Mohammad RASOULOF

Mohammad Rasoulof is an independent director, writer, and producer from Iran. His film career started with documentaries and short films. His debut feature The Twilight (2002), a docudrama, won Best Film at Fajr International Film Festival 2003 in Iran. He was made known to international audiences by his second feature Iron Island (2005). Rasoulof has made eight feature films so far, including Goodbye (2011), Manuscripts Don’t Burn (2013), and A Man of Integrity (2017), and has received several international awards including Cannes Film Festival. Recently he won the Golden Bear at Berlin International Film Festival for There is No Evil (2020). Although his films have been enjoyed by a wide audience abroad, none were allowed to be screened in Iran due to censorship. His new feature film The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024) received a Jury Special Prize at Cannes Film Festival 2024.

LEE Myung-Se

Director Lee Myung-Se is a prominent figure in Korean cinema. Three of his films—Gagman (1988), First Love (1993), and Nowhere to Hide (1999)—were included in the list of 100 films selected to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Korean cinema. Further notable works include Bitter and Sweet (1995), Their Last Love Affair (1996), My Love, My Bride (1990), Duellist (2005), M (2007), and more recently I Can’t Live Without You (2017), Father is Gone (2022, part of VR project Missing Pictures), and The Killers (2024). Known for his innovative and stylish directing, Lee Myung-Se continues to create films that will unfailingly captivate the audience.

ZHOU Dongyu

Zhou Dongyu, Chinese actor, debuted with Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010), directed by Zhang Yimou, and continued her career starring in several acclaimed films including This is Not What I Expected (2017) and Us and Them (2018). Winning Best Actress Award in Golden Horse Awards 2016 for her role in Soul Mate (2016), Best Actress Award at Hong Kong Film Awards 2020, and Golden Rooster Award for her performance in Better Days (2019), Zhou Dongyu is the youngest person in Chinese film history to win all three prestigious awards. Zhou Dongyu’s influence in the film industry is reaching further as she joined as a jury member for the competition sections of Shanghai International Film Festival 2021 and Beijing International Film Festival 2023.

Kani KUSRUTI

Kani Kusruti was awarded Best Actor in Kerala State Film Awards 2020 and the BRICS Best Actress Award at Moscow International Film Festival 2020 for her role in Biriyaani (2019), directed by Sajin Baabu. Kusruti continued to take on diverse and challenging roles across various film industries, including Malayalam, Tamil, and French cinema. Her ability to adapt to different characters and narratives has earned her a reputation as a versatile and talented actor. Kani Kusruti is known not only for her acting but also for her activism on social and political issues, including gender equality, human rights, and more. This year, the film Girls Will Be Girls (2024) won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2024, and All We Imagine as Light (2024) won the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival 2024, both of which Kani Kusturi held the main role, continuing to achieve great success in her film career.

Vanja KALUDJERCIC

Vanja Kaludjercic was appointed Festival Director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) as of Feb 2020, for which she drives its artistic voice, championing bold cinema and actively supporting independent filmmakers. Shaping IFFR’s curatorial approach and futureproofing the festival, Kaludjercic has a deep understanding of film curation and the industry landscape with her 20 years of experience in the international film industry. Before joining IFFR, she was Director of Acquisitions at the global streaming service MUBI and held a key role at COPRODUCTION OFFICE. Her career also includes significant positions at Les Arcs European Film Festival, the Sarajevo Film Festival, and the Netherlands Film Festival. Kaludjercic also served as a jury member at events including the Berlin International Film Festival, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), Annecy, BFI London Film Festival, and many more.

Christian JEUNE

Christian Jeune’s career at the Cannes Film Festival began in 1983, where he worked first locally at the press office. He then joined the Paris office at the Film Department in 1991, where he is now the Director of the Film Department and works as a programmer and Deputy to the General Delegate. Since 1995, Jeune has been in charge of the pre-selection and official selection of Asian films, frequently traveling to destinations such as South Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong to select works to introduce at the Cannes Film Festival. As a translator, Jeune has worked on more than 100 films, including the Jason Bourne series, the three Kingsman films and Park Chan-wook’s Stoker (2013). He continues to play a key role in the discovery and promotion of Asian films worldwide.

Prasanna VITHANAGE

Widely regarded as one of the most talented and influential filmmakers in South Asia, Prasanna Vithanage is known for his thought-provoking films that often deal with social, political, and cultural themes. Vithanage’s films have been praised for their compelling storytelling, garnering numerous accolades locally and internationally, including the Kim Jiseok Award at Busan International Film Festival 2023. Vithanage is a passionate educator of cinema who has fought against censorship in Sri Lanka and conducted numerous masterclasses for young filmmakers. He is also an activist and advocates for human rights and peace initiatives.

SHIN Suwon

Shin Suwon gained international recognition for her debut feature film Passerby #3 (2010), which won the JJ-STAR Award at Jeonju International Film Festival 2010 and Best Asian-Middle Eastern Film Award at Tokyo International Film Festival 2010. Her short film Circle Line (2012) won the Canal+ Award at Critics’ Week of Cannes Film Festival 2012, and her second feature Pluto (2013) received a Special Mention in the Generation 14plus at Berlin International Film Festival 2013. Madonna (2015) was the nominee for Cannes Film Festival 2015’s Un Certain Regard Prize; Glass Garden (2017) was selected as the opening film of Busan International Film Festival 2017; and her recent feature film Hommage (2022) was invited to multiple international film festivals including Tokyo International Film Festival 2021 and Tribeca Film Festival 2022.

Mohsen MAKHMALBAF

Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf is one of the world’s most influential filmmakers and a founder of the Iranian New Wave Cinema. He has received over 50 awards at international film festivals for his work, including Gabbeh (1996), A Moment of Innocence (1996), The Silence (1998), Kandahar (2001), and The President (2014). His film Kandahar was chosen as one of “All-TIME 100 Movies” by TIME magazine, and A Moment of Innocence (1996) was selected as one of 10 best films of the 1990s amongst directors of international film festivals. As a filmmaker with great influence over Iranian cinema, Makhmalbaf has dedicated the last decade working towards the growth of Afghan and Tajikistani cinema and continues to do so tirelessly.

FUJIOKA Asako

Fujioka Asako has worked at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival since 1993. After working as a programmer, she became the director of the Tokyo office and is now serving as the vice-chair of the board. Since 2009, Fujioka began organizing film workshops around Asia as the head of Documentary Dream Center (DD Center), and in 2018 launched a filmmakers’ residency program called Yamagata Documentary Dojo. As a producer, Fujioka Asako has worked on multiple documentaries including Nude at Heart (2021), and continues to support documentary filmmaking practices, global conversations around Japanese films, and audience outreach.

LEE Soojung

Director Lee Soojung graduated from the Korean Academy of Film Arts, and was active in a film movement group in the late 1980s. Since the 1990s, she has worked as a director of television documentaries and as a producer of feature films. Her first feature Jinsuk & Me (2012) is a documentary which was inspired by the Hope Bus movement which supported the middle-aged female worker who began a high-altitude crane protest at a shipyard in Busan in 2011. Lee Soojung co-directed Cruel State (2015) which documented the year following the Sewol Ferry disaster, and was invited to numerous international film festivals including the Busan International Film Festival for her films Time To Read Poems (2016), Sister J (2020), Pull (2024). Notably, Sister J (2020), which documents the 10 years of a dismissed worker's struggle and life, received the BIFF Mecenat Award at the Busan International Film Festival 2020.

LIM Daehyung

Lim Daehyung is a Korean writer and director whose work includes Merry Christmas Mr. Mo (2016), Moonlit Winter (2019), and the TVING original series LTNS (2024). His debut feature Merry Christmas Mr. Mo won the NETPAC Award at Busan International Film Festival 2016, Best New Director award at Busan Film Critics Association Award 2018, and Best New Director Award at Wildflower Film Awards 2018. His sophomore Moonlit Winter was selected as the closing film at Busan International Film Festival 2019, and received Best Screenplay and Best Director at Korean Association of Film Critics Association Awards 2020 and Best Screenplay and Best Director awards at Blue Dragon Film Awards 2021.

Constance TSANG

Constance Tsang is a Chinese American filmmaker based in New York. She graduated from Columbia University with an MFA in Screenwriting and Directing. Her first feature film Blue Sun Palace premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week 2024, and won the French Touch Prize of the Jury.

YAMANAKA Yoko

Born in 1997 in Nagano, Japan, Yamanaka Yoko taught herself filmmaking after dropping out of Nihon University’s Film Department. Her debut feature Amiko (2017) won the Audience Award at Pia Film Festival 2017, and the following year, at the age of 20, Yamanaka became the youngest ever feature film director to be invited to the Berlin International Film Festival. Yamanaka’s sophomore feature Desert of Namibia (2024) was selected as part of the Directors’ Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI International Critics’ Award.

KIM Sunyoung

Actor Kim Sunyoung has garnered widespread acclaim from both the public and critics for her strong presence and exceptional performance in series such as Reply 1988 (2015), When the Camelia Blooms (2019), Crash Landing On You (2019). She has also made a significant impact in films like Three Sisters (2021), Dream Palace (2023), Concrete Utopia (2023), and more. Kim Sunyoung won Best Actress at the Asian Film Festival 2023 and Best Acting at the Women in Film Korea 2023 for Dream Palace (2023), Best Supporting Actress at the DaeJong Film Festival 2023, and the Best Actress Award at the Director's Cut Awards 2024 for her role in Concrete Utopia (2023) securing her strong presence in the industry.

RYU Junyeol

Ryu Junyeol debuted with the film Socialphobia (2015) and gained recognition with the drama series Reply 1988 (2015) for his acting skills and popularity. Since then, he has had a wide acting range and a strong presence in works like The King (2017), A Taxi Driver (2017), Believer (2018), Alienoid Parts 1 (2022) and 2 (2024), and The 8 Show (2024). In particular, Ryu Junyeol has established himself as an irreplaceable actor, receiving several prestigious awards for his performance in the film The Night Owl (2023), including Best Actor at Baeksang Arts Awards 2023, Korean Association of Film Critics Awards 2023, Golden Cinematography Awards 2023, and Chunsa Film Festival 2023.

KANG Je-kyu

Director Kang Je-kyu debuted with The Ginko Bed (1996) and directed numerous milestone works in the Korean cinematic history, including Shiri (1999) and TaeGukGi: Brotherhood Of War (2004). And his latest film is Road to Boston (2023).

SHIM Jaemyung

CEO of Myung Films, Shim Jaemyung has participated in the production of various Korean films, such as The Contact (1997), Joint Security Area /JSA (2000), Forever The Moment (2007), Leafie, a Hen Into The Wild (2011), Architecture 101 (2012) and Chun Tae-il (2021).

YOO Ji-tae

Actor Yoo Ji-tae has built a solid career throughout the years through participation in various projects from movies, such as One Fine Spring Day (2001), Old Boy (2003), Midnight F.M. (2010), and SVAHA : THE SIXTH FINGER (2018), to the drama series, Vigilante (2023).

KWON Youngrak

Representative Kwon Youngrak began his career as an assistant director on Chil-su and Man-su (1988) and worked as a producer on various films including Two Cops (1993), The Young Man (1994), and Marrying the Mafia (2002). He has served as the president of Cinerock Pictures, an advisory member of the BIFF, and an assistant chairperson of the BIFAN. Additionally, he is involved in commemorative projects for Lee Choon-yun, the late Chairperson of the Korean Association of Film Art & Industry, as a member of the Lee Choon-yun Memorial Project Committee.

JUNG Hanseok

Programmer Jung Hanseok of Busan International Film Festival has been recognized for his discernment in discovering Korean independent films and newly emerging directors.

Teréz VINCZE

Teréz Vincze is a Hungarian film critic and professor of film studies at ELTE University in Budapest. From 1990s, she has been publishing film-related studies and articles and has also been the editor of the Hungarian film journal Metropolis since 1999. Since 2002, Vincze has involved herself in academia, teaching film studies and criticism. In addition to focusing on Hungarian and European films, she has a special interest in East Asian cinema. She has served as a juror on numerous international film festival juries in Europe and Asia and has been a member of the Hungarian section of FIPRESCI since 2000.

Hsin WANG

Hsin Wang is a writer and political·cultural critic in Taiwan, also an attorney-at-law admitted in California and Taiwan. He has written the poem Glacial Love (1996), novels Thirteen Entities of the Sea (2000) and Wishing I Could Sleep As a Dream (2004), art criticism Elsewhere of Elsewhere (2011) and more. He has served as the FIPRESCI Jury Chair of Cannes Film Festival 2023, FIPRESCI Jury member of Berlin International Film Festival 2022, Istanbul Film Festival 2021, Busan International Film Festival 2021/2022, Stockholm Film Festival 2021/2022, and Golden Globe Awards.

Souewon RHEE

Rhee Souewon is a film critic and professor at Chonnam National University. Since receiving her doctorate at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris III, Rhee Souewon has held role as a programmer at Busan International Film Festival, as well as a jury member and panel for several international film festivals including Locarno Film Festival, Jerusalem Film Festival, Bogota International Film Festival, Bucheon International Animation Festival, and DMZ International Documentary Film Festival. Rhee Souewon served as an expert adviser in film for L'Année France-Corée 2015-2016. Current roles include international chairperson for FIPRESCI Korea, editorial committee member for art and cultural critique quarterly Critique M, and advisory committee member for Jeju French Film Festival. Written works include A Day’s Romance to Eternity: Traveling the Mediterranean Through Film (2014), and translated works include Steven Spielberg: Interviews, Revised and Updated (2022), Eric Rohmer: Interviews (2017), A Short History of Cahiers du Cinéma (2013), and Ballaciner (2008).

IGARASHI Kohei

Born in 1983 in Shizuoka Prefecture, he directed his first feature film Voice of Rain That Comes at Night (2008) while studying at Tokyo Zokei University, which won the Korean Critics' Prize at Cinema Digital Seoul Film Festival 2008. His second feature film Hold Your Breath Like a Lover (2014), final work at the Graduate School of Cinema and New Media at the Tokyo University of the Arts, competed at the Locarno International Film Festival 2014 in the Concorso Cineasti del Presente section. The Night I Swam (2017), co-directed with French filmmaker Damien Manivel, was presented in the Orizzonti section of the Venice International Film Festival 2017 and numerous festivals around of the world. In 2023, he presented the short film Two of Us (2023) at the San Sebastian International Film Festival 2023, a sort of prequel to his latest feature film Super Happy Forever.

Herman VAN EYKEN

Professor Herman Van Eyken graduated with a Master's Degree in Audio Visual Arts from the RITS national film school in Brussels. He studied film in Italy under Prof. Mario Verdone and Prof. Umberto Eco after receiving an Italian fellowship. For over 40 years, he directed over 200 films, including commercials, documentaries, and feature films, earning acclaim and awards at international festivals. In 1990, he returned to RITS as a professor in Film Directing, pursuing his career as a film educator which led him to establish Singapore's first film degree program at LASALLE. He served as a jury member at Locarno International Film Festival 2001, served as Director of the Griffith Film School for over 14 years and chaired at the CILECT Asia Pacific Association for 8 years, leaving a mark on European and the Asia Pacific cinema as a film academic, writer, producer, and director.

KIM Miyoung

Kim Miyoung graduated from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Ewha Woman's University and the Korean Academy of Film Arts, and received an MA in Aesthetics at Seoul National University. She directed and produced short films including Finder (2008), Two Nights (2009), and The Moral in My Time (2012), and independent features including Upstanding Man (2015), Never Ever Rush (2018), and A Lonely Island in the Distant Sea (2023). A Lonely Island in the Distant Sea (2023) won the DGK MEGABOX Award at Busan International Festival 2021, Best Film and Best Actor awards at Busan Film Critics Awards 2023, Best Director at Women In Film Korea 2023, National Film award at Korea Arthouse Cinema Association Awards 2024, and Best Film award at Wildflower Film Awards 2024.

KIM Lokkyoung

Kim Lokkyoung, born in 1982, began working as an actor in various projects from 2004 and started making films in 2015. He directed the short film Not Waving But Drowning (2019), and the feature films Festival (2020) and Jinju's Pearl (2022).

LEE Dong-eun

Lee Dong-eun's debut film In Between Seasons (2016) was invited to the New Currents section of the 2016 Busan International Film Festival, where it won the KNN Audience Award, and received the Jury Award at the 2018 OUTshine Film Festival. His second film, Mothers (2017), an adaptation of his own work that won 2013 Dong-A Ilbo Annual Spring Literary Contest, received the NETPAC Jury Prize at the 2018 Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinemas. Family Affair (2019), his third film, is an adaptation of his third graphic novel and was invited to the 2019 Busan International Film Festival, among others. Other published graphic novels include Yoyo (2019), Jin and Jin (2020), and Hana (2023).

LEE Hojae

Lee Hojae studied advertising at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and film directing at the Art Center College of Design in the United States. He made his debut with the feature film The Scam (2009) and then directed SORI: Voice from the Heart (2015), which was followed by the Watcha Original series Recipe for Farewell (2022).

JUNG Sung-il

Jung Sung-il is a highly regarded Korean film critic and director. He launched the monthly film magazine Kino in 1995, serving as the editor-in-chief, and was a programmer at the Jeonju International Film Festival and visiting professor at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. He published two volumes of film criticism, Someday the World Will Become a Movie (2010) and Desperate Reading (2010). His debut film, Cafe Noir (2009), premiered at the 2009 Busan International Film Festival and 2009 Venice Film Festival, while his documentary, Night and Fog in Zona (2015), capturing the filming location of the Chinese filmmaker Wang Bing, screened at BIFF 2015 and the 2016 International Film Festival Rotterdam. Jung’s two documentaries on filmmaker Im Kwon-taek entitled Gravity of the Tea (2018) and Cloud, Encore (2018) premiered at BIFF 2018, catching the world’s attention.

CHOI Kookhee

After directing several short films including, The Springtime Of Life (2006) and Carnival (2007), Choi Kookhee made a debut with the feature film Split (2016), which was followed by Default (2018) and Life is Beautiful (2019). He is currently waiting for his latest film Starry Night (2022) to be released in theaters.

AN Eunmi

An Eunmi joined CINE2000’s planning department in 1997, marking her entry into the film industry with the Whispering Corridors series. In 2006, she established POLLUX PICTURES Co., Ltd., producing films such as Attack on the Pin-up Boys (2007), White Night (2009), Coin Locker Girl (2014), The Merciless (2017), Seven Years of Night (2018), My Punch-Drunk Boxer (2019), and Idol (2018), which have been invited to major film festivals like Cannes and Berlin International Film Festival. As the CEO of Barunson and Barunsonstudio, she was involved in the production of Cobweb (2022), which was invited to the 76th Cannes Film Festival, and produced the OTT series LTNS (2023), and the TV shows Lady Doorian’s Affair (2023) and Susabanjang 1958 (2024). She has recently established POLLUX Studio and is preparing to produce director Jo Sung-hee’s film Europa.

PARK Junghun

Park Jung-hun entered the film industry in 2002 as a member of the production crew for the film Chihwaseon and shot his first feature film Grape Candy in 2012. Afterward he filmed numerous independent films, as well as his first commercial feature The Villainess (2017). With impressive handheld filming and new camera techniques, he has created unique action films that received worldwide recognition and won the Buil Film Award, Busan Film Critics Association Award, and the Grand Bell Award in 2017. Since then he has been active in both the independent and commercial film scenes, working on HerStory (2017), Door Lock (2018), A French Woman (2019), Voice of Silence (2019), and Victory (2024).

SUNG Seungtaek

Sung Seung-taek graduated from the School of Film, TV & Multimedia at the Korea National University of Arts in 2003, and made his debut as a director of photography for the film Flying Boys (2004). He has worked on You Are My Sunshine (2005), The Cut (2007), Ghost Sweepers (2012), Love Forecast (2014), Room No. 7 (2017), Inseparable Bros (2018), Whispering Corridors 6 : The Humming (2020), and Single in Seoul (2023) among others. He currently serves as a professor in the Department of Film and TV at Jeonju University.

JUNG Grim

JUNG Grim, born in 1986, graduated from the Department of cinematography at All Russian federations of cinematography(VGIK) and Korean Academy of Film Arts(KAFA) 35th. He became known as short films Parterre (2019) and Snail Man (2019) filmed at the KAFA. His first featured film as director of photography on a Director LEE Jaewon include Thunderbird (2021). Then JUNG Wonhee Doom Doom (2022) and LIM Oh-jeong Hail to Hell (2022).
He won the CGK Award of Busan International Film Festival 2022. Since then, he has continued his career.

KIM Young-gwang

In 2015, Kim Young-gwang received an award in the Film Criticism Contest organized by the Busan Film Critics Association and the Busan Cinema Center for Clint Eastwood Analysis. He hosts a monthly screening event called Cinema Unknown : Unseen Moving Pictures, which showcases quality films that are difficult to find in theaters, as well as writing for Critic b and Indie Critic at the same time.

HAN Changwook

Han Changwook received the Grand Prize in the Film Criticism Contest held by the Busan Film Critics Association in 2017. He writes film criticism for various publications including Critic b and Indie Critic and created journals of film criticism such as BeOTT and Critics Letter, for which he continues to write.

HAM Yoonjeong

Ham Yoonjeong graduated from Pusan National University with degrees in Art Culture and Image and Philosophy. In 2022, she won the Excellence Award in the Film Criticism Contest held by the Busan Film Critics Association. Currently, she contributes to various publications, including Critic b, which is published by the Busan Film Critics Association, the independent film magazine 233℃, and the online film journal CoAR, writing and speaking about films.