Žürii esimees
Põhja-Makedoonia
Teona Strugar Mitevska began her career in the film industry as a child actor, going on to study film at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Her directorial debut, the short film “Veta”, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and received a Special Jury Mention. She has since directed several critically acclaimed feature films. Most notably “God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya”, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and received more than 40 awards internationally, including the 2019 LUX Film Prize. Her sixth feature film, “The Happiest Man in the World”, premiered at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals in 2022. The following film, no-budget hybrid feature “21 Days Until the End of the World”, premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival’s Giornate Degli Autori. Her latest project, “Mother”, her first English-language film, opened the Orizzonti competition at the 2025 Venice Film Festival.
In 2018, France’s Ministry of Culture awarded Strugar Mitevska the title of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. She is currently a part of the ESFUF Jury, a CNC-initiated emergency fund for Ukrainian cinema. She defines herself as a ‘femartivist’, blending her artistic work and activism with a strong feminist perspective.
USA
Debra McGuire is a fashion and costume designer and fine artist whose career has spanned almost 50 years. She is primarily a fine artist whose career began as a painter. She later became an instructor at colleges and universities in Northern California, as well as a jewellery and accessories designer in New York. Additionally, she has worked as a fashion designer, fashion consultant, couturier, and costume designer. Passionate about theatre, she began designing costumes for a dance theatre company in Paris in the early 1980s. In 2006, she was nominated for an Ovation Award for Best Costume Design for “Boston Marriage”, and in 2007, she won the NAACP Award for Best Costume Design for “Atlanta” at the Geffen Playhouse. Yet, she is best known for her 10-year run on the hit show “Friends” and for designing many of David Mamet’s film and theatre projects, including “Phil Spector” (starring Al Pacino and Helen Mirren), for which she received an Emmy nomination for Best Costume Design. Debra also worked on “Sonic the Hedgehog” #1 and #2. She currently designs costumes for Jennifer Aniston in “The Morning Show”.
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.
Saksamaa
Ingo Fliess has been running if... Productions Film GmbH (formerly if... Productions) since its foundation in 2007. The Munich-based company is renowned for the global hit “The Teachers’ Lounge” which was nominated for the Best International Feature Film Oscar in 2024 and also screened at the Tallinn Black Night Film Festival. Initially focusing on documentary features, Ingo Fliess produced the classic “El Bulli: Cooking in Progress”, and the German Film Award-nominated documentary “Elternschule”. Other notable feature films produced by if... Productions include “Wackersdorf” (Tallinn Black Night Film Festival 2018) 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 Munich, a member of the board of PROG (Producers of Germany), and a member of the German and European Film Academies.
USA
Roberto Schaefer, ASC/AIC, is an accomplished cinematographer who has shot tens of feature films, hundreds of TV commercials, industrial films, music videos, and documentaries in the USA and around the world. In 2000, the American Film Institute honoured him for his work as cinematographer on “Best in Show”. He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for the 2003 film “Finding Neverland”, and in 2013, he received the Golden Frog for Cinematographer-Director duo Award with Marc Forster for their nine-film, 15-year collaboration. He has worked in the motion picture and TV industry on many independent and studio films including “Stranger Than Fiction”, “The Kite Runner”, “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).
Žürii esimees
USA
Nina Paskowitz is one of Hollywood’s leading hairstylists and the go-to person for A-list actors. She began her career on an indie film titled “The Night Before”, starring a then newcomer Keanu Reeves. Her first box office hit and the film that launched her as one of Hollywood’s leading hairstylists was “Internal Affairs”, starring Richard Gere and Andy Garcia. Her additional film credits include “Clueless”, “Sweet November”, “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle”, “Species”, “The Mask”, “The Green Mile”, “Ironman”, “The Majestic”, “Something’s Gotta Give”, “Meet the Fockers”, “Night at the Museum”, “Bad Teacher”, “Jobs”, “Real Steel”, “Muppet Movie”, “The Lake House”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, and “Valentine’s Day A proponent of all things organic and eco-friendly, Nina is a vocal advocate for a more sustainable hair and beauty industry. In addition to jury duty, Nina Paskowitz will share her 30-year journey in the film industry at Industry@PÖFF Black Room.
Tšiili
Giancarlo Nasi is a film producer, political scientist, and intellectual property lawyer with over a decade of experience leading international co-productions across Latin America, Europe, and Asia. He is the founder and first president of the Chilean Film Academy and a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). He has served on the jury and as a mentor at major festivals and labs, including Sundance, LALIFF, Berlinale Talents and the Hubert Bals Fund. He holds degrees from Sciences Po Paris and an MBA from UCLA Anderson, where he developed Rampante VC, an investment fund for film and entertainment tech, which he now manages from Los Angeles and Santiago. His work bridges finance, law, and the arts to develop scalable, sustainable creative ventures.
Sri Lanka
Ilango Ram is an award-winning film director and cinematographer, best known for the Sri Lankan blockbuster “Nelum Kuluna (Tentigo)”, which ran successfully in cinemas for over 111 days. “Tentigo” won the Special Jury Prize at the 2023 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and was remade in India as “Perusu”, which became a Netflix hit. Remakes are planned in Hindi, Italian, Spanish and English. A graduate of NIT Trichy with a degree in engineering, he also studied filmmaking at Rockport College in the USA. He is also an alumnus of Berlinale Talents, Rotterdam Lab, Produire Au Sud – Nantes, and BAFA Korea. He co-founded Silent Frames Productions and has directed over 450 TV commercials. His film projects have been selected for leading film markets such as Film Bazaar in Goa and the Asian Project Market in Busan. Ilango has worked as a lecturer in filmmaking, conducted master classes and served on juries at various film festivals.