Jurys

Fiction Film

Alina Vimbai Strähler is an actress who regularly works at renowned theatres such as the Berliner Schaubühne. She also appears in film and television productions.

Doro Götz, DP, shows complex and relevant stories in her works. She was nominated for the
Deutsche Kamerapreis in 2021 with “Flügel aus Beton”.

Akeem van Flodrop is an actor who has been involved in several timely projects such as “I Donʼt Work Here”. In 2023, he received the Blauer Panther award for his role.

Sophie Yukiko is an author, curator and performance artist. As a screenwriter, she wants to tell stories from a queerfeminist perspective.

Moritz Jahn is an indie musician and actor who has appeared in cinema and TV productions such as “Dark”. He was nominated for the New Faces Award and Max-Ophüls-Preis.

The fiction film jury awards the ‘Best Feature Film’ and ‘Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Feature Film’ prizes.

Award for ‘Best Feature Film’ is donated by:

Award for ‘Outstanding artistic achievement in a feature film’ is donated by:

Documentary film

Jide Akinleminu is a Danish-Nigerian filmmaker, whose films focus on social issues. He also
teaches documentary film at MetFilm School Berlin.

Lillian Rosa, writer, director and producer, is currently researching better production conditions
for social impact documentaries in Germany at the Film University Babelsberg.

Yony Leyser, writer and director from Chicago, has lived in Berlin since 2010. He creates
colourful, intimate films about culture, artists and the LGBTQIA+ community.

Roshak Ahmad, Syrian documentary filmmaker and journalist, has reported on the role of
women in political movements. She is committed to immersive and innovative storytelling.

The documentary film jury awards the prizes for ‘Best Documentary Film’ and ‘Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film’.

‘Best Documentary Film’ is donated by

‘Outstanding artistic achievement in a documentary film’ is donated by

Engaged Film

Nina Mbah, Nigerian impact producer and co-founder of “African Climate Stories”, makes
complex environmental issues accessible to vulnerable groups and motivates to take action.

Maja Rubaj has worked for the Perspectives section at Berlinale. At “NewMotion” she supports aspiring filmmakers. She is also a member of the BIPoC Alliance.

Luna Jordan was awarded the Österreichischer Filmpreis in 2022. The Austrian-German actress is committed to speaking out about sexual misconduct on film sets.

Josefine Bingemer studied Ethnographic Documentary. She is part of the non-profit organisation “Weltfilme”, where she is responsible for story development and postproduction.

Canan Turan is a curator, dramaturge and podcaster focusing on anti-discrimination and
critique of power. She works for Berlinale Generation, among others.

The Jury for Engaged Films awards the ‘Best Engaged Film’ prize.

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Focus Animation

Shadab Shayegan graduated from Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg with “Pear Garden”, which was longlisted for the BAFTA Student Award and won the FIRST STEPS Award.

Keawalee Warutkomain is a self-taught animation artist, teacher and co-founder of “Klowerº”,
an association for the promotion of independent Thai animation.

Mel Arranz (Vitoria-Gasteiz) works in visual arts and education. The animated film “Azaletik
Azalera” (2021) has been shown at Anifilm and has won several awards.

The filmmaker and activist Yana Ugrekhelidze has presented films at the Berlinale, won the
Teddy Jury Award and founded the production company “Fortisfemfilm”.

Nadya Svirskaia, curator and producer of artistic animation, uses animation as a means of political activism. She founded the nomadic festival “Shcha 7 Seconds”.

The Jury of the Focus Animation section awards the ‘Best Animated Film’ prize.

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Virtual Reality

Lilian Hess is an artist, filmmaker, and curator of digital art exhibitions. Her work “Duchampiana” (2024) won the Crystal Owl and was presented internationally.

The Taiwanese artist Wen-Yee Hsieh combines visual art and architecture with supernatural and social themes. His VR works have received awards at AniFilm and ART*VR 2024.

Florian Siebert, producer and director, directed the VR film “Aufwind” (2023). He is currently
co-producing a feature documentary about e-sports and the metaverse.

The jury of the Virtual Reality section awards the ‘Best VR Project’ prize.

donated by

Pitch

Zoe Magdalena winner Zoe Magdalena is a writer and actress. She wrote for her own series
“Hungry”, “heute-show”, “Maxton Hall”, books for kids and young adults, and likes cats.

Alexander Lindh is known as the head writer of “Druck” and creator of Grimme Award-nominated series “MaPa”. Recently, he was the creator and showrunner of “A Better Place”.

Benjamina Mirnik-Voges started out as a lawyer and switched to film production after an MBA. Today she works as VP Original Production at “Walt Disney” in Munich.

The Pitch Jury of the Schreibsüchte section awards the ‘Best Pitch’ prize.

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Script

Sophia Ayissi studied Creative Producing, worked as a producer at “Wüste Film” and co-wrote series such as “Schwarze Früchte”. In 2025 she was part of Berlinale Talents.

Nadine Lange, journalist and author, works for Tagesspiegel, where she co-founded its LGBTIQ section Queerspiegel. In 2022, she published her debut novel “Ein Eis mit Jo”.

Süheyla Schwenk studied acting in Turkey and directing at the dffb, and has made international award-winning films such as “Jiyan” and series such as “Echt” or “Lamia”.

Acting since 2005, Max Hegewald has won awards, e.g. Goldene Kamera, then studied screenwriting and directing in Hamburg and Potsdam. In 2023, he directed his debut film “Free”.

The Script Jury of the Schreibsüchte section awards the ‘Best Script’ prize.

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Future Kids

Her name is indeed Momo and not only can she play two instruments, but also ride horses,
dance and sing. She is especially looking forward to films from all over the world.

Ella enjoys reading, swimming, playing the piano, watching exciting films, and
exchanging ideas with the other jury kids, all while having fun.

Hannahʼs hobbies include reading, playing the saxophone, and skateboarding. The characters
Lilo and Stitch are among her favorites. She is excited to discover new films.

Justus likes to play inline hockey. His favourite film? “Back to the Future”! He has already
read all “The Lord of the Rings” books – but is not yet allowed to watch the films.

Elis Saphira may not like eggs, but she loves animals, sports, and, of course, films. She
especially enjoys immersing herself in new worlds and the discussions that follow.

The Kids Jury of the Future section awards the ‘Best Kids Film’ prize.

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Future Teens

Ophelia loves digital drawing on the iPad. Her favourite films are “Five Feet Apart” and “10
Things I Hate About You”. She was on the radio with her own song at the age of four.

Pablo enjoys sports and sings in a choir. Outside of his jury duties, he loves watching
films and discussing them – for example, his favorite film “Blues Brothers”.

Erikʼs hobbies include karate, kickboxing, and making videos. He loves the character Harry
Potter and audiobooks narrated by Rufus Beck. His love for film began by chance.

Sophie enjoys films and kitesurfing. She even appeared in “Napoleon” (2023). Her favorite
film is “Song of the Sea,” and she also loves flashy socks.

Luca plays two instruments, climbs, and acts. Her favorite films are “The Whale” and “The
Shining”. In the jury, she is looking forward to discovering new films.

The Teens Jury of the Future section awards the ‘Best Teens Film’ prize.

donated by

Genre Film

The prize for the ‘Best Genre Film’ is an audience award. The audience vote will take place after this screening:

Genre: Cinema Kaleidoscope

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