After living in Uruguay and Brazil, Claudio settled down in France where he has been editing for 30 years. He is currently living in Copenhagen. He has edited in Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Slovakia, England and the Netherlands. Claudio has been a tutor at IDFA, Dok Incubator, Docs Incheon and EIDF Korea, DBTS, DocPoint Helsinki, Docudays Kyiv and Berlin Talent Campus. His work was selected in Cannes, Locarno, Sundance, Toronto, Berlin and IDFA.
Ema Ryan Yamazaki is the Director of INSTRUMENTS OF A BEATING HEART and Editor of BLACK BOX DIARIES, which were both nominated for the Academy Awards in 2025. With a unique perspective as an insider and outsider in Japan, Ema strives to tell stories that empathetically show human struggle and triumph. Her feature THE MAKING OF A JAPANESE was nominated for an Emmy in 2026. Her latest editorial work AMERICAN DOCTOR premiered at Sundance 2026.
Heejung Oh founded Seesaw Pictures in 2017 and has produced award-winning films selected for prestigious festivals such as Sundance, Berlinale, Locarno, IDFA, among others. She is an alum of EAVE and Eurodoc, and has served on the selection committee of renowned international funds. She is a member of EAVE’s Racial Equity Advisory Group and #DocSafe.
Ichu Lin is an international film editor based in France and Taiwan. Having lived in France for over twenty years, she frequently collaborates on French co-productions. Her award-winning work includes Always (CPH DOX:AWARD, Singapore BIFF, DocsBarcelona Best Editing), Replica (Thessaloniki Silver Alexander, Doc Edge), and Another Home (Busan Mecenat Award). Films she edited have also been selected for Visions du Réel, YIDFF, and TIDF (SPI).
Jia Zhao is a Chinese-Dutch producer based in Amsterdam and founder of MUYI FILM and co-founder at Silk Road Film Salon with director Aboozar Amini. Her latest films include Whispers in May (CPH:DOX 2026), Kabul, Between Prayers (Venice 2025), A Marble Travelogue (IDFA 2021), and I’m So Sorry (Cannes 2021). Her work has been widely presented at major festivals. She became a member of the Academy in 2025.
Kumjana is a moving image artist, working also as a film curator and lecturer. Her art practice is research-based and explores relationships related to power and violence, war, memories and resistance.
Kumjana’s work has been exhibited at various venues, including the MoMA, the Tate Modern, and major film festivals. Kumjana works nomadically from the spaces previously known as Yugoslavia and is currently based in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Pablo Álvarez-Mesa is a filmmaker, cinematographer, and editor working primarily in non-fiction. His work explores structures of control, soft power, and the politics of everyday life, examining the boundary between fact and fiction and the social construction of history.
Rintu Thomas is an Academy Award nominated, Peabody Award winning Indian filmmaker, whose decade-long body of work sits at the intersection of cinema as storytelling and narrative change. Her double Sundance-winning ‘Writing With Fire'(2021) is India’s first Oscar-nominated feature documentary. Thomas is a recipient of the IDA ‘Courage Under Fire’ Award, the President’s Medal in India and co-founder of critically acclaimed Black Ticket Films. Rintu is also an AMPAS member.
S. Leo Chiang is a filmmaker based in Taipei and San Francisco. His short documentary, Island in Between, received an Oscar nomination in 2024. His feature Our Time Machine was nominated for an Emmy and a Gotham Award, winning prizes at Tribeca and 10+ international festivals. He directed two episodes of the Peabody Award-winning PBS series Asian Americans. He co-founded A-Doc, the Asian American Documentary Network, and is a member of the Academy’s Documentary Branch.
Filmmaker and chairperson of Documentary Association Georgia – DOCA. Her Taming the Garden [2021] premiered at Sundance and Berlinale Forum and was nominated for European Film Awards. Her The Dazzling Light of Sunset [2016] was awarded at Visions du Réel. Her Bakhmaro [2011] was nominated for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Her work was celebrated at BAMPFA in a series of screenings and talks. Recipient of Berlin Art Prize and European Cultural Award KAIROS Prize [2024].
Adythia Utama is a filmmaker based in Jakarta, taking on the roles of director, videographer, music producer, and video editor. He graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Art degree from the Jakarta Institute of the Arts concentrating in documentary. His audiovisual and film works have been screened internationally. “BISING – noise and experimental music in Indonesia” is his first feature documentary film.
Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto (b. 1999) is an Indonesian film writer/director based between Jakarta and Toronto. Her works utilize genre films as a medium to dissect sociopolitical, cultural and environmental issues through a female gaze. Often drawing from personal experiences and her interests in displacement and geographical boundaries, she is in pursuit of exploring her own brand of Indonesian futurism as a mix of mythology, occult elements and technological advancements in a (post-)colonial setting.
Andy Huang is an award-winning film and television producer based in Melbourne. His recent producing credits include More Than a Father (in production), Replica (2026), My AI Lover (2022), and If You’re a Dream, Don’t Wake Me Up (2021). Andy’s work has been recognised with numerous accolades. Andy is the founder and Creative Producer at Axel Rise Films and was previously an Artistic Manager at Grandshow Productions.
I am a researcher and a film worker – works in between the intersection of digital media, film, and anthropology. Personally, I have a strong interest in various forms of media, such as documentary films, photography, music, sound, and the internet (and its culture). A firm believer that media cannot escape from its context and issues that surrounds it. Currently based in between Jakarta, Amsterdam, and the internet.
Bora Lee-Kil (1990) is a South Korean filmmaker exploring Deaf culture and disability. She holds an MA from the Netherlands Film Academy. Her documentary Glittering Hands (2014) won a special mention at Yamagata IDFF, and Untold (2018) was honored at Busan IFF. A UnionDocs and Berlinale Talents alum, her current project, Our Bodies, is supported by Chicken & Egg Pictures and received the Best Pitch Award at DMZ Docs Industry, continuing her storytelling from the intersection of silence and sound.
Carin Leong is a Singaporean documentary filmmaker and journalist based in Brooklyn.
Her work explores themes of science, cultural memory, and landscapes. Her film, Sandcastles (Field of Vision) was selected for IF/Then SEA, a joint program by the Tribeca Film Institute and IN-DOCS, and premiered at SXSW in 2024. Her work has received support from Aesthetica Film Festival, DOK Leipzig, and UFO. In 2024, she was recognized by Filmmaker Magazine as one of the 25 Faces of Independent Film.
CHANG Tzu Hsiang is a director and cinematographer from Taiwan and an alumnus of the Golden Horse Film Academy. He focuses on individual fate in contemporary society, seeking a profound dialogue between the camera and reality.
Filmmaker and Artist. Her practice begins with family memory, migration, and everyday observation through moving images, archival research, and fieldwork. She graduated from the Department of Filmmaking at Taipei National University of the Arts. In 2024, her works were featured in a focus program at Taiwan’s Taoyuan Documentary Project.
Chouwa Liang is a Beijing-based documentary filmmaker. Her work explores intimacy and emotional life in contemporary Chinese society from a female perspective. Her short films include A World Away (2018), Intimate Strangers (2019), I Love You Too (2019), and My AI Lover (2022), which was featured on The New York Times Op-Docs, Aeon, and PBS. Her debut feature Replica premiered at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, where it won the Silver Alexander Award.
Christine Seow is a Singaporean filmmaker and alumni of the National Film and Television School (NFTS), graduating with a Master’s in Directing Documentary.
Her short film Two Travelling Aunties (2025) premiered at Inside Out and Doc Edge, before travelling to over 25 international film festivals. It also won Best Non-Fiction at Sony Future Filmmakers Award 2026 and was nominated for an IDA Documentary Award.
Dai Wei is an independent filmmaker based in Taiwan, working across the realms of both documentary and fiction. She explores “stories in the cracks,” focusing on the unheard and blending reality with experimental art to push the boundaries of imagination. For her, cinema is more than a medium; it is a vital language for the voiceless.
Daria Podsiadlo is a Polish-American creative producer, director, DP based in Barcelona. With a background in global brand strategy and advertising, she transitioned into documentary and impact filmmaking, working across Japan and Europe. She is also an impact ambassador at ShareDoc, a Creative Europe-funded documentary impact platform, and brings expertise in international development, fundraising strategy, and audience engagement to her production work.
Emi Ueyama is a Tokyo-based producer working primarily in documentary and independent cinema. Her produced films have premiered and screened at major international festivals, including IFFR, Berlin Forum, Busan, Hot Docs, and Jeonju, to name a few. She has been involved in numerous international co-productions between Japan, Korea, Brazil, Poland, and France, with projects selected for Cannes Docs, DOK Leipzig, IDFA Forum, and other major industry platforms. She has also collaborated on NHK documentaries.
Eunsol Cho is a filmmaker based in Seoul, South Korea. She began her career as a TV and web producer at Yonhap News Agency. While directing entertainment programs, she expanded into filmmaking. She began working as a producer with Our Drive (2024, Jeonju International Film Festival) and continues to develop her work through Colors of the Wind (in progress), which was shortlisted for the Whickers Film & TV Fund. She is also currently working on her first documentary, My Silent Brides.
An independent documentary filmmaker based in Hong Kong, who often turns toward his beloved home city, which he fears is gradually relinquishing the freedoms and values that set it apart from China.
His documentary short Letter Sent won 2nd prize at NTCDF 2021; His feature-length documentary Gone with Wind won the Hong Kong Documentary Award at HKIDF 2019.
Fanny Lehmann is a Paris-based French producer with experience in film and podcast production, particularly as a production manager. She worked on *The Wild One* and *Night of the Kings*, which premiered at Venice and represented Ivory Coast at the Oscars. She spent over two years at ARTE Radio producing podcasts. Selected for the Ludwigsburg-Paris Atelier in 2023, she trained internationally and produced a short film. In 2025, she founded Radical Dreamers.
Felicia Chen, known artistically as Dis Fig, is a US-born, Berlin-based music producer and performer who creates visceral, emotionally intense works through experimental sound design and world-building. Birthed from a personal exploration of her Chinese-Vietnamese heritage and personal family histories, Whispers That Echo is her inquiry into intergenerational trauma, cultural erasure, and the cathartic, healing power of film and sound. Her work has been presented internationally and featured in The Wire, The Quietus, and The Guardian.
Flora Linghwa Huang is a Taiwanese filmmaker and anthropologist whose intimate documentaries delve into migration, womanhood, and the quiet strength of human resilience. Her directorial projects, including The White Waters, have been supported by Women CIRCLE and TAICCA. As a producer, she finds great joy in shaping acclaimed projects alongside fellow creators, such as Scenes from Departure, which won the TIDF Grand Prize, and Voices of a Village, supported by the DMZ Docs Development Fund.
Gogu is a filmmaker based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He focuses on telling stories about Malaysian Indians, blending horror and humor through both provocative and poetic approaches. The shortfilm “Walay Balay” which he co-directed premiered at the 2024 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Gogu is also currently developing his first fiction feature film, “Kaali: Depth of Darkness,” which received the inaugural mylab FINAS Award and was featured at the 2021 Seapitch Bangkok and 2022 Film Bazaar Co-Production Market in India.
Hiroyuki Yoshihara is a Tokyo-based Korean-Japanese film producer. After graduating from Keio University, he began in television production and later studied fiction at the Film School of Tokyo. He joined TBS Sparkle in 2017, producing films for TBS Television. Since 2021, he has pursued graduate studies at Tokyo University of the Arts and founded Cloud11 Studios. His work includes Mishima: The Last Debate and the award-winning short National Route 7, as well as the upcoming feature Good Death.
Hui-Chen Huang is a self-taught filmmaker who learned her craft from life itself. Her debut feature, Small Talk, won the Teddy Award at the Berlinale. Currently developing her second feature, LOMÁ, she also serves as a producer, dedicated to collaborating with intriguing souls to tell captivating stories.
Huihui Lou is the founder of French production company Oui Production. She is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and holds a Master’s degree in directing, producing, and screenwriting from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Her work centers on intimate, cross-cultural narratives that examine identity, migration, and memory across both fiction and documentary forms. She is an IDFAcademy alumna and a selected participant in the Berlinale EFM Toolbox Program 2026.
Jeremy Luke Bolatag is a Filipino filmmaker whose works challenge the boundaries between documentary and fiction, exploring themes on identity, diaspora, and social issues, diving deep in marginalized and underrepresented communities. Jeremy earned his bachelor’s degree in Film at the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2018.
With a full scholarship, Jeremy completed his two-year master’s degree in Documentary Film Directing in 2023 (DocNomads) at LUCA School of Arts in Brussels. Jeremy is a Taurus, which is also very important.
Jewel Maranan is a documentary producer based in the Philippines. Her films interrogate histories of conflict, displacement, and colonial aftermath: Silent House (2022, IDFA, HotDocs), The Silhouettes (2020, Visions du reel), The Future Cries Beneath Our Soil (2018, DMZ Docs), and In the Claws of a Century Wanting (2017, DOK Leipzig). Her projects have received support from Sundance, IDFA Bertha Fund, Chicken&Egg, Purin Pictures, Doha Film Institute, Asian Cinema Fund, and Purin Pictures, among others.
Jin Jiang is a Chinese independent documentary filmmaker born in 1989 in Luoyang, China, currently based between Beijing and Tokyo. His work focuses on social observation and intimate portraiture. His films have screened at Berlin, Busan, IDFA, and RIDM. Republic won Best Documentary at BIFF, the Grand Prize at Image Forum, and the Grand Prize at RIDM’s international competition.
Karanjit is a visual artist and a musician. His work explores identity, migration, and collective memory in the Indian subcontinent with a particular focus on the Punjabi diaspora.
Karanjit graduated with a BFA in Photography and Imaging from NYU Tisch in 2017, where he documented resistance efforts by Tibetan refugees.
He is a founding member and Visual Director of EXCISE DEPT – a Hip-Hop collective that unpacks Indian identity through bold visual media and multilingual music.
She is an independent producer from Hong Kong, based in Taiwan. She was selected in the 2025 Berlinale EFM Toolbox Programme, 2025 IDFA Academy and 2026 EURODOC. Her documentary projects were selected to pitching forums such as CNEX CCDF, Docs by the Sea, DMZ Docs Production Pitch and Tokyo Docs. Her co-directed and produced film “Colour Ideology Sampling.mov”(2024) won the 61st Taipei Golden Horse Awards Best Documentary Short Film and South Taiwan Festival South Award.
Kumanavannan Rajendran (Kuma) is a Malaysian producer drawn to auteur-driven, slow cinema. Trained in law and shaped by years in television and independent production, he founded Om Sakthi Films in 2023. His work focuses on films rooted in the histories and lived experiences of Malaysia’s Tamil minority community, with current projects including documentary Araro Ariraro in post production, feature project Kaali as well as two short films titled Kairu and Maayappon in development.
Kwan Ling Mok is an award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker from Hong Kong. She is a Knight Wallace Fellow 2023-2024, and The VII Foundation Film Lab fellow 2026-2027. She is now directing her debut feature, A Thousand Winds, which was a recipient of the Asian Network of Documentary Fund at the Busan International Film Festival, the Golden Horse Film Festival Project Promotion and Sheffield DocFest MeetMarket.
Laksanapon Tarapan is a filmmaker based in Bangkok. She has worked as a Line Producer in short films: ONE TROPICAL RAIN OF LOVE AND GUILT, a co-production with KawanKawan Media and 185films which was selected for the short film competition at the 48th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.
She also directed short documentaries: Murmur through the walls, was participated in Docs by the Sea lab in 2024.
LIU Ren-feng is an independent Editor and Director. Her directed work , “Eviction and Beyond”（2023）, was nominated for Best Documentary Short Film at the 60th Golden Horse Awards. Her second short “Little Mirage”(2024) continues her observations and questions on housing issues, won the Golden Fireball at the Kaohsiung Film Festival
Kuala Lumpur-based film editor Lourdes Gason brings over a decade of expertise to narratives and documentaries. Driven by the core belief that emotional resonance is a story’s heartbeat, he excels at aligning technical precision with creative intention. His work includes the History Channel series Road to Nationhood (2016-19) and The Tides Will Decide (2025). In 2026, he made his feature film editing debut with Between Arms, which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Lucie Rego co-founded Hutong Productions in 2018 with Pauline Tran Van Lieu. The company produces bold, socially engaged creative documentaries and fiction with strong international ambitions.
Before founding Hutong, Lucie worked for the CNC’s Aide aux Cinémas du Monde fund and collaborated with the French Embassy in Beijing on contemporary art projects.
Since its creation, Hutong Productions has developed and produced about 20 short and feature-length films.
Mala Reinhardt studied directing at Film University Babelsberg, Germany and previously studied ethnology in Cologne, New Delhi, and Kampala. Her work includes THE SECOND ATTACK (2018), screened at DOK Leipzig and Berlinale, and FAMILIAR PLACES (2024), which premiered at Locarno’s Semaine de la Critique. She is a Berlinale Talents alumna, German Films Face2Face Ambassador 2025, and a member of the European Film Academy.
Masaaki Niiyama is a Tokyo-based documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on long-term observational storytelling. His films explore personal growth and changing values through intimate human stories. He is currently directing two feature documentaries: one following young rakugo performers and another exploring the future of education in Japan.
Phạm Hoàng Miên is a Saigon-based writer and producer working across ethnography, documentary, and fiction to explore personal and collective traumas. Her practice focuses on the nuances of human connection, featuring collaborations with international platforms such as VICE and NOWNESS.
Mukesh Kumaravel is an Indian-born filmmaker and La Fémis graduate working in fiction and documentary. Trained as an engineer, he turned to cinema in 2014 and spent years in Mumbai as an assistant director on features, documentaries, and commercials. He joined La Fémis’s workshop in 2018 and entered directing program in 2020 with support from the Institut Français in India. His films have screened at Doclisboa, Sarlat, and Dolcevita. He is developing his first feature documentary and a fiction film.
Nathaniel Brown is a director and cinematographer making work about place, belonging and community. A former Fulbright Scholar, his work emphasizes collaborative storytelling and has been supported by the Pulitzer Center, the Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts; it has been featured in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Vice, Vogue, Nowness, Dazed, Hypebeast, Sabukaru and the South China Morning Post.
Often existing at the edges of documentary space, Nathaniel’s films focus on decentralizing cultural narratives, drawing from intimate personal experience with local communities & subcultures around the world. His work has been shown at festivals including DOC NYC, Hawaii, Cleveland and Big Sky, and has won awards for best cinematography, best documentary and the audience choice award.
Nathaniel graduated Magna Cum Laude from Middlebury College, and attended both National Taiwan University in Taipei and Tsinghua University in Beijing. Originally from Australia and raised in the United States, he has lived and worked in Asia for the last fifteen years. He is now based between Tokyo & Okinawa.
Nemo is an Indian writer-director, known for blending fiction and nonfiction, myth and reality in his storytelling. His films have been shown in film festivals around the world. He is currently working on his debut novel.
Nghiêm Quỳnh Trang is a Vietnamese filmmaker working between Prague and Hanoi. She came to cinema after studying political science and sevaral years working in TV journalism. Her work is shaped by living between places and by an interest in how larger social changes leave traces in intimate lives. She often returns to stories of migration, family memory, intergenerational distance, and and the complex search for belonging.
Nguyễn Hồng Quân is Head of Directing & Cinematography at the Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema, with over 15 years’ experience directing films in Vietnam and internationally. His works include The Room (Silver Kite Award), The Safe (Best Short Film, Hanoi 48HFP), and the TV documentary series S-Vietnam (VTV1). He also produces and writes; his project Chú Văn was selected for the 2023 Busan APM, and A Theoretical Film was nominated at DOCfeed.
Nirartha Bas Diwangkara is a Balinese film director and producer. In 2025, he founded Ordo Film. In 2014, he was awarded a scholarship to study digital media with a filmmaking focus at Pierce College in Washington State (USA). Nirartha has produced two documentaries supported by the Ministry of Culture and Education of the Republic of Indonesia. His filmography includes fiction, animation, and documentary. He continues to explore taboo and socio-cultural themes rooted in Balinese identity.
Peerachai Kerdsint is a Bangkok-based filmmaker working across documentary and hybrid forms. His work explores everyday life and social change through long-term observation. His debut feature, The Isthmus (2013), co-directed with Sopawan Boonnimitra, premiered in New Currents at Busan International Film Festival. His latest documentary with Sopawan boonnimitra, First Cuts Are the Deepest (2026), had its World Premiere in the International Competition at Doc Edge Festival.
Independent film producer based in Hong Kong. Produced works include YELLOWING, won the Ogawa Shinsuke Prize at YIDFF; LOST COURSE, won the Best Documentary at the 53rd Taipei Golden Horse Awards; BLUE ISLAND, won the Best International Documentary Feature in HotDocs 2022 and Another Home , won the best documentary at Busan International Film Festival 2024.
Pham Thi Hao’s a filmmaker and editor specializing in independent Vietnamese cinema. Trained at the Ho Chi Minh Academy, Ateliers Varan, and La Fémis, she directs films focused on female perspectives and cinematic creativity. As a sought-after editor for arthouse projects, her credits include Madam Phung’s Last Journey, My Father-The Last Communist, At the Triangle Intersection. A co-founder of Varan Vietnam, Hao’s committed to fostering the local documentary scene while navigating the delicate distance between objective filmmaking and intimate storytelling.
Phượng Diễm Cao is a producer and writer/screenwriter who has authored several well-known preschool titles. She also works as a producer for the television programs broadcast on Vietnam National Broadcaster.
With her long-standing presence in the creative community, she maintains strong professional relationships with artists, cultural researchers, and experts across Vietnam. These deep connections provide a strong foundation for the development of culturally grounded projects including the documentary film currently in progress.
Polen Ly is a self-taught filmmaker. He was a director fellow at Asian Film Academy in Busan, South Korea, in 2018. His first featured documentary UNTIL THE ORCHID BLOOMS was premiered in IDFA, the Netherlands in 2024 and won Grand Prix for Asian Vision Competition at Taiwan International Documentary Festival in 2026. His latest fiction debut BECOMING HUMAN was premiered in Venice Film Festival 2025 and won Golden Hanuman at Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival, Indonesia, 2025.
Pony Ma is a film critic and the head of the program team at the Taipei Film Festival. Born and raised in Taipei, she had been one of the directors of the Taiwan Film Critics Society and was invited to serve as guest curator. In 2024, she co-founded Autumn Film Production as a producer, and provides festival strategy.
RAJAN KATHET is a Kathmandu-based filmmaker working in both fiction and documentary. He is an alumnus of the DOCNOMADS European Masters, Berlinale Talents, Global Media Makers, and the Video Consortium. His films No Winter Holidays (2023) and Bare Trees in the Mist (2019) have screened at prestigious festivals such as the Toronto International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Sheffield DocFest, Tampere Film Festival, Hong Kong IFF, Golden Apricot IFF, and Short Shorts Japan, among many others.
I am a researcher and a film worker – works in between the intersection of digital media, film, and anthropology. Personally, I have a strong interest in various forms of media, such as documentary films, photography, music, sound, and the internet (and its culture). A firm believer that media cannot escape from its context and issues that surrounds it. Currently based in between Jakarta, Amsterdam, and the internet.
Sadia Rao is an Indian filmmaker, journalist and producer with over four years of experience in documentaries and seven years in journalism. Her work explores the fault lines that divide modern India, revealing the impossible Indian reality, where everything is true and false, all at once. In 2025, she was a fellow at the Union Docs Research Lab where she developed an
Based in France and South Korea, SEO Jiyeon began writing stories for Hankyoreh Factstory after studying politics and journalism. Having long dreamed of running away, she found herself leaving. Studying art and literature in France, she continues to question what made her leave. In her short film Cacapipitalisme, she explored the boundaries between history and fiction. Recently, she has been drawn to stories that move beyond the hysteria of singularity, finding in everyday details the traces of a collective sensibility.
Shubo Liu is a visual artist and filmmaker who graduated from the School of Film Art at China Academy of Art. Her work is rooted in documentary images and local ecologies, extending into emotions and abstract memories.
Sin-yi Choi is an independent producer, researcher and curator from Hong Kong, currently a PhD candidate at the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong. She also served as a board member of Videotage and Unlock Dancing Plaza. She previously worked as a production manager for the documentary Blue Island (2022).
Sinae Ha is the founder of BODA MEDIA GROUP, a Seoul-based production house specializing in international co-productions that explore social issues through touching personal lenses.
Having produced acclaimed global feature documentaries and recently completing her second feature as a director, she joins My Silent Brides as a producer, bringing extensive global co-production expertise to the project.
Sopawan Boonnimitra is an independent filmmaker based in Bangkok with over two decades of experience in film and arts.
Her work focuses on identity, migration and collective memory, often exploring the relationship between individuals and social transformation.
She is currently Head of the Department of Motion Pictures and Still Photography at Chulalongkorn University, where she continues to support young filmmakers and develop critical approaches to filmmaking in Thailand.
Sophie Yi-Chia Fu is a Taipei-based filmmaker with a background in sociology and an MFA in Filmmaking. Her work explores immigration, womanhood, and identity through a personal lens. Her latest documentary, Thunder and Rosy Clouds, received funding from the National Culture and Arts Foundation, the New Taipei City Documentary Fund, and Jihlava IDFF. In 2022, she established Morpheus Film to develop independent fiction and documentary projects that articulate deeper meanings through intimate storytelling.
Sujin Lee’s work is grounded in the belief that even the most personal narratives do not accumulate in isolation. Inspired by theatre, visual arts, and cinema, she develops projects that explore the connections between individual stories and broader social realities. She is currently studying Arts Management at K-ARTS and served as Associate Producer on “Cruel Optimism” (Korean Competition, 27th Jeonju International Film Festival).
Trinh Dinh Le Minh’s a Vietnamese filmmaker and Fulbright scholar with an MFA in Film Production from University of Texas at Austin. Minh has directed several documentaries and produced My Father, The Last Communist (DMZ 2016). His debut narrative feature, Goodbye Mother, won awards like Best Narrative Feature at Reeling Film Festival 2020 and Audience Awards at Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival. His second feature, Invisible Evidence won Best Director at Vietnam Film Festival 2021.
Tynymgul Eshieva is a documentary filmmaker and media strategist with extensive experience in managing projects, campaigns, and content production. She brings her expertise in storytelling, media development, and strategic outreach to both local and globally relevant projects. Currently, she is working on her feature documentary, Longlive, womankind!, which follows the life and work of a human rights activist in Kyrgyzstan. Voices of Glaciers is her second project, she plays a key role in ensuring impactful international collaborations.
Wilfredo Manalang, founder of FUSEE, co-produced PLAN 75 (Cannes 2022 Camera d’Or Special Mention). Credits include BLUE ROOM (Netflix), TOPAKK (Locarno), DON’T CRY, BUTTERFLY (Grand Prize, Venice Critics’ Week 2024), and Canada’s ELSEWHERE AT NIGHT (Best Screenplay, Torino). He recently presented LAND OF EVANESCENCE at Cannes Docs 2026. An alumnus of EAVE TiesThatBind, APOSTLAB, DocsByTheSea, Asia Producers Network, and ATL Washington Filmworks, he served as Managing Director at ABS-CBN and Executive Director of the FDCP.
Wong Xiao Xuan is a Singaporean film producer whose works articulate the dialogue of queer and women’s narratives. She recently co-produced The Old Man And His Car, which premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival, and her short Today’s Sunlight Falls Weakly On You was awarded Best Short Film at the Singapore Youth Film Festival. She has trained at Busan Asian Film School and Rotterdam Lab. She is now producing at Singapore-based production company Pōtocol.
Yanqi Chen, director, writer and sometimes editor, was born in Harbin, China. After graduating from London Film School in 2016, he went back to China and started to work on his first feature film named Day Tripper, which has been selected by the 39th Warsaw International Film Festival, the 7th Pingyao International Film Festival in 2023, and has won the Grand Prix of the 38th Fribourg International Film Festival in 2024.
Yash Zhang is a London-based filmmaker, mover, and tree lover, whose work explores gender, mental health, and futurity. Yash’s work in progress debut feature , Ma, Let’s Fly Together, has been selected for IDFA Project Space, Sheffield MeetMarket, and UnionDocs, etc. Yash’s short films and collaborations have been featured at
various festivals and exhibitions, including Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival (2025), Nowness(2024), Sheffield Doc Fest(2024), etc.
Yongle Wang is a writer, editor and filmmaker based in China. She earned her MFA from University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. Passionate about projects that combine intimate perspective with bold artistic vision, she loves collaborating with creatives who continue to carve out space for expression in stifling environments and push beyond boundaries.
Yongri Son is a documentary director based in Japan. Her work has focused on themes such as immigrants, hate speech, sexual violence, and gender.
Started filmmaking at the age of 19, his debut film capturing Rohingya refugees won awards both in Japan and internationally. He has since produced video works documenting the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and the battlefields of Ukraine. Having released numerous documentaries across both web and television platforms, he was honored with one of Japan’s most prestigious media awards in 2023. He is currently based in Japan.
XIAO was born in Yilan. She graduated from Graduate Institute of Film Studies at Taipei National University of the Arts. She directed a short film “We live Underground” which is broadcasted at NHK and Mirror TV in Taiwan.
Cinematographer and Editor. His works as a cinematographer include Talks Overnight, selected for the International Competition of the Festival des 3 Continents (Nantes, France, 2023), as well as Floating House, Ghost Cat, and Sleep Creek.
Brigid O’Shea grew up in Australia but has been living and working in Germany since 2005. She is the co-founder and executive director of the Documentary Association of Europe and also co-head of programme for CIRCLE Training Initiative, as well as a freelance documentary consultant helping filmmakers reach their full potential.
Jacqueline Nsiah is a cultural anthropologist and film curator with two decades of experience. She holds an MA from the Free University of Berlin and a BA from SOAS. Currently a member of the Berlinale Competition selection committee, she previously served four editions on the Berlinale Forum committee. Her career spans leadership roles at the Rio International Film Festival, Africa Film Society Ghana, and co-curating the Africa Film Festival Cologne and Fiktionsbescheinigung.
Leong Puiyee is a film programmer and arts manager. She has managed projects and film programmes throughout her career, including being on the pre-selection jury for Asia Project Market, Busan International Film Festival. She is currently the Programme Head (Film) at Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film in Singapore.
Patricia Drati is a filmmaker and consultant of Slovak-Ugandan descent, based in Denmark, and partner at Good Company Pictures. She headed CPH:LAB (2009–2015), initiating 40+ Global North-South co-productions, many festival-recognized. An alumna of Torino Film Lab and Less is More, she has served on juries and commissions including Hubert Bals Fund, Doc Society Fund, Doha Film Institute, and Jordan Film Commission, and mentored for Hot Docs Blue Ice, European Short Pitch, and Sámi Storyžat Lab.
Director
Purin Film Fund
In-person attendance
Aditya Assarat is a Thai filmmaker, producer, and Director of Purin Film Fund, which he co-founded with Anocha Suwichakornpong and Visra Vichit-Vadakan. His award-winning films, including Wonderful Town, Hi-So, and Ten Years Thailand, have premiered at leading international film festivals. Alongside his filmmaking, he mentors emerging filmmakers through programmes with the Asian Film School (AFiS), Netflix, and Thailand’s Creative Economy Agency (CEA). He is currently developing his fourth feature film.
Programmer
Visions du Réel
In-person attendance
Aurélien Marsais worked at Cinéma du Réel in Paris and participated in the creation of the professional platform ParisDoc in 2015. Based in Geneva and Paris, he was co-head of the programming office at Visions du Réel from 2017 to 2020, and subsequently joined its selection committee. He is an alumnus of the Eurodoc training program, and a producer in Switzerland with the collective structure Cavale Films.
Commissioning Editor
DW (Deutsche Welle)
In-person attendance
Bettina is a commissioning editor and filmmaker with DW Documentaries. She is passionate about storytelling and discovering new talent. DW is Germany’s international broadcaster, public non-profit, providing strictly factual content in 31 languages. Our linear English TV-channel offers a worldwide service, Spanish is broadcast via satellite across LATAM, Arabic is broadcast in the SWANA region. DW Documentaries’ YouTube-channels in English, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, and Bahasa Indonesia combined have over 17 million subscribers.
Program Manager
DOK Leipzig
Online attendance
Carmina Orozco López is part of the Industry team at DOK Leipzig, one of Europe’s leading festivals for documentary, animated film and XR, where she coordinates Delegations, DOK Preview International, and Special Industry Programmes.
Program Director
Firelight Media
In-person attendance
Chloe Walters-Wallace is a Jamaican creative and Director of Regional Initiatives at Firelight Media, where she amplifies emerging filmmakers outside major media hubs. She is the creator and executive producer of the award-winning anthology series HOMEGROWN, championing place-based storytelling. Additionally, Chloe is the co-creator of Third Horizon’s Caribbean Film Academy 2.0 and the Caribbean Think Tank, convening artists and leaders across the region to bypass colonial legacies and borders through non-fiction media.
Producer
70 STEPS
In-person attendance
Daniel is a German producer and co-founder of 70 STEPS. Alumnus of Filmakademie BW, EAVE TTB, ACE Training Days, Documentary Campus Masterschool amongst others, he develops and (co-)produces fiction and documentary projects for global audiences. His recent doc PRIMADONNA OR NOTHING premiered at Dok.Fest Munich, with theatrical release in Germany and China. His recent fiction co-pro TEAR GAS premiered in Locarno ’26. He is a certified Green Consultant and Member of PROG.
Creative Director
The Film Collaborative
In-person attendance
As Creative Director of the nonprofit distrtibutor The Film Collaborative, David has been with the organization since its founding in 2010. He directs TFC’s distribution-education initiatives, such as distripedia™, and the virtual distribution-education conference, Distribution Days, co-presented by Sundance Institute and Film Independent. David gives distribution presentations around the world, speaking on festival and market panels, and advising filmmakers. Passionate about documentaries and queer film, David holds a Ph.D. in Japanese literature/film from UC Berkeley.
Manager
Sundance Institute
Online attendance
Dominic Davis returned to the Sundance Institute in 2022 as Manager of the Documentary Fund, having started in the Artist Relations Office in 2011. He has programmed for the American Museum of Natural History, Tribeca Film Festival, and Rooftop Films, while reviewing grants for Catapult Film Fund and Creative Capital. Dominic holds degrees in mass media studies and political science from the University of Kentucky.
Producer
Cineric Creative
In-person attendance
Based in Tokyo and New York, Eric is a two-time Oscar and BAFTA nominated, and Peabody-winning film producer. He is active across narrative, documentary, and restoration projects. His documentary productions include Ema Ryan Yamazaki’s THE MAKING OF A JAPANESE and KOSHIEN: JAPAN’S FIELD OF DREAMS, Shiori Ito’s BLACK BOX DIARIES, Yoichiro Okutani’s ODORIKO, Stephen Nomura Schible’s RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: CODA, and Neo Sora’s RYUICHI SAKAMOTO | OPUS.
CEO
Documentary Dream Center
In-person attendance
Designed and heads Yamagata Documentary Dojo, a 30-day residency for Asian documentary filmmakers (www.ddcenter.org/dojo). Aims to foster documentary talent and audiences through international exchange. Vice-chair of Yamagata IDFF, producer of Odoriko, Nude at Heart and other documentaries. Serves on the steering committee for J-Docs Hub, a new initiative to nurture Japanese documentary globally.
www.yidff.jp
www.jdocshub.jp
Head of Industry
Jakarta Film Week
In-person attendance
Festival curator, programmer, also film lab organizer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Work closely with Southeast Asia filmmakers and festivals such as Jakarta Film Week, Indonesia France Film Lab, and Blue Chair Film Festival.
Producer
Les Films Cosmos
Online attendance
Giacomo Nudi is a documentary film producer who co-founded Cosmos Films to raise awareness on pressing social issues. His award-winning films have been to the Berlinale, CPH:DOX, New Directors/New Films, Hot Docs, IDFA and AFI, and have been nominated for the LUX Awards and Gotham Awards.
Managing Director
J-Docs Hub
In-person attendance
Ken-ichi Imamura is the Managing Director of J-Docs Hub, a documentary talent development platform operated by Tokyo Docs. It supports Japanese documentary filmmakers and producers in developing projects, building international networks, and accessing global markets. Imamura is also an independent producer, CEO of Studio IMAKEN LLC, and an affiliated producer at NHK Enterprises. He has worked on numerous international documentary co-productions and continues to bridge Japan and Asia with the global documentary community.
Division Head
Film Development Council of the Philippines
In-person attendance
Cho holds a degree of Bachelor of Science in Development Communication major in Educational Communication from the University of the Philippines. She is also in her final year of studies for Doctor of Law.
In 2023, Cho joined the FDCP as a Planning Officer now she is the Head of the Policy and Planning Division (PPD) while concurrently managing the IT Section and also serves as the president of the Employee’s Association.
Project Executive
TIDF/ Taiwan Docs
In-person attendance
Jessie YANG work as project executive of Taiwan Docs, a platform under Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute which promotes Taiwanese documentaries abroad and assists the domestic filmmakers to reach a wider audience. She had helped accomplished Taiwanese retrospective programs in many international festivals such as Ji.hlava IDFF, Dokufest, Yamagata IDFF, Docudays UA etc.
Producer
SEERA Films
Online attendance
Laura is a producer at Berlin/Cairo based SEERA Films, a film production company aiming to create space for underrepresented narratives in the international film industry. Laura recently produced Ancestral Visions of the Future by Lemohang Mosese (Berlinale 2025). Previously working for DOXBOX, SAVVY Contemporary, Berlinale/EFM and DOK Leipzig, Laura built extensive experience in the international art, film and documentary industry. She is an EAVE alumni 2024 and a consultant for DAE.
Editorial Co-Director
FIFDH
In-person attendance
Laura has been involved in documentaries for over 20 years. In 2019 she initiated the Impact Days, first ever industry event entirely dedicated to impact in the framework of the FIFDH in Geneva: leading international event dedicated to film and human rights. Laura’s main interest is the intersection between human rights activism and documentary storytelling, and its amazing potential. Since June 2023 Laura is editorial co-director of the FIFDH.
Founder
DAKILA
In-person attendance
Leni is a narrative change practitioner, social impact producer, and movement strategist whose work has influenced innovations in human rights advocacy and civic engagement across the region.
She is the co-founder of the artist-activist collective DAKILA in the Philippines and Executive Director of its Active Vista Centre.
Sales and Acquisitions
Parallax Films
In-person attendance
Lihua Liu is Short Film Manager & Acquisition at Parallax Films, China. She holds a Master’s in Journalism and Communication from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and California Southern University. Since joining Parallax in 2023, Lihua has overseen festival and distribution strategies for over 100 short films across Asia and internationally. She also serves as a programmer for short films at the Shanghai International Film Festival, connecting Asian cinema with global audiences.
Project Manager
Film Development Council of the Philippines
In-person attendance
Delegate from the Philippines and currently serving as the Unit Head of the National Incentive under the Film Development Council of the Philippines
Program Director
CPH:DOX
In-person attendance
Mads K. Mikkelsen is Head of Programme at CPH:DOX. He runs various film clubs, teaches film history and theory, and writes about cinema. He is frequently consulting on international film projects, and is on the selection and nomination committees for several international grants and awards. In 2019, he received an award for his work from Festival de Cannes – Marché du film and Screen International.
Executive Director
Tokyo Docs
In-person attendance
Makoto Sugano has worked as a director and producer of arts and science documentaries since 2002. He has participated in international co-productions with Bangladesh, Vietnam, and the Netherlands, including a documentary about Bangladesh’s first female surfer. In 2017, he joined the organizing committee of Tokyo Docs, Japan’s leading documentary pitching and networking event, and was appointed Executive Director in 2026.
Sales and Acquisitions
ASIAN SHADOWS
Online attendance
Maria A. RUGGIERI is a Sinologist, a Beijing Film Academy Alumni and Berlinale Talents Alumni. Since 2001, she has worked as program consultant for International Film Festivals, including Venice, Locarno, Cairo, Marrakesh FF, Beijing FF Forward Future, Udine Far East Film. Since 2018, she is the Head of Sales & Acquisitions of the International Sales Boutique Company ASIAN SHADOWS, founded by producer Isabelle Glachant, representing and selling worldwide Asian Films by Asian directors, storytellers of Asia.
Founder
Odd Slice Films
In-person attendance
Martina Droandi is the founder of Odd Slice Films, established in 2025. A dedicated sales agent of documentaries, she is currently based between Austria and Italy. Previously she worked at Autlook (Sales & Acquisitions) after gaining experience through short film distribution, the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris and a seven-month stint at mk2 as a festival assistant.
She is an alumna of SOAS (2011), DOCNOMADS (2015) , Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris (2018), the Locarno Film Industry Academy, and the International Screen Institute.
Executive Director
Documentary Africa
In-person attendance
Mohamed Saïd Ouma is a French-Comorian filmmaker, cultural manager, and documentary advocate. As Executive Director of DocA (Documentary Africa), he champions Pan-African non-fiction storytelling by supporting filmmakers across the continent. Previously, he manages FIFOI: the Market program and served as Executive Secretary of the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI). A respected festival curator and producer, Ouma has spent decades advancing African cinema, building sustainable creative industrie, and nurturing independent voices.He currently runs the FIFOI:
Producer
parabellum film
In-person attendance
Natalia is a documentary producer, consultant, mentor, and curator with over 25 years of experience. Through parabellum film, she (co)produces international documentaries centering women filmmakers, emerging voices and stories of migration, identity, memory and social change. Her work has been supported by World Cinema Fund, IDFA Bertha Fund and Ford Foundation, and screened at CPH:DOX, SXSW, IDFA and Hot Docs. She is also the founder of moredox, a nonprofit supporting documentary as a democratic tool.
CEO
Australian International Documentary Conference PTY LTD
In-person attendance
Natasha Gadd is the CEO/Creative Director of the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC), the premier documentary and factual industry event in the Southern Hemisphere. Her career spans industry development, film production and festival curation with a focus on supporting and elevating the craft of nonfiction storytelling and its power and potential to drive change and shift thinking. She is looking to connect with storytellers across Asia to strengthen opportunities for collaborations in our region.
Producer
Jiějie Productions
In-person attendance
Nicole is an Emmy-nominated independent producer from the Chinese diaspora and a lifelong New Yorker based in Queens. She has worked in television, as Director of Program Development at CNN Films, and as Co-Producer of POV on PBS. She is a 2025-2026 Sundance Documentary Producers Fellow; part of EURODOC 2026; a 2024 Film Independent Documentary Producing Lab Fellow; a 2021 Rockwood JustFilms Fellow; and a 2020 Doc NYC Documentary New Leader.
Head of Industry
Sheffield DocFest
In-person attendance
Italian based in Paris Patrizia has been in the documentary industry since 2012.
She worked with sales companies such as Wide House, Slingshot Films and Deckert Distribution GmbH and with the French International co-production market Sunny Side of the Doc as Head of Talents & International Development. In 2024 she joined the team of Sheffield DocFest as Head of Industry overseeing the MeetMarket, DocFest Co-pro Forum, the Talents Scheme and the Marketplace activities.
Manager
Purin Film Fund
In-person attendance
Piano Primrin is a Thai documentary filmmaker and Manager of Purin Film Fund. Over the past eight years, she has helped develop filmmaker support programmes and regional partnerships while working closely with Aditya Assarat. She is currently developing her debut feature documentary, A Journey to the Universe, which has been selected for CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator and DMZ Docs Industry, where she continues to expand her practice in creative documentary.
Programmer
Berlinale / LFF
In-person attendance
Qila Gill, an independent programmer is currently programming at London Film Festival (Experimenta) and on the selection committee for Berlinale (Generation). Previous posting includes programming for Singapore International Film Festival, and selection committee member for the Berlinale (Shorts) and Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg. She has served as the Head of Programme and International Programming Lead for London Short Film Festival, and was the Distribution Director at LUX.
Commissioning Editor
ArteFrance
In-person attendance
Since 2017, Rasha Salti has been commissioning editor for La Lucarne, the programme strand dedicated to auteur and experimental documentary at ArteFrance.
Marketing and Programming Director
Giloo.ist
Online attendance
Ruru Shih is Marketing and Programming Director at Giloo, a Taiwan-based streaming platform dedicated to independent and documentary cinema. Leads brand strategy, editorial curation, and international partnerships, with a focus on connecting Asian documentary voices with global audiences.
Producer
Seesaw Pictures
In-person attendance
Sarah Kang is a producer at Seesaw Pictures, a boutique production company with a slate of award-winning films. Her recent work includes Baby Jackfruit Baby Guava (Special Jury Award at Visions du Réel/Burning Lights; Hot Docs), Becoming Kim (Jeonju IFF, DokFest Munich, EIDF), and What Comes From Sitting in Silence? (Special Jury Award at Visions du Réel/Swiss Competition; True/False, Hot Docs).
Program Director
DOXA Documentary Film Festival
In-person attendance
DOXA is presented by The Documentary Media Society, a Vancouver based non-profit, charitable society (incorporated in 1998) devoted to presenting independent and innovative documentaries to Vancouver audiences. The society exists to educate the public about documentary film as an art form through DOXA Documentary Film Festival, a curated and juried festival comprised of public screenings, panel discussions, public forums and educational programs.
Executive Director
IDFA Bertha Fund
Online attendance
The IDFA Bertha Fund provides funding opportunities and year-round support schemes for documentary filmmakers from, living and working in IBF supported regions in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Central and South America, Oceania and the Caribbean.
Director of Silvana S. Foundation Ltd. The Silvana S. Foundation Ltd. was established in 2016 to continue Silvana Sutanto’s legacy.
Production Manager
Red Bull Studios
Online attendance
Tatiana Villacob is a Film and Television producer with an M.A. in New Media Arts. She has built an international career working across Latin America and Europe with top production companies. Since 2024, she works for Red Bull Studios, focusing on premium documentary films and TV series. Her filmography includes mainstream titles such as Narcos, American Made, Reggae Girlz or Solo at Sea, as well as independent films like Boys of Buenaventura and The Beat.
Programmer
Singapore International Film Festival
In-person attendance
Wiwat Lertwiwatwongsa a cinephile, film critic, writer and translater. He is also the founder of Wildtype, a group of Thai cinephiles that organises film screenings, and seminars, and publishes film books in Thailand. Since 2008, Since 2023 He’s one of the guest programmer of Singapore International Film Festiva
Founder
Jilu Commune
In-person attendance
Yang Yang is a filmmaker, explorer, and the founder of Jilu Commune, a Shanghai independent art space dedicated to nonfiction storytelling and experimental moving images. Bridging a decade of global experience with her Chinese roots, Yang strives to reshape, navigate, and elevate the sinospheric creative ecosystem through the commune’s fellowships, educational programs, and research-based writings.
Producer
April Doc Fund
In-person attendance
Michael Cui is the founder of April Doc Fund, a grant-making initiative supporting documentary filmmakers in Southeast Asia. After graduating from Yale University, he is currently a Juris Doctor candidate at Columbia Law School. His previous producing work includes City of Happiness, a documentary exploring housing and human rights issues in China.
Scholar
Columbia University
Online attendance
Yilun Li is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies at Columbia University. His research probes the history, aesthetics, and politics of media with a particular focus on the co-evolution of cinema, communication technologies, and knowledge. His writing has been published in journals such as Dianying Yishu (Film Art), and his curatorial project on Chinese experimental documentary and artist moving images is forthcoming in Beijing.
Director
CCDF/CNEX
Online attendance
Yulan Chang directs the CNEX Chinese Doc Forum (CCDF), an international platform, talent incubator, and pitching forum for documentary filmmakers from the Chinese diaspora. She helped produce the Oscar-nominated short Island in Between (2024) and previously developed and produced original content for National Geographic Asia. In 2026, she is also leading CNEX Doc Academy, which supports emerging talent and advances documentary filmmaking for Taiwanese and Asian filmmakers.
Project Manager
Taiwan Creative Content Agency, TAICCA
In-person attendance
Responsible for the early-stage development of audiovisual content at TAICCA, including feature films, series, animation, and documentaries. Coordinates TCCF PITCHING, fostering international partnerships, funding opportunities, and cross-border collaboration.