Steven Subotnick (USA)

Steven’s animations are condensed and poetic. Through an experimental and iterative process of making and editing, he explores resonances found in subjects as diverse as history, science, evolution, and religion. His artwork begins in the physicality of materials – paper, ink, paint, paper-mache, rags, photographs, wood – which are then transformed through digital manipulation. His goal is to embody ideas in the act of making – a film about evolution is drawn straight-ahead with closed eyes. Sound is an important part of his filmmaking. He crafts tracks in order to give voice to the images, and it is the combination of image and sound which creates the film’s full identity.

Steven’s films have screened in festivals, galleries, museums, and curated shows around the world. He is the recipient of major grants and fellowships, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, an LEF Fellowship, and an AFI Fellowship. His films have won such awards as “Grand Prix” at the Holland Animation Film Festival and the “High Risk Award” at the Fantoche Animation Festival. In 2018, he had a retrospective of his films at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. He has received residencies at the MacDowell Colony and the Yaddo Corporation. Steven is also a dedicated teacher. He has taught animation for over thirty years at colleges and universities, including Harvard University, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and Rhode Island School of Design, where he currently teaches senior animation thesis projects.

Mira Yankova (Bulgaria)

Born in Sofia, Bulgaria. Graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts and has a Master degree from New Bulgarian University in ‘Cinema and TV Directing’. She works as 2D and 3D animator, set-designer and assistant director. Mira Yankova is Bulgarian visual artist, working in the field of video-art. Her video-art works were featured in Venice in a Collateral event of the 57th Venice Biennale 2017, and in a number of international curatorial projects in Lisbon, London, Bogotá, Vienna e.t.c. “Butterfly & Mouse” is her first short film.

Georges Sifianos (France) 

Georges Sifianos, born in Greece, holds a PhD in animation aesthetics from the University of Sorbonne. He is a filmmaker and professor emeritus of animation at EnsAD in Paris, where he founded the Department of Animation Studies in 1995. He has lectured worldwide including universities in Europe, India, Korea, Japan and China. As a member of PSL academic research group, SACRe (EA 7410), he is interested in the renewal of forms of animation cinema, particularly from the point of view of cognitive science. The blindfolded animation approach employed in “The blind writer” is part of this research. His other recent research interest concerns animation forms found on the Parthenon’s Frieze. His book Aesthetics of Animated Cinema received the 2014 “McLaren – Lambart” award for the best academic book by the Society for Animation Studies and the “Hemingway Grant” in 2015.

His filmography includes the films:

• “SMILE” (1974), animated short film. 2’. • “PETROCHEMICALS, THE CATHEDRALS OF DESERT” (1981), feature-length documentary, in co-direction with Stathis Katsaros. 80’. • “SCENT OF CITY” (1994), animated short film. 8.30’. • “TUTU” (2001), animated short film, co-directed with Pascal Dalet. 26’. • “EGO” (2007), animated short film. 12’. • “THE BLIND WRITER” (2021), animated short film. 9.50’.

Natalia Ryss (Israel)

Natalia Ryss was born in Rostov-on-Don in 1968. Graduated from Art College in Rostov-on-Don (designer) in 1988 and art‐graphic faculty of the Russian State University of Cinematography named after S. Gerasimov in 1995. Creates animated shorts as an independent filmmaker and in collaboration with different production companies. Preferably works with non-conventional structure of narration, uses expressive editing and mix of different art-techniques (torn paper, drawing on glass and wet paper, photo- and video-filters…). Since 2015 she lives in Haifa, Israel.

Filmography

2023 – “Cricket” 2020 – “Alexander Mosolov. Three Pieces” & “François Couperin. The Alarm Clock” 2020 – Intro- animated videos for “Iso Film Fest” 2019 – “Comte” 2019 – 2021 – 10 super short experimental films for the festival Ща,5 сек/ 5 sec Animated Film Festival 2018 – “Clock Face” 2015 – “Tucuman” 2014 – experimental film “COLISEIDOSCOPE” 2013 – “The Catfish and the Moon” 2011 – ”Itsihitanantsu” 2009 – experimental film “DOZURBA” 2009 – animator on film “Gosha’s tales” 2007 – “The Magpie`s gossip”. 2005 – “Pyramid”

Nicolas Fattouh (Lebanon)

Nicolas Fattouh (born February 26, 1994 in Monsef – Lebanon) is a visual artist and director.

He participated in many local and international exhibitions and auctions including Bonham’s (London), and Drouot (Paris). In 2018 his debut film “How grandmother became a chair” received The Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Stiftung as German Lebanese co-production. Today his award winning debut film is selected in more than 100 festivals around the world.  He Opened in 2019 an art gallery (Fattouh Art Gallery) in Monsef where he made his first solo exhibition “Les Vieux”.

Winner in the category Best Debut of the T-Short Festival 2022.