PROFESSIONAL JURY

Animation director

Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation (2014)

Born in Moscow. In 1975, she graduated from the Directing Department of the National Drama Academy (GITIS), class of S.Obraztsov. In 1976, she got a job in the Puppet Animation Department of the ‘Multtelefilm’ studio where she made her directorial debut in 1979. She also worked for the ‘Souzmultfilm’ and ‘Animos’ studios. She participated in international projects of the S4C Channel: “SHAKESPEARE, the Animated Tales” (“The Twelfth Night”, 1992) and “Animated Tales of the World” (“The Crown and the Sceptre”, 2001). In 2006, Maria Muat and Vladimir Golovanov founded a ‘Pchela’ animation studio where she is the director and creative manager. There she made the films “He and She”, “The Not-So-Sad Story”, “Blizzard”, “The Tale of the Little Christmas Tree”. As a director she also made: “Uncle Au in the City”, “KOAPP” TV series, “The Amorous Crow”, “The Twelfth Night”, “Cabbages and Kings”, “Zheltukhin”, “The Snow Maiden”, and others. Maria Muat has made 25 animated puppet films many of which were prize-winners of national and international film festivals. Is a Nika.

Film and television producer

Producer with more than 30 years of experience in film and tv productions. Producer of the films “Little Ashes” (Paul Morisson, 2008), “Monica del Raval” (Francesc Betriu, 2009) among others. Producer of the TV series “Shanghai Secrets” (2009), the first TV series produced in coproduction between China and Eastern Europe, and the miniseries “The Children Torn Apart” (“I figli strappati”) and “Memory and Forgiveness” (“Memoria e perdono”), coproduced with Italy among many local TV film for the Catalan and Spanish market. Also worked as editor in many films, among them “Dagon” (Stuart Gordon, 2001) and “Arachnid” (Jack Sholder, 2001). Since 2010 is working as CEO of the Spanish production and distribution company Lukimedia. he company is focused on the production of high-end documentaries for the European market and the distribution of feature films and TV content for the Spanish market. He is now developing 2 feature films. Professor at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. Received the Ortega y Gasset Award for Journalism and the Ondas International Award for Television Reporting in 1988, received a mention for the best television program, and headed the French agency CAPA in Spain.

Secretary General of the French-Chinese Association of New Cinema

International committee member of CINETOUR sustainable development film festival organization. Jury member of Russia Tyumen Zero Plus International Film Festival, Paris Children and Youth Film Festival, Voronezh International Animation Film Festival and others. The founder of MOVIEST Culture, has been working in film festival operation and overseas agency for 11 years. Among them, domestic short films and feature films have accumulated more than 1,000 shortlisted awards at home and abroad, including Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Cartagena Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and many other famous film festivals. The main operation project of the MOVIEST culture: Beijing International Children’s Film Festival (founded in 2018, received nearly 2,000 excellent children’s works from more than 40 countries around the world, and organized screenings in many regions of the country, forums, 2023 BRICS International Special Unit, the first international screening and the forum was held in the Russian branch venue; Asian film market development and distribution cooperation forum; ONED Pioneer Imaging Laboratory; Global university students Film Workshop.

Professor at the National University, New Delhi

Studied Russian language and literature at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Her doctoral thesis was on Mikhail Bakhtin, the Russian cultural philosopher. Her areas of specialization are Soviet Union, Russia, Central Asia and Culture Studies. She was the recipient of the National Award for the Best Film Critic in 1994. She was honorary editor (Assistant, Deputy, Executive) of the world’s first publication on Asian cinema – “Cinemaya, the Asian Film Quarterly”. She is the author of “Guru Dutt: Through Light and Shade” (2008) – a monograph on the Indian filmmaker Guru Dutt. Among the many books she has edited are “Cultural Histories of Central Asia”; “Perspectives on Multiculturalism: Pre-Soviet, Soviet and Post-Soviet Central Asia” and “The Russian Factor in Central Asian Culture”. Her writings on literature and cinema have been published in prestigious Indian and foreign publications. She has served on several film festival and critics juries in India and abroad. She was on the preview committee for the selection of films for the International Film Festival of India at Goa for several years (between 2005 and 2014). She has lectured extensively on film history and on masters of Asian and world cinema (in particular, Soviet montage heories, the cinemas of Tarkovsky, Parajanov, and others).