Jury of the International Short Film Competition

There are 52 films in the International Short Film Competition. The three-member Jury - Diana Martirosyan, Vassilis Kroustallis and Yoshimi Itazu - will decide which of them will win the Grand Prix - Golden Pegasus and thus gain a shortened path to an Oscar® nomination in the Best Animated Short category.

Diana Martirosyan

Diana Martirosyan is a film critic and cultural journalist, based in Yerevan. Has graduated Russian-Armenian University, “Journalism” faculty and got a Bachelor’s degree, then studied at Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography, “Film studies” department.  Used to work at Armenian TV and radio stations, broadcasting cinematic news and film interviews. Since 2007 she is involved in various cultural, urban and cinema events, festivals and projects. Cooperates with Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival and ReAnimania International Animation Film & Comics Art Festival of Yerevan. She has also covered many international film festivals for local Armenian outlets, some articles are published in English and Russian, specifically for Yerevan magazine, Regional Post - Caucasus and etc. Diana curates auteur film events and promotes public discussions, Q&As and screenings among local audiences, spreading awareness about author cinema on her Instagram page as well. Co-hosted and produced YouTube show “I’d like to talk” discussing with social media personalities, bloggers and social workers burning social-cultural topics in an entertaining way. Currently works at Yerevan State Theatre and Film Institute as lecturer of “Contemporary Cinema” subject.

Vassilis Kroustallis

He is a Greek film and animation professional. He is the Head Editor of Zippy Frames, a leading online international journal on independent animation. He has served as jury member in many animation festivals. He received (2016) the Society for Animation Studies Award for Best Scholarly Article in Animation. His short film scripts The Hotel and Mar(t)y have beeen awarded at various international competitions. He is a voting member of the Annie Awards and a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic; since 2019, he also works as PÖFF Shorts Animation Programme Director (Estonia).

Yoshimi Itazu

Born in Japan in 1980, Itazu began his professional career at the young age of 18 joining Studio Gallop, where he apprenticed under veteran animator Tsukasa Tannai (Castle in the Sky). As an animator, he has worked with directors such as Satoshi Kon (Paranoia Agent, Paprika), Hayao Miyazaki (The Wind Rises, The Boy and the Heron) and Mitsuo Iso (Denno Coil). He made his debut as character designer and lead animator in a feature film in Keiichi Hara’s Annecy-winning Miss Hokusai (2015). His first directorial effort was the Fukushima disaster-themed short Pigtails (2015), which garnered 24 awards. In 2017, he directed his first TV series, Welcome to the Ballroom, and in 2023 he helmed his first feature film, The Concierge, that was awarded at 18th Fantasia Film Festival and the 25th Bucheon International Animation Film Festival.