International Jury

The 24th Cyprus Film Days International Festival presents this year’s International Jury, composed of distinguished figures from the international film community. 

Filmmakers, producers, curators and industry professionals with long and meaningful careers in cinema will bring together their knowledge and perspectives, contributing diverse creative and professional viewpoints to the festival’s 12 competition titles

The President of the International Jury is Matthijs Wouter Knol (Netherlands), CEO and Director of the European Film Academy since 2021. Previously, and for more than twelve years, he was part of the core team of the Berlinale, first as Head of Programme of Berlinale Talents and later as Director of the European Film Market.

The other members of the International Jury are:

Melanie Blocksdorf (Germany), a Berlin-based producer since 2015, specialising in the production and co-production of international fiction and documentary feature films. Her filmography includes acclaimed titles such as Compartment No. 6, which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, and Natural Light, which received the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Anna Hoffmann (Germany), a film programme curator and long-standing member of the Berlinale Forum team, where since 2001 she has been involved in programme design and film selection, contributing to the discovery and promotion of innovative and independent voices in global cinema.

Christina Lazaridi (Greece/USA), an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter with an established presence in both film and television. She is the co-founder of the internationally recognised film development programme Cine Qua Non Lab and an Associate Professor at the Graduate Film Division of Columbia University.

Aimilios Avraam (Cyprus), a filmmaker with a background in editing and visual effects. His debut feature film Smaragda – I Got Thick Skin and I Can’t Jump premiered at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and received the awards for Best Cypriot Film and Best Performance at Cyprus Film Days 2025.

The International Jury will consider the 8 international and 4 Cypriot films participating in this year’s Glocal Images International Competition Section, for the festival’s awards. 

The winners will be announced on Saturday, 25 April, during the Closing and Awards Ceremony at the Rialto Theatre in Limassol.

Awards

During the awards ceremony, the following prizes will be presented:

• Best Film Award, accompanied by a cash prize of €6000
  
• Best Cypriot Film Award, accompanied by a cash prize of €4000, as well as access to The Studio services (offered by the CYENS Centre of Excellence)
  
• Special Jury Award, accompanied by a cash prize of €3000
  
• Best Director Award, accompanied by a cash prize of €1000
  
• Best Cinematography Award, accompanied by a cash prize of €1000, offered by Caretta Films
  
• Best Director in a Cypriot Film Award, accompanied by Post Production Cinema and Platform Mastering Services valued at €7000, offered by Authorwave
  
• Best Performance in a Cypriot Film Award, accompanied by a cash prize of €2000, offered by the Municipality of Limassol.

All films screening in the official international competition programme and the Cypriot competition section will automatically compete for the Audience Award, which is determined by viewers’ ratings after each screening and is accompanied by a €2000 prize, offered by Breaking Wave Productions.