International Competition Jury
Anastasiya Verlinska | Animation Director | Ukraine
Anastasiya Verlinska has worked as a project manager for one of the biggest Eastern European film companies, FILM.UA Group, implementing projects to promote both film and animation in Ukraine. In 2014, she joined the team of the LINOLEUM animation festival as a program coordinator, and in 2016, she became its director. Apart from the festival, Anastasiya organizes screenings of both international and Ukrainian animation, as well as educational projects that help develop the local animation industry. She also works as an expert at the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and the Ukrainian State Film Agency.
Tomm Moore | Animation Director | Ireland
Tomm Moore is no mere mortal. The Irish filmmaker, animator, illustrator and comics artist co-founded Cartoon Saloon, an animation studio based in Kilkenny, and has made three Academy Award-nominated animated features: 'The Secret of Kells', 'Song of the Sea' and 'Wolfwalkers'. This Irish folklore trilogy has received critical acclaim worldwide and touched audiences of every age and class. Moore (and his studio) believes hand-drawn animation can still play a big part in modern filmmaking. And rightfully so, Moore's films are enchanting in every way and tell magical stories that resonate deeply with people of all ages.
Paul Driessen | Animation Director | The Netherlands, Canada
Paul Driessen began his animation career in the 1960s, working on notable projects like 'The Yellow Submarine'. He later immigrated to Canada, where he created personal short films for the National Film Board. Driessen has won numerous awards, including an Oscar nomination for '3 Misses'. He also taught animation at the University of Kassel, where his students won two Oscars under his guidance. Currently based in France, Driessen continues to work on new projects.
Doc and Dutch Competition Jury
Léo Soesanto | Journalist, Programmer of The Riga International Film Festival | France
Léo Soesanto is a Paris-based film journalist, festival curator and writer. He’s currently the short film competitions curator at Riga International Film Festival. He has more than 10 years of experience in festival programming, advising and moderating from Cannes Critics’ Week to International Film Festival Rotterdam and Bordeaux Independent Film Festival. His writing has appeared in such publications as Libération, Les Inrockuptibles, Vogue, GQ, Premiere, Grazia and the French Cinematheque catalogue. He has been a member of many film festival juries, including Cannes, London, Locarno, Toronto and Morelia. He’s a member of Fipresci (International Federation of Film Critics) and the European Film Academy.
Gina Kamentsky | Animation Director | United States
Gina Kamentsky is an animator, kinetic sculptor and sound artist based in Providence, Rhode Island. Her anxious and joyful short films blast out at twenty-four frames per second searing eyeballs and sending waves of buzz and crackle into the ether. Over her three-decade career she’s progressed through numerous forms including painting, drawing and collaging on film, Rotoscope, Musique concrète, sound collage, stop motion and Pixilation. Kamentsky’s films have screened at festivals nationally and worldwide.
Mark Taynton | Head of Adult Swim EMEA | United Kingdom
Heading the helm as the Head of Adult Swim for EMEA at Warner Bros. Discovery. Mark Taynton navigates the realms of brand management and content strategy. His specialized focus revolves around cultivating relationships, collaborating with emerging talent, and fostering opportunities with local content platforms and creators.
VR Jury
Avinash Changa | VR Director | The Netherlands
Avinash Changa is VR-maker, director, Creative Technologist, and international speaker on the topic of Immersive works. He is founder of WeMakeVR, with notable productions such as 'Ashes to Ashes', 'Meeting Rembrandt', 'Ahorse', 'Angels of Amsterdam', selected for the 78th Venice Biennale competition. Currently he is working on the next generation of immersive experiences, including new live social VR/Metaverse performances, hybrid theatre/music/VRworks, educational works, highend volumetrics, and 'shared space' multiuser VR experiences. His most recent piece is 'The Saga of Sage', a mulitplayer music-x-metaverse experience, which premiered at ADE, October 2023.
Emilia Sánchez Chiquetti | VR Director | Argentine, Brasil
Emilia Sánchez Chiquetti is an Argentine-Brazilian director and producer who graduated from the University of the Arts in Buenos Aires. She specializes in creating audiovisual, theatrical, and XR pieces that explore the synergies between bodies, spaces, and narratives. In 2015, Emilia founded Presencias, a studio that has since produced interdisciplinary pieces, including the first-ever immersive theater play in Bogota´s Planetarium Dome. Emilia has written and directed theatrical plays in unconventional spaces and created immersive content for various museums and national parks.
Gabey Tjon a Tham | Installation Artist | The Netherlands
Gabey Tjon a Tham researches the complex systems that occur both in nature and in our digital world and how they affect each other through ever evolving processes. These principles are explored through audiovisual installations that are balancing between virtual and analog realities. Through these, she questions our relationship with technology and nature, highlighting their complex interplay. She emphasizes fluidity and interdisciplinary collaboration in her work, aiming to reflect the dynamic nature of our environment.
Nancy Award
Nancy Denney-Phelps | All-round Animation Goddess | Belgium
Nancy Denney-Phelps is an animation journalist, historian and music producer for animation, based in Gent, Belgium. Focusing mainly on European animation, she has been writing about animated films and festivals for many years, traveling all over the world. Nancy’s writings have appeared in publications such as CARTOON and ANIMATOON, as well as on her regular blog for AWN (Animation World Network). She is also a regular correspondent for ASIFA, San Francisco, and is a member of the ASIFA International Board of Directors. Nancy has served on numerous international animation festival juries, curated short film programmes and given lectures on various aspects of animation, especially on the importance of music.
Guests
Faiyaz Jafri | Kaboom leader 2024 | New York
Born in the Netherlands and of Pakistani descent, Faiyaz Jafri is an artist, curator, and educator based in New York. He studied at the Technical University of Delft (MSc) and is self-taught as an animation artist and music composer. His work has been exhibited in print, paintings, video installations, animations, and life-size sculptures worldwide. Jafri’s award-winning films have been screened at prestigious festivals and museums, and he has worked for commercial clients including IBM, Coca-Cola, and Ford. He is the founder and curator of the Third Culture Film Festival in Hong Kong and a part-time professor at Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, and Queens College in New York.
Eric Goossens | Producer at Walking The Dog | Belgium
Eric Goossens, a graduate in communication sciences from the Catholic University of Leuven, embarked on a remarkable journey in the world of animation. In 1999, Eric Goossens together with Anton Roebben, established the animation production company Walking The Dog in Brussels. The studio has since been a hub for creative animated feature-length films and series. Notable among their first projects are the Oscar-nominated 'The Triplets of Belleville' by Sylvain Chomet and Brendan and 'The Secret of Kells' by Tomm Moore. Walking The Dog has also been involved in various co-productions, including the successful CGI film 'A Monster in Paris' and 2D animation features like 'Pinocchio' and 'Le Jour des Corneilles'.
David Mouraire | Co-founder of Doghouse Films | Luxembourg
David Mouraire is co-founder of the Luxembourg-based production company Doghouse Films. Composed of 20 to 30 artists depending on the project and with staff members specialized in 2D or 3D techniques, Doghouse Films produces independent films with clear humanist messages and high artistic added value. Its completed co-productions include among others Juan Antin's Pachamama, Ari Folman's 'Where is Anne Frank', Pierre Földes's 'Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman', Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli's 'Nina and the Secret of the Hedgehog', and Mascha Halberstad's latest film, 'Fox & Hare Save the Forest'. Doghouse Films is currently working on Sylvain Chomet's next film 'Marcel et Monsieur Pagnol' and on Sarah Van Den Boom's first feature film 'Séraphine'.
Leo de Wijs | Production designer, Art Director | The Netherlands
Leo de Wijs is an Amsterdam-based production designer and art director for animated projects. He worked on animated series such as 'Dr. Panda', 'Fox and Hare' and 'Wellie Wishers' and features as 'Knor', 'Fox and Hare Save the Forest' and is currently working on two 'Dikkie Dik' (Tommy Tom) animated feature films to be released in 2024. His great passion which led to involvement in these types of creative projects is world building – making a visual world for the characters and stories as compelling and convincing as possible through set, environment and prop design.
Neeraja Raj | Director Nexus Studios | United Kingdom
Animator and director Neeraja Raj grew up between Indonesia and Dubai, creating a distinct intersectionality in her self-described sci-fi work. Her film 'The Girl Who Built a Rocket' won best charity film at The Third Sector Awards in 2021 and was nominated for best commercial at the British Animation Awards in 2022.
Floor Adams | Director, Producer | The Netherlands
With a background working in psychiatry and disability care, Floor Adams went on to pursue her own creative ambitions and studied Fine Art at the ArtEZ University of the Arts and Animation at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK). Her interest in psychology and human behavior resulted in various independent works, including 'Mind My Mind' (2019) which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival. It won awards at over 30 festivals including Stuttgart (ITFS), Indy Shorts, Cinanima and Anima Brussels, and has traveled to many others. 'Mind My Mind' was shortlisted for the Academy Award (Oscars) for Best Animated Short and was the first autonomously released short film in the Netherlands.
Saverio Wielkens | Art Director | The Netherlands
Saverio Wielkens, an Utrecht-based character designer and art director, graduated in Animation Design from ArtEZ in 2018. Since transitioning to freelancing in 2019, he has collaborated with renowned studios like Nexus Studios, Submarine, Woodwork, and Studio HARI. His diverse portfolio includes animated short films, music videos, series, and advertising. In addition to his professional work, Saverio occasionally teaches. Known for infusing his characters with likability through expression, posing, and color choices, he strives to create a meaningful connection with the audience.