berlinale committee

Source: Berlinale / Yom Omer / Engin Oruc / Olivier Marceny

Clockwise from top left: Jessica Kiang, Elad Samorzik, Jacqueline Nsiah, Mathilde Henrot

Former Jerusalem Film Festival artistic director Elad Samorzik, Berlin-based critic, essayist and programmer Jessica Kiang, Ghana-based festival and art consultant Jacqueline Nsiah, and Festival Scope co-founder and programmer Mathilde Henrot have been appointed to the selection committee of festival director Tricia Tuttle’s first Berlin International Film Festival, taking place from February 13-23, 2025.

The committee chooses the Competition and Berlinale Special titles and contributes to the Perspectives section.  It is overseen by Tuttle. with co-directors of film programming Jacqueline Lyanga and Michael Stutz, who were appointed in June.

Tuttle, Lyanga and Stutz have also confirmed a group of advisors and delegates to offer programming support and deepen the expertise and international networks of the festival.

The advisors are Rowan Woods, on curating international series, festival organiser Kate Taylor, who headed up Edinburgh Film Festival in 2023, programmer Jin Park, to advise on genre films, and curators Ana David, Rabih El-Khoury and Toby Ashraf.

Long-standing Berlinale contributor Jenni Zylka returns to support on German cinema programming with a special focus on German new talent and film schools.

A further group of internationally-based regional and country delegates will scout for and act as ambassadors for all Berlinale programmes.

They include Mara Fortes for Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador; Luciano Monteagudo for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay; Meenakshi Shedde for South Asia; Eduardo Valente for Brazil; Ryan Werner for the US; and Norman Wang and Jacob Wong for Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.

Former European Film Market director Beki Probst continues in her role as Berlinale delegate and ambassador.

“Berlinale welcomes nearly 20,000 international professionals each year, while also attracting over 324,000 public admissions,” said Tuttle. “We introduce films locally which we hope will go on to reach audiences around the globe; it is always a privilege to be part of this journey, as we know that cinema is an art form that is as dazzlingly vibrant as it is vital.

“To build a programme befitting this festival, we need a team with tremendous knowledge and networks, as well as different perspectives and tastes. This group brings a generous love of diverse forms of cinema and an excitement about sharing that passion.”