Jury
Animation
Leo ÄŒernic
Author & Animation Filmmaker I Italy
Leo ÄŒernic (1995) is an author of short animated films, madly in love with small independent film production and humble, sincere artists. He graduated in film and television directing from the Academy of Theater, Radio, Cinema, and Television in Ljubljana and then concluded his studies in animation at the Experimental Center of Cinematography – Piedmont branch in Turin. He is currently working as a freelance author and animation filmmaker.
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Kim Kihyun
Producer, Writer and Director I South Korea
After studying film direction at the Korean Academy of Film Arts(KAFA), he founded Match Cut, where he has been producing content in animation, feature films, and picture books. He has produced director Joung Yumi's animations such as Dust Kid, Love Games, and Circle, which have been screened at over 100 international film festivals, including Cannes Directors' Fortnight, Berlinale Shorts, Zagreb, and Annecy. His works have won more than 30 major international awards, including the Grand Prix at Zagreb, the first time for a Korean film. Kim has also produced feature films like The Boy From Nowhere, The Layover, and Journeys in Math and Genetics, which have been showcased at the Jeonju International Film Festival.
Sean Pecknold
Animator & Director I United States
Sean Pecknold is an independent animator and director from Seattle, now based in Los Angeles, renowned for his work in stop-motion and multi-plane animation. He has collaborated with Fleet Foxes, Netflix, DreamWorks, Google, John Legend, and The New York Times. Sean’s debut stop-motion filmWhite Winter Hymnal won a Jury Prize at SXSW, and his multi-plane animation The Shrine / An Argument earned Best Animation at the UKMVAs. In 2024, his acclaimed stop-motion short Tennis, Oranges screened at over 160 festivals, including Annecy, SXSW, AFI Fest, Raindance, Sitges, and Ottawa, winning multiple awards and qualifying for the 2025 Academy Awards. Sean co-runs Sing-Sing studio with production designer Adi Goodrich, creating films, animations, and design works. He has taught stop-motion workshops at CalArts and Otis and continues to push the boundaries of handcrafted animation. With projects like his 2021 Annie-nominated short Featherweight, Sean has cemented his reputation as a leading voice in animation. He is currently preparing to direct his first feature-length animated film.
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Giorgos Chraniotis
Actor I Greece
Born in Athens. He has been involved in theater, cinema and television as an actor for the last 31 years in Greek and some European productions. He has been teaching improvisation for the last ten years. He sings and writes lyrics with his band, Imitate your mother. He is involved in screenwriting. He can live without art, but he doesn't want to.
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