The Jury for Short Narrative Films
Rym Takouche (Algeria)
Rym Takouche, born in 1975 in the capital, was raised on Andalusian music from the age of eight. She abandoned her law studies to join the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Bir Mourad Raïs. Her theatrical works gained her fame and brought her closer to the audience. She began with the play “The Strangled Corpse” by the writer Yassin. Later, she transitioned to television when she met Masoud Al-Ayeb, who offered her a role in “Hanane, a Woman,” marking the start of her cinematic and television career. She participated in various films and television series, including “Shadow of Roses,” “Secrets of the Past,” and “The Damned.” In cinema, she starred in the film “Miskhara” in 2008, winning the Best Actress award at the Carthage Film Festival. She also appeared in “The Wounded Palm” in 2010 and “Perfumes of Algeria” in 2012.
Joud Said (Syria)
Joud Saeed is a Syrian director, born on November 24, 1980. He holds a master’s degree in cinematographic direction from Lumière University in Lyon, France. His early short films include Monologue (2007), Farewell (2008), Again (2009), My Last Friend (2013), Homs Rain (2014), Waiting for Autumn (2015), Morning Star (2019), Sky Path (2019), and Youssef’s Journey (2022). He also directed the TV series Autumn of Lovers (2021).
His film “War Travelers” won the Critics’ Award at the 29th Carthage Film Festival. Additionally, “Youssef’s Journey” received the Gold award at the Taranto Film Festival in Italy.
Noura Nefzi (Tunisia)
From Tunisia, with 20 years of experience in audiovisual and cinematic fields. Since 2004, she has specialized in multimedia and video editing, contributing to various cinematic works in North Africa, including documentaries and narratives. Alongside her artistic endeavors, she pursued a Ph.D. thesis in design sciences and technologies.
Passionate about cinema and collaborative culture, she balances filmmaking, teaching, and research. Noura is currently a teacher at ESAC, serving as the Director of Studies and Internal Training.
She also acts as an educational consultant for ESAD and a film editor. Notable films include “Ahla Dounya” (2013) and “The Well” (2016) from Algeria, and “Ghamouz” (2021) from Tunisia, directed by Nada Mezni Hafaiedh.
Helena Rubashovska (Ukraine)
Journalist, film critic, and renowned documentary filmmaker from Ukraine. Deputy Chair of FIPRESCI (since 2023) and Editor-in-Chief. Member of the voting committee for the Golden Globe Awards and Critics’ Award for Arab Films.
Coordinator of the program for the International Festival of Ethnographic Films (OKO). Worked as a director and screenwriter, creating media content for non-governmental organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the United Nations, with a special focus on projects related to Eastern Ukraine. As an editor, she managed the website kinoukraine.com. Author of a series of video lectures and a book dedicated to Ukrainian cinema.
After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, she joined the International Cinematography Festival EnergaCAMERIMAGE (Poland) in 2023 and moved to Sweden to participate in the SWAN Artistic Residency with the Gothenburg Film Festival.
Roua El Madani (Saudi Arabia)
After completing secondary school, Roua ElMadani was aspired to study art. However, lackingspecialized university in Saudi Arabia, she went tothe Sorbonne in Paris, where she studied theater foryear.
She returned to Saudi Arabia and joined KingAbdulaziz University in the College of Social SciencesIn 2002, she entered the advertising field, initiallywith ‘Propaganda’ and later with “Full Stop.
In 2008, she established her company, “Panorama,” whichhas become one of the largest event management companies in the Gulf region today.
Between 2012 and 2013, she worked at MBC asthe head of radio and music.
Later, she collaboratedwith the government of Dubai for two years as theahead of creativity and new projects. Throughout thisfounded. In 2020, she joined a group of companiesperiod, she did not cease her work in the company shethe company ‘Ishtryna,” for music distribution. Thefocused on talent development, film distribution, andgroup now comprises 7 companies.
