2023 International Jury

Clara Law studied film at the National Film School, England after graduating from Hong Kong University in English Literature. Upon returning to Hong Kong she crafted a number of internationally acclaimed features including Autumn Moon (winner of Golden Leopard at Locarno, Best Picture from the European Art Theatres Association, and Youth Special Jury Award in Switzerland, 1992) and Temptation of a Monk (in competition at Venice 1993 and Grand Prix at Creteil 1994).

She moved to Australia in 1995 and continued to win many international awards with films including Floating Life (Silver Leopard at Locarno, Best Film and Best Director at Gijon, Grand Prix at Creteil, Grand Prix at Asturias, 1996), The Goddess of 1967 (Best Actress Award at Venice, Best Director at Chicago, Best Director at Teplice Artfilm, FIPRESCI Critics’ Award Best Film at Tromso, 2000), Letters to Ali (credited among the 100 greatest films of Australian cinema by the critics), Like a Dream (opening film at Hong Kong Film Festival 2010), and Red Earth (commissioned by the HKIFF, in competition at Venice 2010). Drifting Petals, a bold feature exploring the possibility of alternate cinema shot in Australia, Hong Kong and Macau, won the Best Director Award in the Golden Horse International Film Festival 2021. Through the years her films have had many nominations in the Golden Horse International Film Festival, the Hong Kong Film Awards and the AACTA Awards and have been selected in many international film festivals including those in New York, Venice, Toronto, Sundance, Locarno, Rotterdam, Busan, Jerusalem and London.

Growing up between Germany, France and the USA, Anna Katchko studied Art History and Film at the Sorbonne University in Paris. She then founded Tandem Production and has since produced more than 30 award-winning international co-productions mostly working with debut directors (Harmony Lessons – Berlinale Silver Bear, Black Hen – Venice International Film Festival best debut, Mariam – Locarno Competition, Proxima – Toronto Jury Price, Happiness – Berlinale Panorama Winner, etc). In 2023, five of Anna’s new films from Kazakhstan, Bangladesh and Ukraine were successfully presented at the festival circuit.

Apart from producing films, Katchko has been active in fostering international co-operation and business development worldwide. She was a Chief Advisor at the Kazakh National Cinema Centre and Head of the Kazakh National Pavilion in Cannes, and has founded and curated many international film business/festival/training events from 2008 till today in Germany, Switzerland, Russia, the USA and Kazakhstan such as Moscow Business Square, Spotlight: New Kazakh Cinema, EAVE for CIS producers, and Ukrainian Film week in Berlin. For many years Anna has served on film festival and pitching juries all over the world.

She is a member of the European and Asian Film Academies, and speaks fluent German, English, French and Russian.

Faisal Baltyuor has been a film producer since 2004 and is a pioneer in the Saudi film industry. He is currently the CEO of Muvi Studios, the production arm of the biggest cinema chain in Saudi Arabia (Muvi Cinemas). Baltyuor was the CEO of the Saudi Film Council, which was the first Saudi governmental entity founded to support the film industry in Saudi Arabia. Faisal headed the film industry development initiatives at the Ministry of culture. He is an advisor for three Saudi universities and several film foundations, and is a board member of Manga production.

Baltyuor also founded and is still acting CEO of CineWaves films, one of the fastest growing distribution companies in Saudi Arabia. CineWaves films has the biggest Saudi film library and lately became a preferred partner aggregator for Netflix in the MENA region. Prior to his roles, he worked as a director and producer Australia – Sydney for four years and received his bachelor and master degrees from Australia.

Baltyuor is a producer and executive producer of more than 40 feature and short films. Some been selected in the official competition of A-list film festivals such as the Venice International film festival, the Toronto International Film Festival and the London international film festival. Baltyuor also recently co-produced Goodbye Julia, which was officially selected in Cannes and won the freedom award.

Hideho Urata is a highly acclaimed cinematographer based in Singapore, originally hailing from Japan. He embarked on his career in the United States, where he honed his skills and artistic vision. Throughout his illustrious career, Urata has garnered international recognition and numerous accolades for his exceptional work behind the camera.

A pivotal moment in Urata’s career came with his lensing of A Land Imagined, a feature film that achieved remarkable success. The film clinched the prestigious Golden Leopard at the 2018 Locarno International Film Festival and was honoured with the title of Best Asian Feature at the 2018 Singapore International Film Festival. Urata’s contributions to this cinematic masterpiece also earned him personal accolades, including Best Cinematography at the Valladolid International Film Festival and the Achievement in Cinematography award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

In more recent endeavours, Urata’s work on Plan 75 garnered significant recognition. The film received a Special Mention in the Caméra d’Or competition at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, showcasing Urata’s continued excellence in cinematography. His remarkable talents also earned him a nomination for Best Cinematography at the Asian Film Awards in 2023.

Hideho Urata’s career has been marked by a commitment to artistic excellence, a dedication to storytelling through the lens, and a consistent ability to capture the essence of each project he undertakes. His contributions to the world of cinema continue to be celebrated on both a national and international stage.

Yeo Yann Yann is a multi-award-winning actress from Malaysia, who won Best Actress at the 56th Golden Horse Awards for her feature Wet Season (2019). In the film, Yann Yann plays a lonely teacher who forms a special bond with her student who has been abandoned by his parents. Yann Yann became a household name in Asia when her film Ilo Ilo (2013) won the Camera D’or at the Cannes Film Festival. Subsequently, she won Best Supporting Actress at the 50th Golden Horse Awards and took home the same prize at the 8th Asia Film Awards for her role as a pregnant mother fighting for the love of her son with his nanny. Her nuanced performance also won her Best Actress at numerous international film festivals including India, Vladivostok and Dubai.

Yann Yann began her career in theatre and has been acting since her early 20s, winning many theatre awards along the way. She has also starred in many television shows and is a two-time Asian Television Awards Best Actress nominee. Yann Yann received a Best Actress nomination in the International Emmy Awards 2020 for the series Invisible Stories (2020) and won the Best Actress Award at the Asian Film and Television Creative Awards 2020.

Most recently, in 2023, Yann Yann was nominated for Best Supporting Actress by the Indian Critics Choice Short Series Awards and Best Actress (Drama) at the Indian Filmfare OTT Awards for Modern Love, Mumbai, in which she speaks entirely in Hindi. Next up for Yann Yann is Gareth Evans’ latest action feature Havoc opposite Tom Hardy and Forest Whitaker, and American Born Chinese directed by Daniel Destin Cretton and co-starring Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan.