The jury for PÖFF's official competition program is made up of leading figures in the film industry, who use their professional experience to select the best of the best. This year's main competition jury brings together European auteur cinema, the American film industry, and the new wave from Asia.
The jury will be chaired by award-winning director Teona Strugar Mitevska from North Macedonia. She will be joined by renowned German producer Ingo Fliess, legendary US fashion and costume designer Debra McGuire, international cinematographer Alfredo Schaefer, and Mongolian film producer Nomuunzul Turmunkh. They will decide which film will win the PÖFF 29 Grand Prix.
Below, you can discover the background, work, and significance of the official competition jury members in the film industry.
You can get to know all of the PÖFF 29 jury members here!
Teona Strugar Mitevska
Head of the Jury
North Macedonia
Teona Strugar Mitevska began her film career as a child actress and then studied directing at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York. Her debut film, the short film Veta, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and won a special jury prize.
She then went on to direct several critically acclaimed feature films. The most notable of these was God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and won over 40 international awards, including the 2019 European Parliament LUX Film Prize.
Her sixth feature film, The Happiest Man in the World, premiered at the Venice and Toronto film festivals in 2022 and was also screened at Tartuff in 2023. The director's latest project, Mother, her first English-language film, opened the Orizzonti competition program at the 2025 Venice Film Festival.
In 2018, the French Ministry of Culture awarded her the title of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. She is currently a member of the ESFUF jury, a Ukrainian cinema emergency fund initiated by the CNC. She defines herself as a “femartivist”, combining her artistic work and activism with a strong feminist perspective.
Ingo Fliess
Germany
Ingo Fliess has been managing the production company if... Productions Film GmbH since its founding in 2007. The Munich-based company is known for the global hit The Teacher's Lounge, which was nominated for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film in 2024 and was also screened at PÖFF.
Originally focusing on documentaries, Ingo Fliess has produced the now classic film El Bulli and the German Film Award-nominated Elternschule (Parents’ School). Other notable films produced by if... Productions include Wackersdorf and I Was, I Am, I Will Be.
In addition to his work as a producer, Ingo Fliess is a professor of production at the University of Television and Film in Munich, a member of the board of PROG Producers of Germany, and a member of the German and European Film Academies.
Debra Mcguire
USA
Debra McGuire is a fashion and costume designer with a career spanning nearly 50 years. She began as a painter and later worked as a lecturer at colleges and universities in Northern California and as a jewelry and accessory designer in New York.
She has also worked as a fashion designer, fashion consultant, couturier, and costume designer. As a theater enthusiast, she began designing costumes for a Paris dance theater in the early 1980s. In 2006, she was nominated for an Ovation Award for costume design for the production Boston Marriage, and in 2007, she won the NAACP Award for Best Costume Design for Atlanta at the Geffen Playhouse. However, she is best known for her ten years working on the hit series Friends.
In addition, she has participated in numerous David Mamet film and theater projects, such as Phil Spector (starring Al Pacino and Helen Mirren), for which she received an Emmy nomination. Debra also worked on the first and second parts of Sonic the Hedgehog.
She is currently designing costumes for Jennifer Aniston in the series The Morning Show.
Roberto Schaefer
USA
Roberto Schaefer, ASC/AIC, is an acclaimed cinematographer who has shot dozens of feature films, hundreds of television commercials, industrial videos, music videos, and documentaries in the United States and around the world.
In 2000, the American Film Institute recognized him for his cinematography work for the film Best in Show. He was nominated for a BAFTA award for best cinematography in the 2003 film Finding Neverland and in 2013, he and Marc Forster received the Golden Frog Award at the Camerimage festival for their 15 years of collaboration and nine films together.
He has worked in the film and television industry on numerous independent and studio productions, including Stranger Than Fiction, James Bond 007 Quantum of Solace, Leaves of Grass, The Host, Miles Ahead, The US vs. Billie Holiday, Westworld and The Peripheral. He has also given cinematography workshops and masterclasses around the world.
He is currently a member of the American Society of Cinematographers, the Autori Cinematografica Italiana, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscars), British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the International Federation of Cinematographer’s Societies (IMAGO).
Nomuunzul Turmunkh
Mongolia
Nomuunzul Turmunkh is a film producer and screenwriter whose work has significantly contributed to the international recognition of Mongolian cinema. She started out in media and production before founding her own film companies and producing both narrative features and music projects.
Her filmography includes Life, The Sales Girl, Restart and Silent City Driver, the latter of which won the Grand Prix for Best Film and Best Production Design at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2024.
Her films have been selected to major film festivals such as Busan, Adelaide, Udine, Barcelona, Minneapolis St. Paul, and Bangkok. In addition to her creative work, Nomuunzul is a board member of the Mongolian National Film Council and a member of NETPAC.
Drawing on her experience as both a filmmaker and a curator, she continues to play a vital role in advancing Mongolian and Asian cinema.
Photos: Mia Tohver