ALEKO BOGDANOV
Fan of drums, films, drawing and many more...

Aleko Ivanov Bogdanov is seven and a half years old.

He really loves to play at percussion instruments and he studies at NMU „Lyubomir Pipkov“. When he grows up he wants to become a drummer.

 He also loves watching movies, drawing, playing with friends, swimming, cycling and skating.

ELINA RISLAKKI  
Festival Director

Elina Rislakki is a General Manager of Finnish Film Contact and Festival Director of Helsinki Short Film Festival, Finland. The Finnish Film Contact is a distribution organization founded by film makers, which has over a thousand films, including documentaries, animation, fiction, music videos and experimental films which they rent out in Finland.

The organization organises various events and projects regarding film for example: Helsinki short film festival (Kettupäivät) and Lyhytelokuvia kansalle. Helsinki short film festival presents a wide range of the recent Finnish short films and some exciting shorts from around the world.

FAISAL QURESHI
Director, script-writer and editor 

Faisal A. Qureshi (UK) – director, script-writer and editor.

He is a part-time lecturer at the Escula Internacional Cine y TV in Cuba, Salford University and Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK.

He has also worked on the British Council “I, Belong” project in Pakistan and the “Film ON” project in Uzbekistan.

GEORGI DECHEV
Digital artist and director

The Visitor is the latest work of Georgi (2013) where he has the role of director, screenplay, DOP and animation. The film won the prize for Best Animated Film at 11th In the Palace ISFF. The Visitor was also selected at Transfest Art Biennial - Berlin, Germany, Cologne OFF - Cologne Art & Animation Festival - Cologne, Germany, Raindance - London, UK, Mill Valley Film Festival - Mill Valley, USA, Kaohsiung Film Festival - Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Leeds International Film Festival - Leeds, UK, Interfilm - International Short Film Festival - Berlin, Germany.

As digital artist/director he worked for reknowned clients as Aquafresh, BMW, Grolsch, ING, KLM, KPMG, LG, MSN, Nike, Philips, Shell, Samsung, WWF and many more.

Between 2003 and 2006 he worked on a platform for culture and counterculture named LFTFLD. Georgi was a co-founder, designer and photographer.

GEORGI TENEV
Novelist, playwright and film screenwriter

Holy Light (2010) is the feature film debut of Georgi, an independent production made in collaboration with film equipment and production companies among which are Little Big Films, Red Caroet, Agitprop and Altera.

Tenev is co-author of the script Alienation (2013, directed by Milko Lazarov), which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was awarded the Fedeora Prize for Best Young Filmmaker, as well as the prize of Europa Cinemas Label Special Mention for best European film.

Georgi Tenev directed Houben Paints Money (2012), documentary on the work of Houben RT, conceptual artist and co-founder of XXL-art circle.

In 2012, Tenev received the Askeer Prize for Best Bulgarian Play. His radio play The Atoll won the “Best European Radiodrama of the Year” at the presitigious Prix Europa festival in Berlin.

GERGANA DYANKOVA
Fan of dinosaurs, math, chocolate & ice cream

Gergana Dyankova is in 4th grade in 134 Secondary School „Dimcho Debelyanov“, with classes in Hebrew.

Besides school she practices Jewish dances and photography. She already has two own photography exhibitions in 2012 and 2013 (Sofia). She also takes part in Annual exhibition 2014.

Gergana has old, but very kind dog named Geya (Brittany Spaniel).

She has been guest at many festivals (mostly for animation) in Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Belgium. In future she wants to visit many more.

In her list of favorite things are – dinosaurs, math, chocolate and ice cream. She doesn't like to get up early (especially for school) and she is a little bit afraid of the dark, so she always has a flashlight.

HEINZ HERMANNS
festival director / CEO – interfilm Berlin – short film festival & distribution

Heinz Hermanns was born in 1958 in Duisburg, West Germany.

In 1981 he founded the cinema Eiszeit during the squaters movement in Berlin which he directed during 9 years. In 1986 he directed the International Documentary Film Festival Berlin. From its beginning in 1982 until now, he directs the international short film festival and distribution Berlin – interfilm. He co-directed the short film festival Pollicino in Catania, Italy/Sicily from 1990 to 1996.

He is the director and co-founder since 2001 of the super short film festival Going Underground held in the trains of the Berlin Subway - since 2011 also in the subway in Seoul, South Korea. He is also co-founder and curator of the Zebra poetry short film festival that since 2002 presents twice a year short films which interpret poems.

KALOYAN VASILEV
Fan of surf, films, drawing and animals

He is 8 years old. He is studying at the French lyceum "Victor Hugo". He loves swimming, climbing, Ushi and Monster. He wants to have a hamster - that's why selling firewood and art.

He loves to have audience.

Actually he sings and dances not bad at all.

He is also plays the piano with Temenuzhka. He often watches too much television. This summer he is going to surf school – far away from mum and dad.

MARGARIDA MOZ
Short film programmer for IndieLisboa 

With a master’s degree in Social Anthropology, Margarida Moz has been working in documentary research and production and for several film festivals in Portugal in the last 15 years.

Currently she is a programmer for short films in IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival, Portugal.

MARIAN CRISAN
Director, screenwriter, film producer

Marian received his bachelor Degree in Film and TV Directing at UNATC Bucharest in 1999.

He directed the short films Family Portrait - 2006, Amateur - 2007 and Megatron - 2008. The latter, Megatron, won the "Palme d’OR" for Best Short Film at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, 61th edition.

In 2010, his first feature film Morgen won the Special Jury Prize at the 63rd Edition of the Locarno Film Festival, Best Director and FIPRESCI award, at the 51st Thessaloniki Film Festival, Best Director award in Wiesbanden Go East Film Festival, SIGNIS Ecumenical Prize, at the 13th BAFICI, in Buenos Aires and was the Romanian entry for the 84th Academy Awards.. In 2012, his second feature film Rocker was premiered at the 60th edition of San Sebastian IFF.

TCHAVDAR PENTCHEV
Actor

In 2003 Tchavdar went to Paris where he developed and nurtured his craft as a comedian at the ‘Cours René Simon’ for three years.

A lover of the Arts, Tchavdar learned over the years how to play piano, dance, choreograph, sing and draw along with acting. These skills helped him bring new layers to his characters and broaden his repertoire.

Tchavdar can be seen on stage at the Avignon Festival this July in De Quoi Parlez-Vous by Jean Tardieu and this fall in Sans Peur Ni Malice, a musical based on a Brothers Grimm’s tale, in Paris. Tchavdar currently lives in Paris.

Dr. UWE SCHMELTER
Organiser, advisor, juror at international film festivals

Dr. Uwe Schmelter is an organiser, advisor, juror at international film festivals, from 1982 consultant for feature and experimental film at Goethe Institut, Institute Director in Manila, Copenhagen, Seoul/Pyongyang and Regional Director for East Asia in Tokyo.

Vice-president of the German Korean Society, has received numerous accolades as cultural intermediary, particularly between South and North Korea, others include Honorary Citizen of Seoul, the José Rizal Award of the Philippines and the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.