WADA Emi

World-renowned Custom Director loved by the Masters. WADA Emi has also significantly contributed in theatre and Opera. She has also worked with KUROSAWQ Akira, OSHIMA Nagisa, Peter GREENAWAY, Julie TAMOR, Franco ZEFFIRELLI, and ZANG Yimou. Additionally, she has worked as a costume designer in the Korean film The Restless (2006). Her Colorful feast in both the screen and stage are easily recognizable by directors, critics, and audiences. In 1986, she created costumes for the KUROSAWA Akira film Ran and was the first Asian to earn an Academy Award for costume design. In 1992, she received an EMMY Award for Best Costume Design for Julie Taymor’s Television Opera Oedipus Rex .

KIM Yunjin

Trained at the High School of Performing Arts(N.Y.), Boston University (B.F.A. Acting), and British American Drama Academy. In 1996, KIM debuted in Korea with the TV Drama Beautiful Vacation and caught the spotlight in Shiri (1998) directed by KANG Jaekyu. From 2004, KIM starred in ABC’s hit drama Lost and climbed to world stardom. KIM currently has active career in both Korea and United States.

Murali NAIR

Director Murali NAIR studied filmmaking in Mumbai and started out as an Assistant Director in various Bollywood productions. In 1993, his first short film Tragedy of an Indian Farmer won him a National Award in India. In 1996, his third film A Long Journey was shown at the Cannes competition section. In 1997, after moving to London, his first feature length film was awarded the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and at other festivals. Afterwards, his film A Dog’s Day (2001), A Story that begins at the End (2003), UNNI (2007) were invited and shown at the Pusan International Film Festival.

YANG Kuei Mei

Taiwan’s national actress. Working with Taiwan’s leading directors such as TSAI Ming-liang and Ang LEE, she distinguished herself in The Moon Also Rises (2004) by receiving Golden Horse Award as Best Leading Actress. Her effort in changing characters in variety of roles shows her transformation as an actress in the following films: Eat, Drink Man, Woman (1995), Love is Elsewhere (1995), and The Wayward Could (2006).

Christoph TERHECHTE

Born in 1961 in the city of Münster, Germany. He studied political science and journalism at the University of Hamburg. Since then he has been internationally publishing reviews, interviews, and essays on film in magazines and books. In 2001 he became head of the International Forum of New Cinema, an independent section of the Berlin International Film Festival with special attention to Asian cinema.

John COOPER

John COOPER has been a member of the Sundance Film Festival programming staff since 1989 and assumed the role of Festival Director in April of 2009 after serving as the Sundance Film Festival’s Director of Programming since 2003. In recent years, he took the lead in developing the institute’s online presence, which has garnered two Webby Awards.

Alexey POPOGREVSKIY

Alexey POPOGREVSKIY graduated from Moscow State University with a degree in Psychology. In 1994, Alexey teamed up with his friend, Borris KHLEBNIKOV, a film theory student a VGIK, to film two shorts. Their debut feature, Koktebel (2003), produced by Roman BORISEVICH, screened at many festival including the Berlinale Forum and received a number of awards

Jamila ŽBANIĆ

Jamila ŽBANIĆ is a graduate of the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo, Department for Theater and Film Directing. In 1997, together with her friends, she founded the Artist’s Association ‘Deblokada’ though which she produced, wrote and directed many documentaries, video-art works and shorts and among them the feature film Grbavica awarded the Golden Bear at the Berlinale 2006.

LEE Kwangmo

LEE Kwangmo is a director and a producer. LEE’s debut film Spring In My Hometown won him the Best picture and Best Director award at the Deajong Film Awards. LEE also caught the attention with his debut at the Cannes Film Festival’s “Director’s Fortnight.” Afterwards, LEE led the art film distribution through Cinecube and introduced the audience to films that have entertainment and value. He also became the director of the 1ST Cinema Digital Seoul Film Festival(CINDI) that premiered this year (2010)

Thomas ELSAESSER

Thomas ELSAESSER is a German’s film scholar and one of the most renowned film scholars in the world. During the 1970s, he built the first independent film center in England and made a blueprint for the film education system. Currently, he is Professor Emeritus at the University of Amsterdam. Since 2005, he has been appointed as adjunct professor at Yale. During his teaching career, he has conducted research and projects related to film in European and American universities. Critics attribute him to the development of contemporary film studies.

KIM Myoungjoon

From 1989 until 2006, KIM Myoungjoon worked for the Labor News Program. From 1994 until 1998, Kino D-Base manager, and from 1998, Chairman of Korean Independent Film organizations. Since 2002, KIM has been the director of Media Act. Currently KIM continues to research policy and education related to independent films and the media movement as the director of Media Act and chair of the Korean Visual Media Education foundation.

Rithy PAHN

Born in Phnom, Rithy PAHN in 1964, he studied filmmaking at the IDHEC. After graduation, he made several documentaries including Site Ⅱ (1989), Souleymane Cisse (1990), The Tan’s Family (1995), and Bophana, A Cambodian Tragedy (1996). His feature fiction One Evening After the War (1998) was invited to the 3rd PIFF.

Sean FARNEL

Sean FARNEL is Director of Programming for Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, co-financing the forum and Market. Sean was appointed to this position in November 2005, following six years as a programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival Group. At Hot Docs Sean is responsible and managing the Canwest-Hot Docs Documentary Funds. Sean received the Motion Pictures Foundation of Canada Award for Most Outstanding Achievement.

KIM Myeongjoon

Cinematographer – born in Busan, South Korea in 1970. Graduated from Han Yang University with major in film & Theatre. KIM’s credits include 50 short films including Brushing (1998, Director YIM Pilsung), Just Friends? (2009, director KIM Jo Gwangsoo) In feature films, KIM’s credits include Flower Island by Song llgon. KIM has also worked in TV documentaries. KIM’s first Documentary For Hana (2003) started to focus on Korea immigrants in Japan and in 2006 was awarded the Woonpa at the 11th Pusan International Film Festival. Currently KIM works at both directing documentaries as a feature film director of photography.

Rémi BONHOMME

Rémi BONHOMME has collaborated with Semaine de la Critique since 2003 and was appointed Programme Manager in 2008. Rémi is also programmer at the Metropolis Art Cinema(Beirut) and worked as associate producer on feature film Every Day is a Holiday by Dima El-Horr (Lebanon/France/Germany – 2009).

WOO Ming Jin

WOO Ming Jin’s work as a filmmaker and photographer garnered him a reputation as one of East Asian’s most promising talents. His first film Monday Morning Glory (2005) screened in Berlin and Locarno, while his second, Elephant and the Sea (2007), won awards at festivals in Torino, Portugal, and Spain. Woman on Fire Looks for Water (2009), played at Venice, Pusan, and Rotterdam. The Tiger Factory is only the third film in Malaysian history to be selected to the Cannes Film Festival.