Jury

Carmel Competition - Jury

Shemi Zarhin

Shemi Zarhin is an Israeli film director, screenwriter, and novelist who has created some of Israel's most successful and acclaimed films in recent years. His notable works include Passover Fever (Awarded at the Montreal World Film Festival, 1995), Dangerous Acts (7 Ophir Awards, including Best Director, 1998), Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi (Numerous awards at international film festivals, including the FIPRESCI Award at Festroia IFF, 2003), Aviva My Love (Awards at the Chicago IFF and Shanghai IFF, 6 Ophir Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Script, 2006), The World Is Funny (Palm Springs IFF, Chicago IFF, 2012), The Kind Words (TIFF, 2015), Silent (Closing Night Film, Haifa IFF, 2022), and Bliss-Hemda (TIFF, 2024). His first novel, Some Day, one of Israel's all-time bestsellers, was listed among the Notable Translated Books of 2013 by World Literature Today.

Yoav Roeh

Yoav Roeh is a prominent Tel Aviv-based producer. In 2008, he co-founded the boutique production company Gum Films with partner Aurit Zamir. The company specializes in creating narrative and documentary films and TV series, delivering thought-provoking cinematic experiences for audiences worldwide. Roeh's notable works include award-winning films and TV series such as The Future (Tribeca FF), Delegation (Berlinale FF, Script Award at Jerusalem FF), Asia (Tribeca FF – 3 awards including the Nora Ephron Award, 9 Ophir Awards including Best Film), The Testament (Venice FF, Best Film Award at Haifa FF), Tell Me Everything (Kan 11, Keshet Intl), The Missing File (Kan 11, Keshet Intl), and For God's Sake (Berlin TV FF, Kan 11).

Shira Arad

Shira Arad is an Israeli documentary and fiction film editor with numerous accolades, including the Israeli Academy Award for Best Editing for Our Father. She has also received awards at the Haifa International Film Festival and DocAviv. Her work has been featured in prestigious film festivals such as Cannes, Berlinale, Rotterdam, Toronto, and Tribeca, with notable films including Room 514, Incitement, and Antenna. Additionally, she edited the series After Midnight, which earned an Academy Award nomination. Shira is also a script and music consultant, a member of the European Film Academy, and a lecturer at Minshar Art School. 

Rita Shukrun

Rita Shukrun is an acclaimed Israeli actress in film, television, and theater. She won the Ophir Award for Best Actress in 2022 for her performance in the film Karaoke. Shukrun has appeared in numerous films and TV series, including Salt of the Earth, Dreams of Innocence, InSight, The Stars of Shlomi, A Matter of Time, Basic Training, and Our Song. She is also an accomplished theater actress.

Golden Anchor Competition - Jury

Eitan Green

Eitan Green is an Israeli film director, screenwriter, actor, and film professor (emeritus) at Tel Aviv University. His filmography includes several acclaimed works: When Night Falls (1984), which was an Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival and the Israeli entry for the Oscars; American Citizen (1992), awarded Best Film by the Israeli Film Critics Guild and selected for the AFI Los Angeles Film Festival; It All Begins at Sea (2007), which won the Innovation Award at the Montreal World Film Festival and was the Israeli entry for the European Film Academy; Indoors (2016); and My Daughter, My Love (2023).

Dana Modan

Dana Modan is an Israeli prominent creator, screenwrite, actress, and director. Her acclaimed television works include Significant Other (Yes), Ananda (HOT), Aviram Katz (KAN), and Love Hurts (Channel 10). Modan has created and starred in groundbreaking dramas and series, earning awards such as the Israeli Academy Awards and the Landau Prize. In cinema, she directed the feature film The Property (2024). She also created and hosted popular magazine shows, including Wedding Season and Double Date. Modan holds a law degree from Tel Aviv University and studied acting at Beit Zvi.

Michal Vinik

Michal Vinik is an acclaimed Israeli filmmaker and screenwriter. She graduated from Tel Aviv University, where she now teaches screenwriting and directing at the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television. She also lectures at Beit Berl College. Vinik's debut feature film, Barash (2015), which she wrote and directed, premiered at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in the "New Directors" category and won three awards at the Haifa International Film Festival. Her subsequent works include Valeria Is Getting Married (2022) and The Man Wanted to Know Everything (2024). A recipient of the Ophir Award for Best Original Screenplay, Vinik is also a co-founder of the Women in Film Forum, advocating for gender equality in the Israeli film and television industry.

Israeli Film - Jury

Renen Schor

Renen Schorr is a prominent Israeli filmmaker, known for directing acclaimed films such as Wedding in Jerusalem (1985), Late Summer Blues (1987), and The Loners (2009). His documentary Wake Up, Grandson – Letters to My Rebellious Rabbi (2024) was selected for the prestigious "Masters" category at the DocAviv 2024 Film Festival. Schorr is the founding director of the Sam Spiegel Film School in Jerusalem, a position he held from 1989 to 2020. Throughout his career, he has been instrumental in shaping Israel's film industry, establishing key institutions such as the Israeli Film Fund (1979), the New Fund for Cinema and TV (1992), the Herzliya and Holon Cinematheques (2008), the Jerusalem Film and Television Fund (2009), and the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab (2011-2019).

Dana Morag

Dana Morag is an Israeli film and content expert. She served as the Artistic Director and VP of the Tel Aviv Cinematheque from 2021 to 2024. Previously, she was a film and TV acquisition executive at yesTV and a lector for original feature films and documentaries. Morag holds a BA with distinction from the Film and Television School at Tel Aviv University and an MA in Film and Television Studies from Warwick University, UK.

Daniella Nowitz

Daniella Nowitz is an American/Israeli cinematographer who has made history as the first woman to win both the Israeli Academy Award (Ophir) for Cinematography with Asia (2020) and the Israeli Emmy for Cinematography with Carthago (2023). Her notable works include the series Bad Boy, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), created by Euphoria's Ron Leshem and directed by Hagar Ben Asher, and the Emmy-nominated series Normal, directed by Asaf Korman for HBO Max. She also worked on the film Watch List, which was nominated for a Gawad Urian, the Filipino equivalent of the Oscars, for cinematography. Asia (2020), directed by Ruthy Pribar, won nine Israeli Academy Awards and earned Daniella Best Cinematography honors at both the Jerusalem and Tribeca Film Festivals. Daniella is a graduate of the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.

Noa Aharoni

Noa Aharoni is an Israeli screenwriter and director. She graduated in TV and Cinema from Sapir College in 1994. Noa began her career in 2000, directing award-winning documentary films and series. In 2011, she directed her first feature film, By Summer's End, which earned awards at the Haifa and Rehovot International Film Festivals. Following the tragic terror attack on October 7, 2023, in Israel, Noa was among the first directors to document the aftermath. Her film Eyes Wide Open provides a harrowing account of the female lookout soldiers stationed along the Gaza Strip.

Assaf Bernstein

Assaf Bernstein is an accomplished filmmaker and screenwriter, known for his work in both television and cinema. He graduated cum laude from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Bernstein was the showrunner and director of the groundbreaking first season of Netflix's Fauda, recognized by The New York Times as one of the top ten international TV shows of the decade. He also executive produced and directed the pilot for HBO/Cinemax's Warrior, listed among Rolling Stone Magazine's top twenty American series of 2019, and featured on Netflix's top ten list in 2024. In film, Bernstein wrote and directed The Debt, later remade into a box-office hit starring Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain, grossing over $100 million. His 2023 thriller Look Away, starring Jason Isaacs and India Eisley, achieved the #5 spot on Netflix's U.S. top ten films. Currently, Bernstein is directing and executive producing The Kollective for Hulu, a geopolitical thriller about journalism in the post-truth era, created by the minds behind Gomorrah and ZeroZeroZero.

Israeli Short Films - Jury

Gil Sima

Gil Sima is an Israeli filmmaker and producer. In 2015, he founded his company, Sima Films, which has since produced dozens of projects. His recent films include Tropicana (2024, feature film), which premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the Jerusalem Film Festival; Taboo – Amos Gutman (2024, documentary), which had its world premiere at the Rotterdam Film Festival and won the Editing Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival; Concerned Citizen (2022, feature film), which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, won the Screenplay and Music Awards at the Jerusalem Film Festival, and was acquired by HBO; and Mini DV (2022, documentary), which participated in the official competition at the Docaviv Festival and was distributed by Lev Cinemas. Sima also serves as a consultant for numerous film funds in Israel and abroad, including the Israeli Film Fund, IDA, the San Francisco Film Festival, the New Fund for Cinema and Television, the Rabinovich Foundation, among others.

Mooly Landesman Spielmann

Mooly Landesman Spielmann is an Israeli director, screenwriter, and producer. She graduated with honors from the "Camera Obscura" film school in 1995. In 1996, she co-founded the production company "Sadot North" with her husband, Tslil, focusing on social and personal documentary films. Their films have been produced for local broadcasters, screened in Israel and worldwide, and presented at international film festivals. Among the films they have produced are The European Dream (2023, HOT 8, Haifa Festival), The Secretary (2018, Yes Docu), Saga of a Photo (2014, Channel 1, about the stormy life of Margot Klausner), and The Last Chance (2004, Channel 1, Best Film Award at the Haifa Film Festival).

Yaron Shin

Yaron Shin (a.k.a Jewboy) is an accomplished art director, designer, and animator specializing in documentary films, television series, and cultural and artistic projects both in Israel and internationally since 2000. He has extensive experience as a creative professional, with his works showcased at international exhibitions, in books, and magazines. Over the years, he has also contributed to numerous global artistic projects. In addition to his professional practice, Yaron has been a lecturer at the Graphic Design & Animation Department at the School of Design, Haifa University (formerly WIZO), since 2001, and served as the department head for a decade. He holds an MA in Visual Communication & Media from HKU University of the Arts in Utrecht, Netherlands, and a BA in Visual Communication & Design from the NB School of Design in Haifa, Israel. Since 2005, Yaron has also been the head of the Animation Department at Jumpcut/Inmotion School for Editors, where he leads and mentors the next generation of animators. He is a member of the 'Saloona' Art Group and is highly regarded for his creative contributions to Israeli culture. Yaron's notable projects include serving as the Creative Director, Designer, and Animator for The Hebrews series by Yair Qedar and Captives by Duki Dror. His animation and design work have been featured at prestigious venues, including the Israeli Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival. Recognized for his unique artistic style and impact, Yaron continues to shape the visual landscape of Israeli and international media through his visionary work.