Aanand L Rai is an Indian director and producer whose films explore love, aspiration and social convention through characters rooted in everyday life. His directorial work, including Tanu Weds Manu, Raanjhanaa and Tanu Weds Manu Returns, brings together the often contradictory nature of human relationships. Atrangi Re and his latest film, Tere Ishk Mein, extend his engagement with unconventional love stories. As a Producer, and the founder of Colour Yellow, Rai has backed filmmakers working across markedly different cinematic forms. His productions extend beyond the idiom of his own films, encompassing the atmospheric horror of Tumbbad, the period adventure Laal Kaptaan, the romantic thriller Haseen Dillruba, the social comedy franchise Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, and the action satire An Action Hero. In Marathi cinema, his slate includes Jhimma 2, Aatmapamphlet and Fussclass Dabhade. These choices reflect both the breadth of his interests and the conviction to back distinctive subjects, sensibilities and voices. His commitment to emerging filmmakers is reflected in Aatmapamphlet, the debut feature of Ashish Avinash Bende. Selected for the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, the film subsequently received the National Award for Best Debut Film of a Director. Rai also presented Amit V. Masurkar’s Newton, a political satire selected in 2017, as India’s official submission to the 90th Academy Awards. A prominent filmmaker working within mainstream Indian cinema, Rai combines an understanding of audiences with the conviction to support unconventional subjects and distinctive cinematic voices. His work as a director and producer reflects two complementary commitments; developing a distinct cinematic language of his own and enabling other filmmakers to articulate theirs. His contribution lies as much in the films that bear his signature as in the space he has made for the visions of others.
Sol Berruezo Pichon-Riviere (Buenos Aires, 1996) is a director and screenwriter from Argentina but based in Iceland, graduated in Film Direction from the Universidad del Cine (Argentina). “Mamá, mamá, mama” is her first film, shot only by women: both in the crew and in the cast. Her debut film premiered at the Berlinale in 2020 in the Generation K Plus Competition, where it was awarded with the Special Mention of the Jury. She was also the youngest director of the 70th Berlinale. At the beginning of 2021, with the support of the Biennale College Cinema she shot her second film with her producer Laura Mara Tablón: “Nuestros días mas felices”. It premiered at La Biennale di Venezia.
Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke is a Thai filmmaker. Born, brought up, and based in Bangkok. He studied at the film department of Chulalongkorn University. In 2020, his short film “Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall '' was selected to compete at Locarno 2020 which was rewarded by Junior Jury. His debut feature "A Useful Ghost" won the Grand Prize AMI Paris at Cannes' Semaine de la Critique in 2025. His short film “The Bovine Comedy” won Pardino d’Oro WePresent by WeTransfer for the Best Auteur Short Film in Locarno Film Festival 2026.
María Alejandra Rojas is a Colombian sound designer and sound supervisor based in Mexico, educated at the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University in Bogotá and the EICTV in Cuba, with participation in Berlinale Talents and Guadalajara Talents. Through her company, Sonnet, she has worked on international fiction, documentary, experimental cinema, television, and sound art projects globally. Her notable film credits include award-winning works recognized at major festivals such as the Berlinale, Sundance, and Rotterdam, featuring films like Heil Jupiter ! by Carlos Reygadas, Gabriel Mascaro's The Blue Trail, Allison O'Daniel's The Tuba Thieves, Carla Gutiérrez's Frida, among others. Her extensive portfolio extends to major television series and audio projects for platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Spotify. In addition to her post-production work, she actively engages in teaching and consulting for international institutions and film labs, and serves as a juror for awards such as the IDA Awards. As a sound artist, she has showcased works at prestigious venues including MoMA, the Venice Biennale, and the Carrillo Gil Art Museum, consolidating a multifaceted career that spans filmmaking, sound art and education.
Romanian award-winning writer Bogdan Mureșanu has shifted from literature and advertising to cinema with equal success, both as a director and as a screenwriter. Bogdan Mureșanu is the writer, director and producer of the feature film "The New Year That Never Came", nominated last year at the European Film Awards (European Discovery 2024 - Prix FIPRESCI) and winner of 23 international awards including the Best Film Award in the Orizzonti section and the FIPRESCI Award for Best Film (Venice International Film Festival), Silver Atlas and Youth Jury Prize at the Arras Film Festival; Grand Prize/ Golden Pyramid Award for Best Film at the Cairo International Film Festival; SILVER PEACOCK Award for Best Direction at the Goa International Film Festival, Grand Prize and International Critics Award - FIPRESCI at the Luxembourg City Film Festival. "The New Year That Never Came" won 10 trophies at the Gopo Awards, four of them for Bogdan Mureșanu - Best Feature Film, Best Debut Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay. He debuted as a screenwriter in 2008 with the screenplay for "The Human Torch" (Best Romanian Short Film at the TIFF Screenplay Competition), and has written the screenplays for "Opinci" (2019) - animated short film directed by Anton and Damian Groves (Best Romanian Short Film at TIFF 2019, Young Audience Award at Clermont Ferrand) and "Where is Sofia? " - Best Screenplay at the OAXACA Film Festival, Mexico 2012, then he wrote and directed the short films "Trimmed, Shaved and Milled" (2013), "Spid" (2016), "Negruzzi 14" (2016) and "Semmelweis Reflex (2016)". The short film "The Christmas Present", released in 2018, won the European Film Academy Award in 2019, had over 200 festival selections and 72 awards (including Grand Prix at the Clermont Ferrand International Film Festival, France; Best European Short Film at Alcine, European Film Festival, Spain) and was shortlisted for Oscar nominations. Bogdan Muresanu has finished “The New Yeat That Never Came” - his debut feature film as a director, while working on "The Magician", a French-Romanian-Croatian co-production (animation short film) that soon after premiered in Annecy (2025) and preparing for the pre-production of three other Romanian films. Filmography DIRECTOR and WRITER: The Magician (2025) – animation, short film The New Year That Never Came (2024) - feature The Christmas Gift (2018) - short film Half Shaved (2013) - short film Spid (2016) - short film Negruzzi 14 (2016) - short documentary The Semmelweis Reflex (2016) - experimental short film WRITER: Script Consultant for Block Universe to be directed by Stefan Komandarev, Bulgaria The day she will be born again, short fiction in production, directed by Emil Spahiyski, written by Emil Spahiyski and Bogdan Mureșanu, financed by Bulgarian CNC Opinci (2019) - short animation, directed by Anton and Damian Groves, best Romanian short film at TIFF 2019, Young Audience Award in Clermont Ferrand. Where is Sofia? - Honourable Mention in the Canada Film Fest Script Writing Competition, Vancouver, Canada; Best Screenplay in the OAXACA Film Festival, Mexico 2012
