Audience award
Nikola Joetze is the Project Manager of Berlinale Talents, the talent development initiative of the Berlin International Film Festival, since 2023. Nikola Joetze has been managing numerous film and art projects in Berlin, across Europe and around the world for over 20 years with a special focus on finance, fundraising and production. Following positions at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt and Sources 2, she spent more than 16 years overseeing production, event management, sponsorship and the acquisition of widescale and international projects for the European Film Awards at the European Film Academy / EFA Productions. In addition to her specialist expertise in the areas of film and talent promotion and her many years of experience in the production and management of international cooperations, Nikola Joetze has been associated with Berlinale Talents from the very start. In 2002/2003, for example, she helped set up the first Berlinale Talent Campus for the 500 talents who were invited to take part. Nikola Joetze most recently coordinated “Driving the Human – 7 Prototypes for Eco-Social Renewal”, a three-year collaboration between acatech, Forecast, HfG and ZKM which she implemented together with numerous festivals as well as overseeing the publication of an accompanying book. Since 2021, she has been undertaking voluntary work with WAM – Women in Arts and Media association in their mentoring working group. In 2021, she was a mentee herself of the German Cultural Council in its work to promote women in management positions. She has also been a personnel and business coach since 2023.
Holly Daniel is the Director of the Red Sea Souk, the film and project market of the Red Sea International Film Festival, connecting the global industry to talent, projects and opportunities from Africa, Asia and the Arab World. For over 10 years, Holly was Head of Industry and Talent Development for Edinburgh International Film Festival and curator of their Scottish short film programs. She was responsible for the design and delivery of multiple talent development programs supporting writers, directors, producers, animators, composers, sound designers, and those working in exhibition. As the Scottish Film Talent Network, she co-managed the national short film commissioning and debut feature film development funds. Other consultancy work includes roles with Women in Film and TV, British Film Institute, EuroDoc, Cork Film Festival and the Royal National Scottish Orchestra.
Zoran Amar (Belgrade, 1954) graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts (FDU) in Belgrade, Department of Film and Television Directing. He has directed three feature films (Picnic in Topola, Indian Mirror, Smeker), a musical TV film (Celovečernji The Kid), several television series (Hit meseca, Zvezde koje ne tamne, Kocka, kocka, kockica, Nedeljnik), as well as numerous music videos and commercials. In 1993, he moved to New York City and has been teaching at the School of Visual Arts since 2000. Since 2019, he has been developing the feature film Hole in the Fence. His recent work includes the documentary Invincible Mind (2022), which he has he directed and produced, the three-episode TV series Belgrade Circle (2023), and the documentary Facing the Monster (2025). He lives and works between Northern California and Belgrade.
The jury of the main competition program, which consists of five excellent filmmakers, will evaluate the best films from the Official Selection program. The jury will award best films with the Golden Tower for the best film and the Palić Tower for the best director. The jury also assigns Special Prize.
Peter Webber is an award-winning British director, editor and producer who has extensive experience in feature films and television. His first film was the short film The Zebra Man (1992) starring Minnie Driver and Peter Guinness, which he co-wrote and directed. After that came many years of working in British TV in both documentaries and drama. His movie debut came when he directed Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth, which received numerous accolades including three Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations and ten BAFTA Award nominations. Webber then went on to direct Hannibal Rising (2007) which depicts the origin story of the young Hannibal Lecter. Other directorial credits include Emperor (2012) starring Tommy Lee Jones and Matthew Fox, the TV drama series Tutankhamun (2016) starring Max Irons and Sam Neill and Netflix original Pickpockets (2018). His documentary work includes the award-winning environmental feature documentary Ten Billion (2015) and Earth: One Amazing Day (2017), narrated by Robert Redford and Jackie Chan, for which he won Best Film at Academia Film Olomouc and the Chinese American Film Festival. Recently has seen the release of his new film in cinemas around the world – Inna de Yard, a documentary feature which follows a group of pioneering reggae musicians, capturing the continuing relevance of their music and way of life.
Tomi Salkovski was born in 1971 in Skopje, Macedonia. He graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Skopje in 1996. In 2004, he founded the production company SKOPJE FILM STUDIO (SFS), where he presently works. SFS is a production company based in the heart of the Macedonian capital that has already produced a variety of shorts, documentaries and feature films. Its portfolio includes titles by established authors, as well as works by young talents. SFS is a coproduction-oriented company that has established long-lasting professional relations with film authors, producers and funds from this region and Europe. Tomi Salkovski is a member of different civil associations which advocate professional development and better social life.
Bernd Buder, born 1964, studied political science at the FU Berlin and is a freelance curator, lecturer and film journalist. Since 2015, he has been a programme director of the FilmFestival Cottbus – Festival of East European Film, and since 2021 a programme (co-)director at the Jewish Film Festival Berlin Brandenburg. He is a programme advisor at the Cinedays Festival in Skopje and consultant of the SloVision Slovenian Film Days in Berlin. In the past he was, among other things, head of the East-West co-production market connecting Cottbus, programme director of the Berlin Filmkunsthaus Babylon and programme consultant for various film festivals (Prishtinë Film Festival, Skena-Up Film and Theatre Festival Prishtinë, goEast Film Festival, dokumentArt Neubrandenburg, Turkish Film Week Berlin, Zagreb Film Festival, Berlinale- Forum). He is a member of the European Film Academy.
Parallels and Encounters Jury, consisting of three film profesionals, will evaluate the best films from the competition selection Parallels and Encounters. This jury will award prize for the Best Film in Parallels and Encounters program.
A distinguished figure in Hungarian cultural journalism, she has made significant contributions as an editor, reporter, and presenter across television and radio. Currently, she brings her editorial expertise to cultural programs at Klubrádió, Hungary's prominent independent radio station. Her work has appeared extensively in both print and online media, with notable publications in Filmvilág, Fidelio, and magyar.film.hu. An active presence in the film festival circuit, she is a regular attendee of major Hungarian and international festivals, including the Szeged Cinematographers' Gathering, the Zsigmond Vilmos Film Festival, CineFest Miskolc, BIFF Budapest International Film Festival, BKFM Budapest Classical Film Marathon, Camerimage, Tbilisi International Film Festival as well as the Berlinale and the BFI London Film Festival. As a member of the executive board of the National Association of Hungarian Journalists (MÚOSZ) and the leadership of its Film and Television Critics Section, she plays a key role in the organization’s activities, including the adjudication of Hungarian film critics' awards. Her expertise is further recognized through her involvement with the international FIPRESCI organization, where she participates in juries that honour cinematic excellence worldwide.
Leigh Singer is a film journalist and video essayist for international publications, websites and Blu-ray labels including Sight & Sound, The Guardian, The Independent, Little White Lies, Second Sight Films and the British Film Institute. He is a programme advisor for the London Film Festival and the London Korean Film Festival and was Senior International Programmer for the Red Sea Film Festival. He currently oversees audiovisual MA dissertations at the UK’s National Film and Television School.
Davide Magnisi, professor and film critic, has collaborated with newspapers, magazines (currently “CineCritica”, “Taxidrivers”), websites and film reviews. He is the editorial director of the I film del Foglio series (Edizioni Il Foglio) and a member of the selection committee of the WeShort streaming platform. He has published three volumes on Stanley Kubrick (Gli orizzonti del cinema di Stanley Kubrick, 2003; Il dottor Stranamore, 2020; Barry Lyndon, 2022), two on Fernando di Leo (Di Leo calibro 9, 2017; Il cinema di Fernando di Leo, 2017), one on Sam Mendes (Sam Mendes. Da Shakespeare a Bond, 2018), one on Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Ballad, 2019), one on Umberto Lenzi (Il cinema rovente di Umberto Lenzi, 2021), one on the Vanzina brothers (Il cinema dei fratelli Vanzina, 2022) and one on Marco Risi (Il cinema di Marco Risi, 2024), as well as having taken part in numerous collective books (including, Cineasti di Puglia, 2006-2007; Riccardo Cucciolla, 2012; Il cinema di Domenico Paolella, 2014; Paul. Il cinema di Verhoven, 2021; Kurt Russel, 2024; Marco Bellocchio, 2024; Halloween, 2025). Member of the SNCCI and of FIPRESCI, he has been a member of numerous juries at international film festivals.
The International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI (Federation Internationale de la Presse Cinematografique) was founded in 1930 in Paris. Today, FIPRESCI is the largest and most important association of film critics and journalists in the world. The FIPRESCI jury will evaluate films from the Official Selection program at the Palić European Film Festival.
