Actress Frances McDormand became a star of independent cinema in the films of directing brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. In 1997 she won an Oscar for her role in the comedy thriller Fargo. She is also present in the theatre: often together with Willem Dafoe in the famous Wooster Group in New York City. At this year’s Berlinale she appears in the Competition film Something’s gotta give.
Filmmaker Maji-da Abdi is on the jury as a representative of the young generation. Born in Ethiopia she grew up in Kenya and Canada, then returned to her home country to make documentary films. Her film The River that Divides (2001) tells of the war experiences of Ethiopian women. As a producer Maji-da Abdi has supervised works including the multiple award-winning film Heremakono by Abderrahmane Sissako from Mali.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi is one of the most renowned actresses of her generation. She grew up in Italy and lives in France. Her many acting awards include a special prize for Nénette et Boni (Nenette and Boni) at the Locarno Film Festival in 1996. She worked with “auteur” filmmakers including Claire Denis, Patrice Chéreau, Bertrand Blier, Marco Bellocchio. In 2003, she gave her debut as a director with Il est plus facile pour un chameau.
The 24-year-old Iranian director is one of the greatest discoveries in the international film scene. Her sensational directing debut The Apple (1998) was followed by the Cannes prize-winning films The Blackboard and 5 in the afternoon and her contribution God, Construction and Destruction in the episode film 11’09’’01 – September 11. Samira Makhmalbaf has received numerous international awards for her politically and visually courageous films.
Peter Rommel produced some of the most interesting German and international films in recent years. Together with director Andreas Dresen he realized Night Shapes (Nachtgestalten) (1998) and Grill Point (Halbe Treppe) (2002), both of which won Silver Bears at the Berlinale. Peter Rommel, a founding member of the German Film Academy, not only produces films but also teaches at the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy.
Mediterraneo marked the international breakthrough for Gabriele Salvatores and won him the Foreign Film Oscar in 1992. The well-known film and theatre director founded one of Italy’s key theatres in 1972, the Teatro d’Elfo in Milan. His cinema career began in 1983 with Sogno di una notte d’estate. In 2003 he presented Io non ho paura (I’m not scared), a political thriller told from the perspective of a child, in the Berlinale Competition.
For over forty years the dedicated New York cinema man and distributor has enriched film culture in the Big Apple with European Arthouse films and independent US productions. His independent distribution company New Yorker Films helped launch Fassbinder’s works in the USA. Founded in 1981, the Lincoln Plaza Cinema showed The Buena Vista Social Club for over 26 weeks. It is one of the world’s most successful art film theatres.
The well-known journalist and theater expert has organized numerous film events and festivals, for instance, as manager of the Filmcasino art house in Vienna. From 1997 to 2003 she was director of the Diagonale film festival in Graz. After disagreements, she left Graz and founded the film festival Crossing Europe in Linz, launched in May 2004.
Born in Paris, camerawoman Sophie Maintigneux now lives in Berlin. Since 1984 she has done camerawork on over 50 feature and documentary films, e. g. for Eric Rohmer (The Green Ray) and Michael Klier (Heidi M). Her numerous awards include the Femina Film Prize 2001 and the German Camera Award 2003 for the documentary Ladies and Gentlemen over 65.
A graduate of the Danish Film Academy, Wiedemann was responsible for granting development and production support to feature films since 1999 as the commissioning editor of the Danish Film Institute. Recently she was assigned head of the new "Talent Development" department. Wiedemann has supervised projects by notable Danish directors, including Lars von Trier, Lone Scherfig, Lukas Moodysson, Susanne Bier and Thomas Vinterberg.
The recipients of honorary awards are not chosen by a jury but by the festival director.
A Children's Jury with members aged 11 to 14 awards the Crystal Bears in the Kinderfilmfest competition. The jury members are selected from film questionaires submitted the previous year and officially invited to participate by the festival director.
A Youth Jury with members aged 14 to 18 awards the Crystal Bears in the 14plus competition. The jury members are selected from film questionaires submitted the previous year and officially invited to participate by the festival director.
The International Jury of the Kinderfilmfest awards the Grand Prix of the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk (German Child Support Organisation) worth 7,500 Euros, to the Best Feature Film. The charity's special prize, which has a value of 2,500 Euros, is awarded to the Best Short Film.
Members of the International Jury of the 27th Kinderfilmfest are: Pia Bovin, Fabia Bettini, Hermine Huntgeburth, Nicole Salomon, and Klaus Härö.
