Lana Ghoghoberidze  was born in Tbilisi in 1928. She is a Georgian film director, translator, writer and diplomat. Lana graduated from Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Philology, in 1950. In 1958- faculty of film directing at The Union Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). From 1958 she worked as a film director at a film studio “Georgian Film”.  Between 1983-1988 she supervised film directing workshop at the Tbilisi State University of Theatre and Film. Her films were screened at several film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Tokio, Sanremo and Geneva. In the years 1999-2004 Lana Ghoghoberidze was an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Council of Europe. She is the author of a number of books, has published few collections of poetry translation.

Carmen Gray is a freelance journalist, critic and programmer who was born in New Zealand and now lives in Berlin. She has written on art, politics, music, and culture for publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Observer, Sight & Sound, The Calvert Journal and The Village Voice, and she is the former Film Editor of Dazed & Confused magazine in London. She is on the selection committee for the International Short Film Festival Winterthur in Switzerland. She is specialised in the culture, history and politics of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.

Nikoloz Abramashvili Nikoloz was born in 1982. In 2003 he graduated from Tbilisi I. Javakhishvili State University, Commerce and Marketing faculty. After that, he began his career in film industry. He is producer and executive producer of 11 feature films, 12 short films and 40 advertisement clips. His films were officially selected at Toronto, San Sebastian, Rotterdam, Warsaw, Los Angeles and many other prestigious film festivals. He is co-founder and director of a film production company “New Georgian Film” and International Short Film Internet Festival “Diogenes 2020”. Also Vice-president of “Georgian Film Academy” and Chairman of supervisory board at JSC “Cinema Club”.

Layth Abdulamir 

Layth Abdulamir, born October 24, 1957 in Iraq, is an Iraqi-French film director, who currently lives in Paris after leaving Iraq in 1977. In Paris he obtained Masters degree in fine art and has studied cinema at the Sorbonne University in Paris. He moved to the Soviet Union in 1980, and obtained his MA Degree in 1985 (majoring in film) at the Kiev National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University, where he is in the final stages of finishing his doctorate.

Layth Abdulamir worked from 1999-2004 at Dubai TV and has directed many documentary and feature films. He has won a number of International Awards for his films.

George Ovashvili (born 1963, Mtskheta, Georgia, USSR) graduated from the Georgian State Institute of Cinema and Theater (1996) and from the New York Film Academy filmmaking course at Universal Studios in Hollywood (2006). He is a director of both dramas and documentaries that he often produces. He has made a number of memorable shorts: Eye Level (Zgvis donidan… / Mzeris doneze…) received an award at the Berlinale and the fest in Odense, both 2005. In 2009 KVIFF’s East of the West Competition presented his feature debut The Other Bank (Gagma napiri, 2008); the film won almost 50 awards and was nominated for European Discovery of the Year by the European Film Academy. His second picture Corn Island (Simindis kundzuli, 2014) took the Crystal Globe for Best Film at KVIFF and was shortlisted for an Academy Award. Last year he sat on Karlovy Vary’s main jury. His last film KHIBULA was premiered at Karlovy Vary international film festival in 2017 and was shown at BIAFF as opening film. 

Nino Kirtadze was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. She began her acting career by playing the lead role in a Chef in love a film by Nana Djordjadze which was selected at Cannes in 1996 and nominated for an Oscar. During the troubles of the 1990s in the Caucasus, she worked as a war correspondent for AFP and for AP, covering the war in Chechnya and other armed conflicts in the region. Since 1997, Nino Kirtadze has lived in France, where she has worked with Peter Brook, Jean-Pierre Ameris, Philippe Monnier , Claude Goretta and Olivier Langlois. Kirtadze is member of the French writers’ and directors’ society La SCAM and a member of the European film Academy. Nino is currently representatives of Georgia at EUROIMAGE. Nino Kirtadze collaborates on a regular basis with different national and international organizations as a consultant, jury, lecturer, and tutor.

Her powerful feature-length documentaries deal with controversial subjects, always placing the accent on the human drama underlying her stories and creating deep insightful human portraits. Nino Kirtadze’s films have won international acclaim and numerous prestigious awards at festivals worldwide, including World Cinema Best Director Prize at Sundance for her Durakovo-village of fools (2008) and European Film Academy Best documentary Prize for Pipeline next door ( 2005).  

Polish film expert. A graduate of the Jagiellonian University, he studied at the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. Joint founder and former head of the Jewish Culture Festival, Graffiti Film Centre and “Film Polski” Foundation. Former Deputy Mayor of the City of Krakow, Director of the Polish State Television Film Agency, General Secretary of the Polish Filmmakers Association. Member of the Polish and European Film Academies. Since 2000, Director of the Krakow Film Festival. Founder and president of Krakow Film Foundation, which is the producer of Krakow Film Festival and promoter of Polish documentaries and shorts abroad. Lecturer at the Krakow Academy. Member of numerous film festivals’ juries.

Screenwriter, director, editor. Founder and Director of the International mini-film Festival «European Express». Member of the Ukrainian Film Academy. Expert of the Ukrainian State Film Agency. Expert of the Cultural Fund of Ukraine.

Mikhail Kvirikade studied at Santa Monica College majoring in Photography (1994-1996), after it he finished Los Angeles  Film School (Cinematography) . 

During 1996-2000 he worked in Hollywood – started with internship and became assistant to DoP and cameraman. He worked with film directors - Agnieszka Holland, Wim Wenders, Nikita Mikhalkov etc. 

During 2005-2020  Mikhail work on more than 20 films as DoP in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia with various film directors, including Nana Jorjadze. 

Otar Litanishvili was born in 1952 in Sokhumi (Georgia). He is a Dean of the Film and Television Faculty of Shota Rustaveli Theater and Film State University of Georgia, Associate Professor, Film Director, Philologist.

In 1974 he graduated from TSU Faculty of Western European Languages ​​and Literatures with a degree in English Language and Literature. In 1980 graduated from the Film Faculty of the Shota Rustaveli Institute of Theater and Film in Tbilisi, majoring in film directing (Eldar Shengelaia Creative Studio).

He was a member of the jury of the Tbilisi International Film Festival of Cinematographers "Golden Eye" (2010-2011), chairman of the jury (2011-2014), a member of the jury of the annual international short film competition CILECT (2014-2020). ), Chairman of the Jury of the Feature Film Screenwriting Competition of the Georgian National Film Center (2020). Director and screenwriter of many feature and documentary films

Zurab Magalashvili studied acting at Georgian State Film & Theater Institute (1985- 1992). In 1999-2000 He studied English language and Literature in Columbia University (NYC). Starting from 1993, Zura produced numerous Fiction and documentary films, as well as participated as actor in various films. 

1992-1999 Zura was founder and director of “Fund for support of New Cinema”. Idea author and founder of Caucasus International Festival of Advertisement (CIFA). During 2002-2005 Zura delivered lectures in Film production and management at Shota Rustaveli Institute of Theater and cinema. 

Since 2000 Organizer and Director of CIFA -Caucasus International Festival of Advertisement.  

From 2005 he is a Director General of CINETECH – film Production Company. During 2016-2019 Zura served as Director of “Georgian national Film center”. 

Dato Evgenidze was born in 1958 in Tbilisi. In 1982 he graduated from the Peter Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow. In 1983 he was awarded the Grand Prix at the Competition of Musicians of the Soviet Union. In 1985-1986 his works were staged at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. In the same years he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory. In 1987 he performed for the first time in New York.

Dato Evgenidze writes music for performances, films, participates in international competitions. He is the author of music for more than 50 movies and has won numerous awards ("Mana", Golden Eagle, Nika, etc.)

Lela Ochiauri – Film critic, PHD in Arts, full-time professor of Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgian State University, Arts Editor of “Rezonansi” Newspaper, Chief Editor of “Galaktioni” Newspaper. In 1974 graduated from Tbilisi State Art Academy. In 1981-1982 made internship in Moscow Film History and Theory Institute.

Lela Ochiauri is a successful author and co-author of various books -   The Sculpture and Art of Gogi Ochiauri, Nova Sciaence Publishers, Inc. New York, 2011;  The  articles and publications about modern culture.

She has been awarded with number of professional prizes, amongst them are: Georgian Film Union Award “Nostalgia” for outstanding work in 1986, “Kavkasioni” Newspaper Best Publication Prize for her work - “Mama Roma” (1991), Adjarian Regional Theatrical Union Prize (2007) etc.  

Archil Shubashvili was born in 1951. He holds Doctor degree in Chemistry (1980). In 1987 he graduated from Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Arts, majoring in Film Criticism. In the same year he started working in the department for the study of the language and structure of cinema at the University. Since 1991 he is delivering lecturs about the history and theory of cinema. From 1999 to 2013 he worked as the Deputy Chairman of the Creative Union of Cinematographers of Georgia. He is still a member of the board of the Georgian Film Academy. Several documentaries have been made by the Public Broadcaster based on his script ("General Maghlakelidze", "Missing Georgian Woman", "Shalva Nutsubidze", "Petre Melikishvili" and others). Since 1995  annualy attends the Berlinale International Film Festival. Regularly publishes materials about Georgian and foreign cinematographic events. Co-author of "Georgian Feature Film Filmography" and the collection "Georgian Film Directors".

In 1990 Theo graduated from TSU art history and theory faculty. In 1997 she defended Candidate Thesis on "Mythological-Metaphorical World of Sergo Parajanov".

During 1998-2014 she was Associate Professor at Shota Rustaveli Theater and Film University and from 2014 till present at Ilia State University.

Since 1990 she worked in various print media. In 2006-2010 she was leading the program “Good Evening”, “Babylon” at Public Broadcasting I Radio. During 2007-2014 she was editor of RED ZONE program (joint project of Radio Liberty and Public Broadcaster).

Theo is Interested in the study of gender aspects in cinema.