Jury

Jury Long métrage fiction

Le jurie des films de fiction de long métrage

Karim Traidia

President of the Jury

Algerian director and screenwriter residing in the Netherlands. He studied sociology in Paris and film at the NFTVA Academy in Amsterdam. His graduation film won international awards. His first feature film, The Polish Bride, was selected for the Oscars and the Golden Globes and was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. He has since directed other notable works such as Les Promoteurs de la vérité, Chronologie de mon village, and Gandhi, l’assassinat.

He contributes to the development of cinematic talent through workshops and masterclasses in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He has also served as a consultant for several funds and festivals (Doha Institute, SANAD Abu Dhabi), participated in international juries, and currently serves as the programmer for the Maghreb Film Festival in Haarlem.

Octavio Fraga Guerra

Cuban director and journalist, graduate of the Higher Institute of Arts in Havana, specializing in audiovisual communication. He became known in Madrid through a support program for Ibero-American documentary cinema. He has contributed to media platforms such as Cubaninformación, directed documentaries and television programs, led the magazines Jazz Plaza and Cubadisca, and launched Diálogos en Reverso for cinematic and journalistic debate.

He continues to serve as an expert on Cuban cinema, combining film criticism with cultural reflection, while maintaining his ideological and emotional connection to Cuba despite residing in Spain.

Petr Vaclav

Cinematographer/Director Petr Vaclav is considered one of the most important contemporary Czech filmmakers, alternating between fiction and documentary with a bold artistic vision. His acclaimed film Boemo was presented in competition at the San Sebastián Film Festival, won the French Critics’ Prize, and represented the Czech Republic at the Oscars. His notable works include Skokan, Neuse Are We Alone, Zaneta, as well as documentaries such as An Evenk Autumn and Madame Le Murie. Throughout his career, Vaclav has consistently demonstrated a profound humanistic curiosity and a creative cinematic voice.

Souad Houssein

A prominent figure in African audiovisual media, she is the founder of the African Observatory for Audiovisual and Cinema (OPAC), aimed at strengthening knowledge of the impact of the film industry in Africa. During her long career with the International Organization of La Francophonie, she directed the Image of La Francophonie Fund (cinema section), supported and promoted films from 37 countries, and played a key role in organizing workshops and professional programs at major international festivals. She continues her cultural and social engagement today through her participation in the International Alliance of Women and the Union of Women of Djibouti.

Rocco Calandriello

Renowned Italian director and producer, graduate of the University of Naples, specializing in urban and cultural marketing, followed by cultural management and film production. In 1999, he founded the Lucania Film Festival and has overseen thousands of films. He created the production company Namavista Film and served as president of the Lucania Film Commission between 2022 and 2023. He has directed major projects such as Matera 2019 and supervised the transformation of the historic center of Pisticci into TILT for innovation and creativity.

Alongside his teaching and consultancy activities in cinema, he views film as a tool for cultural and social development, balancing artistic vision with production strategy.

Le jury des films documentaires

Monica Maurer

President of the Jury

Born in Munich in 1942, she is a director and activist committed to just causes, notably the Palestinian cause. She collaborated with Cesare Zavattini and filmed significant events such as Chile under Allende, the LIP factory, and the Kurdish struggles. In 1977, she moved to Beirut to work with the Palestinian Film Institute and directed six 16mm documentaries on the Palestinian resistance, focusing on medical and social infrastructures. She spent five years there before leaving following the Israeli siege in 1982. She then dedicated her efforts to preserving Palestinian film and photographic archives, including the restoration of the film Tel al-Zaatar in collaboration with artist Emily Jacir.

Salim Albeik

Palestinian/French novelist and critic, member of the Golden Globes in Los Angeles and the Lumières Awards in Paris, as well as the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). He works independently with festivals and cultural institutions, contributing to programming, reviewing, and advising. He has participated in the programming of the Palestinian Cinema Days and the Amman Film Festival, presided over national and international juries, attended literary and critical conferences, founded the cultural magazine Filmmman, and lectured on Palestinian cinema at prestigious universities and institutions, serving as a bridge between Palestinian culture and the world.

Partho Sen-Gupta

Indian director born in Mumbai, he began his career at 17 as an assistant set designer in Hollywood on iconic films such as Saagar and Mr. India before working as a chief set designer and founding his own studio for advertising and independent cinema. In 1993, he went to study in France at the prestigious La Fémis school on a full scholarship, where he directed several award-winning short films presented at major European festivals. After his studies, he directed his first feature film Let the Wind Blow (2004), which was screened at the Berlin Film Festival. His works alternate between fiction and documentary, including The Way of Beauty and Sunrise, joint productions between India, France, and Australia.

Le jury des courts métrages de fiction

Houda Ibrahim

President of the Jury

Writer, journalist, and film critic residing in Paris. After 2011, she founded the event Saisons du cinéma arabe and organized numerous conferences on Arab cinema. She has curated film programs for 20 years and served on juries at prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Carthage, and Cairo. A member of the Lumière Association and the International Federation of Film Critics, she holds degrees in literature, journalism, and cinema from the University of Beirut and the Sorbonne in Paris. Her career combines critical expertise with the supervision of Arab cinematic projects in the diaspora.

Nora Hamdi

Algerian artist residing in Paris. She combines a background in visual arts with a passion for literature and cinema, developing a unique path in writing and filmmaking. She has published five major novels: Des poupées et des anges, Plaqué or, and Au Diable Vauvert. Three of her works—including La Couleur dans les mains and La Maquisarde—have been adapted into feature films, offering an artistic vision that merges literary storytelling with cinematic expression. She is currently working on new projects that continue this blend of literature and cinema, further refining her unique style of visual storytelling.

Talal Afifi

Born in 1976 in Hamburg, he is a Sudanese producer and director, founder and director of Sudan Film Factory, playing a key role in training a new generation of Sudanese filmmakers. He established the Sudan Independent Film Festival in 2014, of which he remains president. Among his major productions is the film Khartoum (2025), which was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and won three awards at the Berlin International Film Festival. He participates in organizing international festival programs and serves on prestigious juries in the UK and Germany, while working to preserve and reactivate film archives and strengthen the contemporary film scene in Sudan.

Le Jury technique

Rachid Benallal

Director, Screenwriter, Editor

President of the Jury

Algerian director, screenwriter, and editor, born in 1946 in Algiers. He studied cinema at the INC in Algiers and then at IDHEC in Paris. He began his career as an assistant director at Algerian television before becoming head of the editing department in the early 1970s, where he edited over 32 feature films for major directors such as Sid Ali Mazif, Merzak Allouache, and Moussa Haddad. He wrote the screenplay for the film Un toit, une famille (1979), directed his first feature film Yaouled in 1993, and appeared as an actor in several films.

Hamoudi Mekesser

Director of Photography

Algerian cinematographer. After studying cinematography techniques, he worked at Algerian television, notably with Merzak Allouache on seven films, including La Première Classe. He is currently preparing a new private series for the month of Ramadan.

Kamel Laggoune

Sound engineer

Algerian sound engineer, graduate of UD, TFCM, HFI, NAPS, and 42. He worked as an assistant to Merzak Allouache on the film Hassen Taxi, as well as on more than 10 other feature films. Mekesser worked at Algerian television after studying physics and mathematics. He joined Algerian Radio and Television, where he became a sound engineer and later a director.

Jury

Le jurie des films de fiction de long métrage

Karim Traidia

President of the Jury

Octavio Fraga Guerra

Petr Vaclav

Souad Houssein

Rocco Calandriello

Le jury des films documentaires

Monica Maurer

President of the Jury

Salim Albeik

Partho Sen-Gupta

Le jury des courts métrages de fiction

Houda Ibrahim

President of the Jury

Nora Hamdi

Talal Afifi

Le Jury technique

Rachid Benallal

Director, Screenwriter, Editor

President of the Jury

Hamoudi Mekesser

Director of Photography

Kamel Laggoune

Sound engineer

AIFF

Algiers International Film Festival