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Jury 2023

Mira Staleva

Mira Staleva was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. After completing her studies in theology and Psychology, she joined the Sofia Film Fest team from the very beginning. Now she is deputy director of the festival and head of the co-production market Sofia Meetings, as well as one of the festival programmers. She is also part of Art Fest, producing, distribution and exhibition company based in Sofia. Mira Staleva is a member of the European Film Academy and part of the selection committee for the European Award LUX.

Lutz Pehnert

Lutz Pehnert was born in Berlin in 1961. Since 1995 he has been a freelance writer and television director. His film “Brand”, about a group of workers and alcoholics in a steel factory was screened at the Berlinale in 1997. His multi-part documentary “DDR Ahoi!” about the history of the East German seafaring won a Grimme Award in 2011, his film “Partisan” was screened at the Berlinale in 2018. His latest film “Bettina” won the FIPRESCI Award at the 72nd Berlinale edition and is in the RIFE 2022 selection.

Sibel Tekin

Sibel Tekin is graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Communication in 1999. She worked at TRT Documentary Fims Departman as assistant of director and producer between 2000-2003. She worked as editor in TRT between 2004-2007. Since 2007, she is working in Hacettepe University Faculty of Communication and making documentary films. She is also a part of Seyri Sokak Video Activist Collective. Her films were screened at many international national film festivals.

Petya Nakova

Petya Nakova was born in 1974 in Sofia. She graduated in Film and Television Directing from New Bulgarian University in 2010. She is the author of several books of documentary stories. She made her debut in cinema with the documentary “Rom Quixote” (2013, co-directed by Nina Pehlivanova). Petya’s second feature film”Quiet Heritage” is broadcast on HBO and HBO Max. It has multiple awards and has been presented and honoured at numerous international forums and festivals.

Yiannis Kolozis

Yiannis Kolozis has worked as a director, editor and cinematographer in all kinds of audiovisual productions, he was drawn to fiction for a while, but following back the steps he ended up in documentary. His first feature length documentary “Un Condor” was shot in Chile and his second one “Yiorgos of Kedros” was shot from the 70s until 2018 by his father and himself, screened and awarded in various festivals around the world and nominated for Best Documentary by the Hellenic Film Academy.

Ensar Altay

Ensar Altay was born in 1980 in Turkey. He received his graduate degree in the economy but he always had an interest in cinema. He went to London and study at the London Film Academy for earning Filmmaking. So, he started to work as the Assistant of Director in 2010. He then started to work as a TV Director and Producer for five years. Since 2011, he made several documentaries. Guardian of angels (2018) was his first documentary film. He is currently working on his first fiction feature film “Kanto”.