Annemarie Jacir is a Palestinian filmmaker, writer, and producer whose work has become a cornerstone of contemporary Arab independent cinema. Her feature debut Salt of This Sea premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard (2008) and was eligible for the Caméra d’Or. She later directed When I Saw You (2012) and Wajib (2017)-with all three feature films selected as Palestine’s official submissions for the Academy Awards.

In 2018, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) presented the first major retrospective of her work, spotlighting her influence as a regional and global storyteller. Jacir has served on major international juries, including Cannes (Un Certain Regard Jury, 2018) and the Berlin International Film Festival’s International Jury (Competition, 2020).

Across fiction and documentary, her cinema is known for its human-scale storytelling-exploring identity, displacement, and everyday resilience with striking intimacy and cultural depth.

Aida Begić is a Sarajevo-born Bosnian film director and screenwriter whose work has earned major recognition at the Cannes Film Festival. A graduate of the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo (Film & Theatre Directing), her graduation short First Death Experience was selected for Cannes’ Cinéfondation. Her feature debut Snow won the Grand Prix at Cannes Critics’ Week (2008), followed by Children of Sarajevo, which received a Special Distinction in Un Certain Regard (2012).

She also contributed to the Cannes special screening omnibus Bridges of Sarajevo and directed the feature Never Leave Me (2017). Begić teaches directing at the Academy and co-founded the production company MAMAFILM. In 2025, she served on the CineLink Female Voices jury at the Sarajevo Film Festival.

Keki Adhikari is one of Nepal’s prominent screen performers, recognized for bringing emotional depth and contemporary presence to mainstream Nepali films. Born in Kathmandu, she first appeared in music videos, television commercials, and print campaigns, building a strong public profile before stepping into cinema with her debut feature Swor.

Over the years, she has delivered widely noted performances in films including Masan, I Am Sorry, Mahasus, Biteka Pal, Aishwarya, Rajja Rani, and Chha Maya Chhapakkai, while also taking on production roles in projects such as Kohalpur Express. Beyond film, she made her theatre debut in the historical stage production Chaarumati, reflecting her commitment to artistic growth across mediums. Adhikari also brings a strong academic foundation, holding an MBA in Human Resources Management.

Narges Abyar is an acclaimed Iranian filmmaker and bestselling author whose storytelling is rooted in a background in Persian literature. She began her writing career in 1997 and has published 30+ books for children, young adults, and adults. A major voice in contemporary Iranian cinema, she has written and directed internationally recognized feature films including Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear (2013), Track 143 (2014), Breath (Nafas) (2016), When the Moon Was Full (2019), and Pinto (2021).

Her film Breath was selected as Iran’s official submission for the 90th Academy Awards. Abyar was among the filmmakers invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2020. She has also directed documentary and short works and has served on juries at major festivals, including Pune International Film Festival (India) and Listapad (Belarus). Her work is widely recognized for its emotional depth and commitment to human experience and social justice.