Raluca Mănescu graduated from the National University of Theater and Cinema in Romania, screenwriting and film critic section. She wrote and produced a few short films which received high praise and awards at international film festivals like Cottbus IFF, Sarajevo IFF, Thessaloniki IFF, Namur IFF. Her debut in scriptwriting for the feature film ”The world is mine”, directed by Nicolae Constantin Tănase received the special mention of the jury at the Karlovy Vary IFF and also the debut award at TIFF, both in 2015. Presently, Raluca works as a screenwriter and story designer in national and international projects for various action films, documentaries and series.

Katarzyna started her professional career as a production manager and set manager in commercials and music videos production, as well as working for numerous film festivals. In 2010 she joined Se-ma-for as events coordinator and production assistant. From 2012 to 2015 she worked as production manager and line producer in Se-ma-for. Co-founder of Momakin and co-organizer of Animarkt Stopmotion Market, she is currently acting as an executive producer, coordinating work of stop motion artists from all around the world. She is a member of Polish Filmmakers Association (SFP) and Polish Animation Producers Association (SPPA).

Ana Branea (*1986, Bucharest) studied sound and editing at the film school "I.L. Caragiale" in Bucharest and at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg. In 2011 she started working on her first feature documentary TURN OFF THE LIGHTS (2012, directed by Ivana Mladenovic), which was awarded with the Heart of Sarajevo. In the same year she attended the Aristoteles Workshop with a focus on documentary film, where she was supervised by mentors such as Thierry Garrel and Rafi Pitts. Her studies at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg were supported by the DAAD scholarship, so she could focus on editing three feature films. INSEL 36 (2014, directed by Asli Özarslan), BILDER VOM FLO (2015, directed by Julian Vogel) and DIL LEYLA (2016, directed by Asli Özarslan) have won national and international awards. In 2016 she returned to Bucharest and began working on the documentary COLLEKTIV (2019, directed by Alexander Nanau), which was nominated for two Oscars. In 2024 her first fiction feature ELBOW (2024, directed by Asli Özarslan) premiered at the Berlinale Generation section. Currently Ana is lecturing at the Bucharest film school "I.L. Caragiale" and just started directing her first documentary film LACTOBAR.

Sara Gunnarsdóttir (1982) is an Academy Award nominated director and artist who has created animation, music videos, and original artwork for film and television, including Marielle Heller’s celebrated debut feature “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” and HBO’s Emmy-nominated “The Case Against Adnan Sayed.”

Sara was born and raised in Reykjavik, Iceland, where she received her BFA from the Icelandic Academy of the Arts, while creating and performing with the electro punk band Donna Mess. She received her MFA in Experimental Animation from CalArts, and her thesis animated documentary short, “The Pirate of Love,” was nominated for “Best Alternative” in The Academy’s Student Academy Awards.

Sara most recently directed the animated comedy “My Year of Dicks,” created by Pamela Ribon (Moana, Nimona), for FX Network. The film won Special Jury Awards at SXSW for Unique Vision in Writing and Directing and earned Sara a nomination for an Oscar in 2023.

Her work has been showcased at New Directors / New Films, AFI Fest, SXSW, Annecy and the Telluride Film Festival. Sara currently lives and works in Reykjavík, Iceland with her husband, Ethan Clarke, and daughter Gréta.

Mariam Kandelaki is a multifaceted professional in the world of animation, renowned for her expertise as both an Animation Director and Producer. Organizer of International Film Festival “Nikozi”, leading educational project “Annecy Georgia” Animation project development workshop, founder of annual international animation conference Anima-Tbilisi and Georgian Animators Association SAQANIMA. Board member of EMILE European Animation Award EAA. The films that she worked on earned more than 50 awards at the festivals around the globe. Throughout her career journey, Mariam Kandelaki has continually demonstrated a deep commitment to advancing the art and industry of animation.

Damian Groves is a director, writer and producer. Interested in the art of storytelling from an early age, Damian found his voice in cinema and his passion took him to Romania, where he and his brother Anton Groves and other filmmakers founded the Studioset production company. Together they have over the years told stories through commercials, music videos and films, winning a selection of international awards including at the Cannes Film Festival and London BFI. His latest short animated film, Opinci, won the grand prize at the Clermont Ferrand International Film Festival in 2020.

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Ana Covalciuc is a theater and film actress, trainer and co-founder of Acting Works.  She graduated from the Faculty of Theater, Acting section, in 2008, at U.N.A.T.C. "I.L. Caragiale" Bucharest, where she subsequently obtained her master's degree (2010) and doctorate (2014). Since graduating, she has been constantly collaborating with the "L.S. Bulandra" Theatre, the Bucharest National Theatre, the Metropolis Theatre, the Comedy Theatre, Godot and ArCuB.

In 2015 she was nominated in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category at the UNITER Awards, for the role of the Landlady in the show "The Good Man from Seciuan", directed by Andrei Șerban, at the "L.S.Bulandra" Theatre.

In her cinema career she worked with Cristi Puiu, Bogdan Theodor Olteanu, Germain Kanda, Teona Galgoțiu, Sarra Tsorakidis, Andrei Huțuleac, Vali Hotea, Ciprian Mega. For her role Giulia in the film "Lebensdorf", directed by Vali Hotea, she was nominated at the UCIN 2023 Gala in the Best Supporting Actress category. 

The year 2024 brought her two new roles: as Director of Ideo Ideis Workshops and as host of "Discovering Empathy" - a series of public interviews designed to inspire and create space for dialog and action for a better world.

Foto Adi Bulboacă