Jury
Ramona S. Diaz is a Peabody, Gotham, IDA, Emmy award-winning, PGA and Independent Spirit award-nominated Asian American filmmaker best known for her compelling character-driven documentaries that combine a profound appreciation for cinematic aesthetics and potent storytelling. Her films have been screened and won awards at Sundance, Berlin, Busan, Tribeca, SXSW, IDFA, HotDocs, and many other top-tier film festivals. Ramona’s feature-length independently-produced films have been nationally broadcast on PBS, Arte, and the BBC amongst others. Ramona is both a Guggenheim Fellow and a USA Fellow. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the Producers and Writers Guilds of America. Ramona is a graduate of Emerson College and holds an MA from Stanford University.
After more than 20 years working at the European Cultural Channel ARTE and the German broadcaster ZDF, Hans Robert Eisenhauer started as producer and managing director for the production company Ventana-Film GmbH in Berlin, Germany. Ventana develops and produces documentary films of all genres, but also documentaries in international coproduction like the Oscar-nominated “Of Fathers and Sons“, or the Polish-German coproductions “Over the Limit” and “Pianoforte”. Hans Robert also works for different international workshops for young filmmakers as mentor and consultant. He is a member of the German Film Academy and the European Film Academy.
A reporter, for many years editor-in-chief of the influential cultural magazine “Pismo. Magazyn Opinii”. Graduate and teacher of the Polish School of Reportage. Laureate of Grand Press Award 2017 in the Interview category. Nominated for Teresa Torańska and Mediators Awards in 2016. Author of the book “Pani Stefa”, for which she received the Literary Award of the City of Warsaw in 2016 – as well as Poznan Literary Award – Stanisław Barańczak Fellowship. Nominated for Gryfia Award and Conrad Award. Co-author of the books “Teraz ’43. Losy” and “Dom w butelce” and “Przecież ich nie zostawię” anthology. In February 2019, her poetry debut came out: “Środki transportu”.
Morgan Knibbe is a Dutch documentary director, who gained international acclaim with his short film “Shipwreck” and his feature-length documentary debut “Those Who Feel the Fire Burning” (Dutch submission to the Oscars), detailing the catastrophic lives of irregular migrants at the fringes of Europe. Both films received more than 30 international awards, including three Dutch Academy awards. His short films: “The Atomic Soldiers” and “What Does a Nuclear Bomb Explosion Feel Like?” featuring testimonies of the last surviving atomic veterans were appreciated by hundreds of milons of people worldwide. Currently, Morgan is finalizing his narrative feature debut, “The Garden of Earthly Delights”, set in Manila, The Philippines, shedding a stark light on the enduring consequences of post-colonial exploitation.
Artistic Director of BEAST IFF since 2023, following a long-standing collaboration with the festival that began in 2017. Film critic and cultural journalist for Antena 3, Portugal’s national radio station, and Portuguese correspondent for Cineuropa since 2018. Collaborates with several film festivals as a guest programmer, and also performs as a DJ under the alias 'soft'.
Nawojka Ciborska is a climate activist affiliated with Last Generation, formerly a member of the Bombelki Collective and the Youth Climate Strike. Actively engaged in combating the climate crisis since 2019, she is also pursuing studies in Anthropozoology at the University of Warsaw. Alongside the Green Light Foundation, Ciborska faced a lawsuit from GazSystem over an article sharply critical of fossil gas and the company’s practices. She was defended in court by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.
Stanisław Łubieński is a writer, journalist, and devoted naturalist. His work has appeared in "Gazeta Wyborcza," "Tygodnik Powszechny," and "Dwutygodnik." Łubieński’s publications include the historical reportage "The Pirate of the Steppe," the Nike-awarded "The Birds They Sang: Birds and People in Life and Art," and "What We Leave Behind," an incisive exploration of ecological collapse and the dysfunctions of modern civilization.
In addition to writing, Łubieński curates the blog Dzika Ochota ("Wild Ochota"), leads nature walks in Warsaw, and hosts "Księstwo Ptaków" ("Bird Kingdom") on Polish Radio 3. He also serves as president of the National Society for the Protection of Birds.
Urszula Zajączkowska is a poet, botanist, visual artist, cultural animator, musician, and professor at the Independent Department of Forest Botany at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. Her research spans plant growth, anatomy, movement, death, aerodynamics, and biomechanics.
Zajączkowska is the author of poetry collections and essays that have garnered nominations and awards, including the Kościelski Prize and the Gdynia Literary Award.
fot. Rafał Siderski / Forum
Iluzjon Cinema
A graduate of Polish Philology at the Faculty of Polish Studies, Jagiellonian University. In the past, she was a co-organizer of the "Lava" Avant-garde Film Festival and a member of the Curatorial Collective at the Center for Research on Cultures of Remembrance. She is an independent curator and a selector and coordinator of the short film competition at the Warsaw Film Festival. She is a member of the artistic and research collective X-Philes. She has collaborated with the Warsaw Bauhaus Foundation. She has published in "Czas Kultury," "Mały Format," "Kino," and "Stoner Polski".
Ełk Cultural Center
A film scholar, graduate of the Jagiellonian University, educator, and cultural manager. For almost a decade, she has been running the ECK Cinema, located in the heart of the Masurian Lake District - Ełk. She believes that cinema can help us find meaning in the world and provide solace, and she can't imagine life without it. On a daily basis, she sacrifices sleep and meals for the sake of watching films.