THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION JURY

Οtar IOSSELIANI (Film Director, Georgia) - President

Tbilisi, Georgia, 1934. He studied the piano, musical composition and orchestra direction at the Tbilisi School of Music, mathematics at Moscow University and film direction at MoscowΥs VGIK. In 1967 he made his first feature film, Falling Leaves. In 1982 he left Georgia for France, where he lives and works to this day. He has made short and feature films and documentaries, and belongs to the generation of filmmakers that changed the shape and course of Soviet cinema. A tribute to his work is being presented at this year's Festival.

Walter LASSALLY (Cinematographer, United Kingdom) - Vice President

Berlin, 1926. He went to England in 1939. He was part of the Free Cinema movement in the 50's, when he also made six features with the Greek director, Michael Cacoyannis, culminating in Zorba the Greek, for which he won an Oscar. He has by now filmed 70 features and TV films, as well as an even larger number of documentaries and shorts. He has worked with major filmmakers, such as James Ivory, Tony Richardson and George Schaefer. He is now living in semi-retirement in Crete, yards from the beach where he filmed Zorba the Greek in 1964.

Xiaoshuai WANG (Director, China)

Shanghai, 1966. A graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, he is considered by many to be the most talented of China's Sixth Generation of filmmakers. His first feature film, The Days, won the Golden Alexander at the 1994 Thessaloniki Film Festival. So Close to Paradise was selected and screened at the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival 1999. His feature film, Beijing Bicycle, won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival 2001. His latest film Drifters will be screened at this yearΥs Festival.

Tamila KOULIEVA (Actress, Greece-Russia)

Moscow. She studied acting at Moscow's Cultural Institute, piano at Moscow's State Music School, and acting, drama and film at Moscow's State Film Institute (VGIK). She has played leading roles in films, including A. Tsabadze's Night Dance, which won the Golden Alexander at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival 1992. She has appeared in plays and has stage directed, while she has also played in TV series. In recent years she has been living and working in Greece. She has been teaching acting and improvisation at a drama school since 1992.

Jafar PANAHI (Director, Iran)

Mianeh, Iran, 1960. He studied at Tehran's College of Film and Television (IRIB). His first feature film, The White Balloon (1995), won the Camera d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. The Mirror (1997) won 6 international awards, while The Circle (2000), a controversial film in Iran, won a total of 18 awards at international festivals, among which the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. His most recent film, Crimson Gold (2003), which was banned in Iran, will be screened at this year's Festival.

Jean-François AMIGUET (Director, Switzerland)

Vevey, Switzerland, 1950. He graduated from the Department of Political Science of the University of Lausanne. In 1983 he made his first feature film, Alexandre, starring James Mason. Five years later he won international acclaim with his film La Meridienne, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard program of the Cannes Film Festival. He collaborates frequently with Francophone Swiss Television. In recent years, he has worked steadily with the screenwriter Anne Gonthier.

Samir FARID (Film Critic, Egypt)

Cairo, 1943. He graduated from the Department of Criticism of the High Institute of Dramatic Arts in 1965 and began working as the film critic for "El-Gomhoreya" daily. Since 1967 he has been invited to over 200 festivals and seminars all over the world. He has been a member of the Consultative Board of Egypt's Culture Ministry since 1989, and Cinema Supervisor at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina since 2001. In 2002 he won the State Award. His publications include over 40 essays on cinema.