVERTISING PRODUCTIONS.
2024
154 (SCI-FI, 20', ITA)
2022
ADDIO, PER ADESSO (EXPERIMENTAL, 7', ITA)
2022
VAE VICTIS (DRAMA, 6', ITA)
2021
L'IMPIANTO UMANO (COMEDY, 11', ITA)
2020
HIKIKOMORI (Drama, 20', ITA)
2018
HYPOCHONDRIA (Drama, 20', ITA)
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|
BIO
Pim Vogels is a 30-year-old screenwriter and director from Eindhoven. After graduating from the Academy of Creative Industries in 2019, he focused on building a career as a screenwriter. Through various talent programs, including a fiction development trajectory with dramaturg Ibo Karatay and the Netflix x Playgrounds Writers Room, he refined his storytelling skills and developed a strong creative voice. Over time, he expanded into directing, driven by his interest in absurd and surreal cinema. This ambition took shape while working as an assistant director on Psychonaut. He made his directorial debut with Hou je Haaks (2024), followed by his second short film, Fatum (2025), both reflecting his passion for unconventional storytelling.
2025
FATUM (Mistery, 14', NL)
W
TARYN WARD |
BIO
Taryn Ward is a writer and director currently working and living in Brooklyn, NY. His often deadpan, observational filmmaking attempts to bridge the gap between farce and familiar. In 2021, he was awarded a grant by the Jerome Hill Foundation to aid the partial production of his feature script: Broken Goods (working title,) in 2022 he was recognized as a finalist for their fellowship program. He has directed several narrative works that have been screened online and within various festivals across the country.
2025
NEST (DRAMA, 14', US)
U
EDOARDO ULIVELLI |
BIO
Edoardo Ulivelli (Florence, 1994) is a writer-director whose work explores emotional fractures rooted in incommunicability. He began making short films at an early age, alongside theatre work, and received international recognition for his photography. After graduating from DAMS in Bologna, he earned a Master’s in Filmmaking from the London Film School. His graduation short, Lo Sguardo, a film that delves into desire and fragile masculinity through a blend of drama and the grotesque, was selected at BAFTA and Oscar-qualifying festivals such as Aesthetica and In The Palace, and featured on Directors Notes. Back in Italy, he collaborated with Eclettica and T-Rex to create Rando, a hybrid short combining anime and live action, exploring the fear of loss through the eyes of a child.
2025
RANDO (DRAMA | ANIMATION, 13', IT)
2022
LO SGUARDO (Comedy, 25', IT)
Z
LINAS ŽIŪRA |
BIO