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.

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.

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.

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.

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.