Isa Qosja
Head of the Jury
Isa Qosja is an Albanian director. He was born in 1949 in Vuthaj, Montenegro, and now lives and works in Pristina. Isa Qosja is the author of many feature films and documentaries, among which “Proka” stands out, a film that participated in many international festivals, laureate of the first and second prizes at the “New Hopes” Film Festival at the Cannes Film Festival. With the second film “Guardians of the Mist” he shocked the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with the visual power of courage and treatment of the suffering of Albanians during the great communist repression. In addition to many other films, Qosja has also made the feature film “Kukumi”(2005), laureate of many awards at world festivals (Sarajevo, Venice, Sofia, Vienna, etc.) as well as the film “Three windows and a hanging” (2014), which received 20 awards at several international festivals (Sarajevo, Cottbus, Thesaloniki, Istambul. Jerusalem, etc.). Isa Qosja is a lecturer in the Department of Film Directing at the Faculty of Arts in Pristina and lectures.
Sonja Hofmann
Member of the Jury
Sonja Hofmann, graduated in Regional Studies in Latin America. Since 2019 she is the manager of the Film Office in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and since 2021 the director of the Film Festival in Lünen/Germany. As a film curator, she has been working as a consultant and program moderator for many years, including the Cologne Film Festival. In cooperation with the Köln Cinematographers Association, she organizes the Köln Latin Film Series every year. Sonja Hofmann is part of various film culture networks. She is a substitute member of the Media Commission of the Media Authority in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as a member of the jury for the German Film and Media Evaluation, FBW.
Gentian Koci
Member of the Jury
Gentian Koçi is a director, screenwriter, and film producer from Albania. His short films and documentaries have been selected and awarded in many festivals. He was internationally recognized for his documentary NOT A CARWASH, which world premiered in official selection at Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival, and was nominated for the Special Jury Award at Sheffield Doc/Fest, in 2012. In 2017, Gentian Koçi presented his first feature film DAYBREAK, which had the world premiere at the Sarajevo International Film Festival and was awarded Best Actress. It has been selected in more than 50 important film festivals all over the world, receiving very positive reviews from the most important specialized film magazines and it was the official Albanian submission for Oscars 2018. Gentian Koçi’s second feature film A CUP OF COFFEE AND NEW SHOES ON, had its world premiere at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) and was the official Albanian submission for the Academy Awards – Oscars 2023. Actually, he is in the development phase of his next project, COLD SUN.
Anna Ladinig
Member of the Jury
Anna Ladinig studied Slavic and Romance Studies at the University of Innsbruck and in the course of her studies spent time in Kazan’, Moscow and Tashkent. Her dissertation deals with Central Asian cinema of the 1960s and 70s. Since October 2019 she is the director of IFFI – International Film Festival Innsbruck and since 2022 she is co-spokesperson of FÖFF – Forum of Austrian Film Festivals.
Fabio Canepa
Member of the Jury
After a master’s degree in Audiovisual and Cinema Studies and several collaborations with prominent Italian production companies, winning prestigious awards for documentary filmmaking, Fabio became a member of the Genova-Liguria Film Commission in 2009. The public agency raises the profile of the Italian region of Liguria as a competitive film destination, creating sustainable jobs and supporting the development of the local industry. Fabio has been responsible for EU-funded projects, training programs, and promotional activities at major film and audiovisual festivals and markets. Since 2016 he has been working as an independent producer on a variety of international co-productions.