Laila Al Hamdoun
Festival director & Writer
Sultanate of Oman
Laila Al Hamdoun
Laila Al Hamdoun, director and screenwriter: She holds a degree in sociology from Cairo University. She entered the world of cinema by writing and directing institutional films for the benefit of some civil society organizations, such as the Omani Women’s Association. She participated in training workshops for writing and directing. Some of her films were crowned in local and international festivals. Director of the International Women and Children Cinema Festival in Muscat and a member of the Administrative Council of the Omani Cinema Society since 2019. She participated in many cinematic events as a member of the jury, including the Bahrain Film Festival and Al Dhahirah Film Festival, and represented the Omani Society in the tenth session of the Tangier Film Festival in the Tangier Film Market space in 2017.
Mabrouka Khedir
Director & Producer
Tunisia
Mabrouka Khedir
Mabrouka Khedir is a seasoned video journalist and correspondent for DW TV and TV5. She is a respected freelance investigative journalist, contributing to platforms like Alqatiba and Al Arabiya channel. She is also the founder of “COSMOS Media,” the first digital platform in Tunisia dedicated to environmental journalism.
As an investigative journalist and a filmmaker, Mabrouka have a special interest in environmental issues and have made several reports and produced a number of documentary films focusing on the environment and climate change in Tunisia .Her environmental film “fuel fishing “ was selected as the best work in the International Anti-corruption Film festival (RIFAC/Tunisia 2018)
She is also jury member in cinema festivals in Tunisia and North Africa.
Beyond her journalistic roles, Mabrouka is an international media development expert and trainer, collaborating with institutions like Deutsche Welle Akademie and the European Union Program PAMT1/PAMT2. She is a proficient film director and owns the 4K Production Company, specializing in environmental documentaries.
Mabrouka is a founding member of the Takallam for Freedom of Speech Association and the Islander Kids Association. She previously taught at the IPSI (Institute of Press and Information Sciences) in Tunis and is an active member of the Tunisian Coalition of Facilitators (TCF). Her diverse contributions make her a notable figure in journalism and media development.
Sean Ali Wang
Director
China
Sean Ali Wang
Sean Ali Wang is a Hui (a Muslim ethnic minority) Chinese filmmaker born in Beijing in 1991. After graduated from Communication University of China for BA and Beijing Film Academy for his first MA, he has been a freelance documentary director for years. Recently he is majoring in Fine Art for his second MA in University of the Arts Utrecht, Netherlands.
His debut feature-length documentary film Lady of the Harbour had its world premiere at IDFA 2017. His second documentary film A Marble Travelogue was premiered at IDFA 202. It was selected at more than 40 international film festivals including Visions du Reel, CPH:DOX, Hotdocs etc. It was broadcasted on Arte, NHK and was theatrically released in Spain.