Meet Our Mentors

Goran Bogdan
Acting Studio

Goran Bogdan is one of the leading actors of his generation in the former Yugoslavia, known for his work in film, TV, and theatre. He gained recognition with roles in SONJA AND THE BULL, NUMBER 55, and FATHER, earning a European Film Academy nomination. Internationally, he appeared in FARGO and THE LAST PANTHERS. In 2024, he starred in THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT, winner of the Palme d’Or and Oscar nominee for Best Live Action Short.

Nicholas Davies
Pack & Pitch

Nicholas Davies graduated with a degree in cinema studies and linguistics from the University of Toronto. Since 1999, as a wordsmith, project manager, mentor, and editor, he has collaborated with some of the world’s most respected cultural institutions, among them Talents Sarajevo, the Sarajevo Film Festival, the Venice Biennale, the Toronto International Film Festival, the Doha Film Institute, the Triennial of Photography Hamburg, and the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw.

Gabriele Brunnenmeyer
Pack & Pitch

GABRIELE BRUNNENMEYER is a script editor, pitching coach and project consultant. Alongside consulting on script development, packaging and pitching for individual projects, she consults for various international workshops and events such as HerArts FilmLab, Midpoint Shorts, Midpoint Feature Launch, KVIFF Eastern Promises Industry Days, Cutting Edge Talent Camp, Baltic Pitching Forum, SFC / Rendez-Vouz-Industry Cannes, New Horizons Studio, Istanbul Film Station, Pack& Pitch / Sarajevo Talents a.o.

Isaure Pisani-Ferry
Script Station

Isaure is a French writer, based in Berlin. She studied Literature and Social Sciences and wrote radio shows before turning to screenwriting. She wrote on Canal+ and Netflix series (KABOUL KITCHEN; GANGLANDS), co-created VAMPIRES for Netflix and was co-creator and lead writer of BECOMING KARL LAGERFELD (Disney+). She’s a Serial Eyes alumni. 

Matija Dragojević
Script Station

Matija Dragojević is a Berlin-based series creator and festival programmer from Belgrade, Serbia. With a background in psychology and an MA in Serial Storytelling, he co-authored Awake, winner of the Canneseries Audience Award in 2021. On the industry side, Matija has worked with Sundance Labs, CineLink Sarajevo, Seriencamp, and the Berlinale Series Market. He currently serves as Head of Program at Seriesly Berlin — and Co-Head of Post-Production for his 5-year-old son, Anton. 

Naum Doksevski
Camera Studio

Naum Doksevski is a Macedonian cinematographer with over 10 years of experience. He has worked on 5 feature films, 25+ shorts, TV series, and documentaries. His film Dj Ahmet premiered in the official competition at Sundance 2025. He has received awards at Manaki Brothers, Sundance, and Venice festivals. Doksevski collaborates with acclaimed directors like Goran Stolevski and Georgi Unkovski.

Redžinald Šimek
Editing Studio

Redžinald Šimek was born in Sarajevo, and attended the film editing and directing programme of the Academy of Performing Arts, Sarajevo. His professional experience includes positions ranging from sound engineer to video editor and post-production supervisor. Among his many credits as an editor are Danis Tanović’s SUCCESS and DEATH IN SARAJEVO; Aida Begić’s NEVER LEAVE ME and BRIDGES OF SARAJEVO; Andrea Štaka's MARE and Reem Saleh’s WHAT COMES AROUND.

Neil Young
Talent Press

Neil Young (b. UK, 1971) lives in Vienna. He writes about, presents, curates, makes and acts in films. Since 2000 he has been a freelance film-critic with many articles/reviews in The Hollywood Reporter, Screen, Sight & Sound, Senses of Cinema, etc. He has served on dozens of juries at film-festivals around the world including Cannes (Semaine de la Critique 2013); he has been president of the Fipresci juries at both the Berlinale and Venice. His acting credits include Radu Jude's "DRACULA" (2025).

Katriel Schory
Producers Summit

Katriel Schory is a producer and executive director of the Israel Film Fund. He studied at the New York University Film School and returned to Israel in 1973 to join as the Head of Productions of Kastel Films, Jerusalem, at that time the leading production company in Israel.

In 1984, he formed his own company BELFILMS LTD and produced over 130 films including award-winning feature films, documentaries, TV dramas, and international co-productions.

In 1999, he accepted the position of the Executive Director of the Israel Film Fund, the main film funding body in Israel, which supports, and promotes Israeli feature films. In this position, he authorized the support and the production of more than 250 new Israeli feature films.

Kukla
Directors Summit

Kukla is Slovenian film director and musician. She completed studies in film and television directing at the Film Academy in Ljubljana. Her short film SISTERS won the Grand Prix at the Clermont Ferrand International Short Film Festival and the Prix du Public at the Angers European First Film Festival. FANTASY, her first feature-length film premiered at Locarno Film Festival in 2025.

Stefan Đorđević
Directors Summit

Stefan Đorđević was introduced to film through Nikola Lezaic's award-winning debut, TILVA ROŠ, in which he played one of the leading roles. Đorđević completed his MA in the Camera Department of the the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. A HANDFUL OF STONES, his graduation film, had its premiere in the ACID programme of the Festival de Cannes. His short film THE LAST IMAGE OF FATHER premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, where it won the Young Jury Award; it later won the Heart of Sarajevo for the Best Short Film. His most recent short documentary, PORTRAIT OF A DYING GIANT, was included in the Serbian pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture. His first feature-length film, WIND, TALK TO ME, had its premiere in the Official Competition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2025.

Georgi M. Unkovski
Directors Summit

Georgi M. Unkovski is a New York-born Macedonian filmmaker who studied at FAMU in Prague. He also works as a director for one of Macedonia’s leading advertising agencies. In 2020, his short film STICKER had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and won more than fifty international awards. DJ AHMET, his first feature-length film premiered at Sundance in 2025.

Vladimir Tagić
Directors Summit

Vladimir Tagić is known as a creator, writer, and director of the award-winning hit television show OPERATION SABRE, which had its premiere in the Series Competition at the Festival de Cannes in 2024, where it won the Special Interpretation Award. His previous TV series, MORNING CHANGES EVERYTHING, was presented in the Avant Premiere programme at the Sarajevo Film Festival in 2018. His short film EMERGENCY EXIT premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and was presented in the Acid programme at the Festival de Cannes.

Hana Jušić
Directors Summit

Hana Jušić obtained her MA in film and television directing from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb. Prior to that, she graduated from studies in comparative literature and English language and literature from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and enrolled in the Postgraduate Doctor's Study of Literature and Film. Jušić wrote and directed several short films before directing her debut feature-length film, QUIT STARING AT MY PLATE. The film had its premiere at Venice Days in 2016 and won the FEDEORA Award for Best European Film. GOD WILL NOT HELP, her second feature film, premiered in main competition at 78th Locarno Film Festival.