Abbas KIAROSTAMI

Born in 1940 in Teheran, from 1960 Kiarostami started his cinematographic career designing credits and directing commercials. In 1969 he joined the Cinematographic Department of the Institute for Children and Young Adults Intellectual Development (a.k.a. “Kanun”) where he started film section. Since the age of 30, he has continued to make films through which his favorite subject ‘the child’ is frequently introduced. His cinematic endeavors include Where Is The Friend’s Home?, which received the Pronze Pardo at Locarno in 1987, And Life Goes On (1992), and A Taste Of Cherry, which was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes in 1997. In the same year, he first visited PIFF with his award-winning A Taste of Cherry and was chosen as one of 6 hand printing honorees. Also, his feature The Wind Will Carry Us (1999) and documentary ABC Africa (2001) were also screened at the previous editions of PIFF.

Eric KHOO

Born in 1965 in Singapore, Khoo put Singapore on the international film map with his first feature Mee Pok Man (1995), picking up prizes at PIFF, Fukuoka and Singapore. His second feature 12 Storeys (1997), which received FIPRESCI award and the UOB Young Cinema Award at the 10th Singapore Int’l Film Festival and the Golden Maile Award for the best Picture at the 17th Hawaii Int’l Film Festival, remains the only Singapore film to have invited to the official selection at the Cannes (1997) to this date. Ranked as one of the 25 exceptional trend makers of Asia by Asiaweek magazine in 1998, he produced several local TV hits, as well as feature film such as 15 (2003) directed by Royston Tan, which was been invited to Venice and Sundance. Some of his notable achievements include being the recipient of the National Arts Councils Young Artist Award for Film in 1997 and of Singapore ‘Youth Awards’ (Individual in 1999 for his dedication to filmmaking and contribution to society.

Christian JEUNE

Born in 1961, Jeune translated more than 100 English-speaking films in French and has followed this position at the Festival de Cannes for the last 15 years. He initially joined the Festival in 1983 working at the press office before joining the Paris team in 1998 at the Régie des Films. In 1995, he became the Head of Films Department in charge of the pre-selection process and the selected films, closely working with Gilles Jacob, the festival president, and Thierry Fremaux, the artistic director. Since 1997, he has been representing the Festival abroad and scouting films, more particularly in Asia regions where he visits every year.

LEE Hye Young

Born in 1962 in Seoul, Regarded as one of the most celebrated actresses in Korea, Lee’s acting career started at the age of 17 through the musical production Sound of Music. As the daughter of the late Lee Man-hee, whose collection of works will be re-highlighted through this year’s Korean Cinema Retrospective, her charismatic performance knows no boundaries as her professional endeavors in TV, film and theater include as follow: local TV series Fashion 70s (2005) and Sorry, I Love You (2004), as well as The Blazing Sun (1983), which was invited to the competition category at Berlin Int’l Film Festival, The South Korean Army (1990), Passage to Buddha (1993), and No Blood No Tears (2000) directed by Ryu Seung-Beom.

Mika KAURISMÄKI

Born in Orimattila in 1955, his first feature The Liar (1980) is considered to be a breaking signal for the legend of Kaurismaki Brothers that has continued to this date. His following works, Rosso (1985), Helsinki Napoli (1987), Zombie And The Ghost Train (1991), which was particularly hailed by German cinephiles in mid-1980s, and the Tigrero: A Film That Was Never Made (1994), a solid documentary starring Samule Fuller and Jim Jarmusch, are just a few examples that speak for his unprecedented cinematic originality. Also, as a founder of Marianna Films Oy., he produced Crime and Punishment (1983) and Shadows In Paradise (1986) directed by his brother Aki Kaurismäki, with whom he started Midnight Sun Film Festival in Finland. His recent endeavors include Moro No Brasil (2002), a well-made documentary that discovers an unsung origins of Brazilian sound, and Honey Baby (2004), a road movie topped with a love story based on the Greek story of Orpeus and Eurydice, both of which were screened at PIFF.

Yong Soo Stanley KWAK

Born in 1968, Kwak is one of the most dedicated industry insiders in Korea, having worked in a broad spectrum of the field as follow: the founder & general manager of Cinematheque Culture Academy Seoul, a program selector for Indie Forum Festival in Korea (2000), and the co-author of A Chronicle of the Blazing Cinema (1995), a special publication that commemorates the 100th anniversary of cinematograph celebration. Also, as the CEO of IndieStory Co., Korea’s only independent film distribution company, his recent filmography includes One Shining Day , a digital omnibus project that commemorates the 60th anniversary of Korea’s independence from Japan, and the HD digital feature Sundays In August.

LEE Sang-yong

Born in 1972, Lee is currently working as a staff critic for film weekly Film 2.0 and has been a contributing columnist for various local media. Also, he was a program selector for Indie Forum Festival in Korea and Critics’ Week section at the 6th Jeon-ju Int’l Film Festival in 2005.

OH Jung-hun

Born in 1968, Oh’s film career started with making political documentary works at media collective Purn Production. His filmography includes The Three-Legged Crow (1997), Power Of The People (2000), and A Way to An Equal Family (2001). From 2001 to 2004, he worked as a Programmer of Indie Docu Festival in Korea and is now a program director at media access center MediAct.