Get to know the jury of the International Short Film Competition!

Meet the jury for our main competition, the International Short Film Competition. From a field of nearly 50 entries, they will select the film that will win the Grand Prix – the Golden Pegasus and secure a fast track to the Oscars.

Julia Orlik – graduate, and currently assistant and lecturer at the Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź. Beyond animation, she is interested in gore special effects, makeup, and film education for children and youth. Her short film “Jestem tutaj” has won awards at festivals including DOK Leipzig, Animafest Zagreb, Anifilm, and Slamdance in Los Angeles. Her graduation film “To nie będzie film festiwalowy,” contrary to its title, achieved success and received, among others, the Bronze Pegasus at the Animator IAFF. 

John R. Dilworth – director and animation creator based in New York. Creator of the Oscar-nominated “The Chicken from Outer Space” and executive producer, director, and co-writer of all 104 episodes of the series “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” one of the most iconic Cartoon Network productions. Founder of Stretch Films, Inc., an independent animation design and production studio. His work has been featured on platforms such as Netflix, HBO, FOX, MTV, Canal+ and Arte, as well as in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Recipient of numerous awards, including the Annie. 

Naima Alam is a doctoral candidate at the University of Tübingen, Germany. Along with research on explainer animations, she works as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Tübingen and Film Academy Baden-Württemberg. She is also a freelance animator and animation director. Some of her previous animation experiences include directing a series of health explainers for a BMBF-funded research project called BGM vital in Germany and animating explainers for social awareness for NGOs such as Swisscontact, IOM, and Action Aid in Bangladesh. While in Bangladesh, she was a lecturer of public relations and animationat the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh as a. There, she helped develop the Animation Minor program and founded #VoicelessBangladeshi an art-based community outreach program.