Mila Ryngaert completed her directing studies at the Institut des Arts de Diffusion (IAD) in Belgium. Karaokiss, her graduation film, is the result of a collaboration with composer Ludovic Bauloye. She is currently developing her first documentary with the Brussels Video Centre while also writing her second short fiction film. Alongside her directing work, Mila works as an assistant director.

Slovak director Terézia Halamová is currently finishing her MA at FAMU in Prague. Her 2020 short film Sing For Us premiered at Kaohsiung Film Festival in Taiwan and subsequently screened at numerous international film festivals. During its festival journey the film won the New Europe Talent Award and Best Cinematography at the Zubroffka Festival in Poland. Her music video Move Honey won the Jury Prize at the Polish Papaya Young Directors Competition and was featured at the Berlin Music Video awards. She was selected as a KVIFF Talent 2022 and presented the feature film project The Hour Between Dog and Wolf at Karlovy Vary.

Finnish born Veera Lamminpää studies film directing with a minor in animation at Finland’s Aalto University. She is a director, screenwriter and animator with multiple short films and commercial film productions under her belt. Her latest short, the animation Fish River Anthology has already screened at a number of festivals including Tampere Film Festival – also Lamminpää’s hometown – where it won numerous awards, amongst them the prestigious Risto Jarva Award which is given to a Finnish film that is “.. fresh, original, and distinctive.” She is currently working on her first feature film, which is a sci-fi comedy. While not working, she spends most of her time gardening or in the sauna.

German born director Simon Schneckenburger, a winner of the German Newcomer Film Award, is a graduate in fiction directing from Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. His first short film made during his studies was Borzaya which was screened at a number of festivals including Dresden and Brussels. The film was also shortlisted for the Student Academy Awards. His graduation film Skin on Skin was nominated for the Lola – AKA the German Film Awards - in the Best Short Film category and won the Audience Award at the Max Ophüls Prize, the prestigious film festival for emerging German talent. Recently it won the Grand Prix Next Generation Competition & International Audience Award Next Generation Competition at the Brussels Short Film Festival as well as the Audience Award International Fiction & Documentary Competition at Vienna Shorts. Currently he is developing his first feature film and a mini-series.

Ruairi Bradley is a director born and raised in Belfast. When he was 16, he was accepted into the NFTS residential in Beaconsfield under the mentorship of Brian Tufano and Lesley Manning. Now in his third year at Ireland’s National Film School, his debut film We Beg To Differ has screened at top festivals such as SXSW, Clermont-Ferrand, and Hot Docs. The film has earned over 13 awards, including an Oscar-qualifying win at the Galway Film Fleadh, nominations at the London Critics Circle and Irish Film and Television Awards, and is currently a candidate for the 2026 European Film Awards.

Jetske Lieber (1999, Nijmegen) is a film director and screenwriter living in Amsterdam. They graduated at the Netherlands Film Academy in 2024. Jetske made their acting debut in the short film Marlon Brando (2020, Vincent Tilanus), which was selected for Cannes’ Semaine de la Critique. However, Jetske much prefers to be on the other side of the camera. Jetske’s graduation film January (2024) had its world premiere at the Poitiers Film Festival, where it won the Prix Manifest. In addition, January was selected for various festivals including Premiers Plan (d’Angers) and won Best Student Narrative at NFFTY (Seattle). Jetske is currently developing different film projects, including one about a mother coming of (old) age.

Dominik Mirecki is a director, actor and screenwriter who graduated from the Academy of Theatre Arts in Wrocław in 2020. He starred in productions for Netflix such as '69'90' (dir. Miłosz Sakowski) whilst his first project as a director was the pilot episode for the series 'Tell Me'. As of 2022, he is a student at the Warsaw Film School, majoring in directing. His short film Son of Happiness won Best Picture and Best International Film at the Uno Sguardo Raro - Rare Disease International Film Festival in Italy. He is currently developing a full-length feature film project.

Born in Ljubljana, Jan Krevatin is an MA Film & TV Directing student at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb, Croatia. His recent short films have been screened at a number of important international festivals including Go Short - International Short Film Festival Nijmegen, FeKK - Ljubljana Short Film Festival and Pula Film Festival. His 2022 short film JOŽA netted him the ‘Jelena Rajković’ Award for Best Director Under 30 at the 32nd Croatian Film Days.

Nausica Serra was born in Barcelona, and studied as a director on the Official Cinematography Degree of ESCAC. There she directed projects and became interested in new perspectives of directing. Once she finished her degree, she passed the entry test for the Higher Master's Degree in Directing at ESCAC, a course she is currently taking and in which she is developing new films. She is also taking further courses in directing actors, non-actors, children, or coordination of intimacy, among others.

Born in Aarau, Switzerland, Sinan Taner graduated from the ZHdK (Zurich University of the Arts) with a Bachelor in Film. His 2024 graduation film 1:10 premiered at the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur and was awarded a Special Mention in the festival’s Swiss Film School Day section. The film has also been selected for the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival as well as the Max Ophüls Film Festival. As part of the duo Ara he produces electronic music and combines it with experimental videos.